For a small, liberal arts university, Bellarmine is big on opportunities to get involved, find your fit and become your best self.
There are more than 90 student groups on campus and most students belong to at least one of them. Whatever you are interested in鈥攑olitics, the environment, religion or sports鈥攃hances are, there鈥檚 a student group for it. In these groups, students have fun and make friends while getting valuable leadership and organizational experience. And, they do community service and engagement work that has a big impact.
鈥淚 found out that I'm a leader,鈥� said Lauren Henry, a Pre-Med Biology major. 鈥淚f you were to come up to me in high school and say 鈥榶ou are a natural leader,鈥� I would have said absolutely not. All of these organizations and my mentors here have brought out someone who can talk in front of people, which I never thought I'd be able to do. Now, I give tours and I talk all the time and I'm so grateful for realizing the leadership capabilities I have.鈥�
Learning communities and specialty programs help students get connected and make friends, receive support from faculty and staff and get involved at Bellarmine and beyond.
鈥淚 feel like socially I've grown a lot because in high school and middle school I was pretty quiet,鈥� said Chloe Harris, Nursing major. 鈥淗aving to make new friends and talk to people because I didn't know anyone鈥 think that's helped me grow a lot. Also, in nursing you have to talk to your patients, you have to communicate, you have to advocate for them, and I think this opportunity has given me a chance to grow and learn how to talk to people and not shy away from speaking up.鈥�
The Office of Identity and Inclusion, and numerous other student groups, engage the Bellarmine community in identity exploration and social justice. This work not only helps create a more inclusive campus, but also provides the tools for our community to thrive in a diversifying world.
鈥淚 love learning about new cultures, so I joined all of the student unions,鈥� said Hanna Mitchell, a Criminal Justice major. 鈥淚鈥檓 in the Black Student Union, the Asian and Asian American Student Union, the Latin-Mex Student Union and I also joined the Photography Club and Archery Club. And, I鈥檝e been doing Taekwondo and boxing at the Sport, Recreation, and Fitness (SuRF) Center, which has been really fun for me.鈥�
Bellarmine has an extensive study-abroad program. Most students take advantage of our incredible opportunities at least once. With nearly 200 program and partner sites in 68 countries around the globe, you can choose international experiences that are long-term (semester or academic year) or short-term (two to eight weeks). Students often find these trips are life-altering learning experiences.
鈥淚f you're looking for a place that shows you who you want to be even if you don鈥檛 really know yet who you鈥檙e supposed to be, Bellarmine gives you that opportunity to explore what you wanna do with your life, your career, who you want around as your friends,鈥� said Alexandria Henderson, a Pre-Med Biology major.