Rona Mensah ’92

I chose to attend Hood after looking at several colleges in the region. There was a specific Admissions Counselor at the time, Phyllis (can't recall her last name) who took a lot of time with me and helped me to see that Hood was a school where I could thrive. I grew up very close to the University of Maryland in College Park and while I knew I was going to college, I didn't want to attend a college that close to home, also that school was too large for me. So when Phyllis signed me up for the one-day admissions seminar, I got to see exactly what made Hood so special. It was beautiful, and I felt like I could see myself fitting in there. That was the moment I knew it was my first choice school. My mother even commented that she could tell how excited I was after that visit.

To be honest, I didn't have any idea WHAT I was doing before arriving at Hood! I think I was quite clueless. Because of that, I took classes that were of interest to me. My first semester freshman year, I took Intro to Interior Design and I liked it a lot. I never really considered it before but, after that class, I became drawn to as a career. At that time, to be an Interior Design major, you had to major in Home Economics. Once I decided on that path, I was really happy about it. I had taken some Home Ec classes in high school but the scope was much larger at Hood. It really expanded what my understanding of Home Economics was. We had classes in Retail Merchandising, Buying, Nutrition, Personal Family Finance, and Early Childhood Education. The Personal Family Finance class taught by Mrs. Hagerman was excellent! It gave the first taste of "adulting" things like life insurance, retirement planning, and budgeting. Then when we had to live in the Marx Center, it was a chance to create our own budgets from rent and utilities to meal planning.

I don't think I knew what career I wanted before I decided on Interior Design, but the closer I got to graduation, I was looking for something "creative". I didn't know how to get from all this education to a career.

Good question! I fell into it.

I was always involved in Hood Theatre (which was a club at the time). I really liked public speaking as well as performing in theater. So during my senior year when an alum working in radio told me I had a good voice and I should consider radio, I was intrigued. Just like that. The spark was lit for this career. Shortly after, I noticed a job posting for a local radio station on a bulletin board in the AD building. I ripped it off and called the station. I explained that I was a student at Hood, liked public speaking, theater, and I was told I have a good voice. (I know; this is NOT normally how it happens). Luckily the owner of the station, Barbara Marmet, liked me and asked me to come in and meet her. I started about a year and a half later. So in answer to your question, I didn't quite "choose" radio, but rather fell into it. I've been in this industry for almost 28 years. I guess it was meant to be.

There were a lot of people that were instrumental in my success in large and small ways. I mentioned Mrs. Hagerman earlier, I absolutely loved her classes! Also Dr. Bands was a standout. They were both in the Home Economics department and I felt like I could go to either of them with a question or advice. It was really nice to have strong female leaders that were so supportive and encouraging. There was another professor who was only here for a short time Dr. Marsha Darling, she taught Intro to African American Studies (I think that was the title) and it was excellent. While it wasn't part of the Home Ec curriculum and didn't have anything to do with my career in radio, it was certainly a class that helped my personal development. She had such a reputation for being engaging that her class was crammed with people wanting to learn what she had to teach. It was very enriching personally.

The MEDIA STUDIO!!!!!! I went to the unveiling of that a few years ago and WOW! I got to sit on the set and was so impressed. I wish I had those resources when I was at Hood! Perhaps I would have made the decision to fall into a media career then.

Hood was the best choice for me and I'm so proud to have gotten my degree there. I'm also proud to represent Hood to the community in any way I can and support its success. This school gave me an excellent education combined with invaluable life lessons in young adulthood. I can't imagine having gone anywhere else. Even now stepping back on campus brings an element of nostalgia for me. I love to have that contact with other Hood grads and tell them all the good things I know are happening at the campus, it makes me feel as if I'm keeping them in the loop. As long as the Board of Associates will have me as a cheerleader, I'll be there!

See question 6! :) A place where I can always come back and feel welcome and know it's forever a part of the fabric of who I am.