Deirdre Loftus

Ada Comstock Scholar
Naugatuck, Connecticut

I was happily tending bar in Florida when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, I decided to attend community college. My mentor encouraged me to continue on and suggested Smith.

I applied, but I was determined to study at American University. At my mentor’s insistence, I attended an open house at Smith. I fell in love -- with Smith and Northampton. Though I’d been hesitant about attending a women’s college, I was blown away by the women I met. I thought, “If these are the things that Smith women do, then this is where I need to be.”

I’m working at my old community college with my mentor this summer and hoping to study abroad in Uganda next spring. Academically, Smith has been very challenging. There are times when you wonder, “What am I doing here? I should just throw in the towel.” Then, later, you say, “But this is Smith. And you realize that you’re learning more than you ever thought possible.”