"My name is Laura Jollay, and I hale from the 'Barbecue Capital of the World' Lexington, North Carolina. I graduated from Central Davidson High School in 2004 and came to Catawba in the fall of that year. My original intention was to study Pre-Medicine at Catawba. After my first semester, I realized that wasn't the best personal fit for me.

I loved Catawba so much that I decided to stay and find another major. I found myself at the door of the Communications department. My first course was actually an upper-level one with nothing but seniors! I loved every minute of it and found myself graduating with a Communication Arts degree in May 2008.

While at Catawba, I stayed extremely busy with extra-curricular activities. I am most proud of being the Senior Class President. Aside from that I held leadership positions in the Helen Foil Beard Society and was captain of the Catawba Cheerleading squad. I secured internships with WSTP Radio in Salisbury and a corporate business internship with Wal-Mart, Inc.

My fondest memory while looking back at Catawba was when I visited Italy with other members of the community. Never did I dream that a girl from Lexington, North Carolina, could travel halfway across the world to see the creations of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, walk the steps of Caesar in the Coliseum, or watch the sunset on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. I will carry my experiences at Catawba with me for the rest of my life. I can truly say that the relationships I built at Catawba have shaped who I am and who I will become in the future."