When 艾丽·福特28岁 first toured Illinois College, she fell in love with campus and the people who made it feel like home. “每个人都很友好，”她回忆道。 “当我与政治科学学院的老师见面时，他们非常详细地解释了实习和项目，我知道这就是我的归属。”

Now double-majoring in 政治科学 and 传播学与修辞学 with a 法律系的 minor, Ford has immersed herself in campus life. She serves as a 居民助理 in Lincoln Hall, vice chair of the Cultural Identity Council, and founder of Bloom, a women’s faith organization.

Through the 荣誉项目, Ford has explored creative research, including a project on the ethics of true-crime media that paired essay writing with hand-made art. 她解释说：“荣誉课程将我与其他对学习充满热情的学生联系起来。” “这促使我走出课堂，向教授求助，让我的想法成为现实。”

Her summer IC Explorer 实习 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential 图书馆 and Museum gave her a front-row seat to history. “我拿着《解放奴隶宣言》，”她说。 “太不可思议了。” 对福特来说，IC提供了空间和支持，“让我明白自己是谁，什么对我重要，以及如何产生影响。”