3/5/2009
More than Number 1
Reprinted with permission from The News Dispatch

Deborah Sederburg
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - She's a hometown girl. She was valedictorian of the Marquette High School Class of 2005 and now Courtney Parry is the 2009 valedictorian of St. Mary's College at Notre Dame, Ind.

She not only ranked top in her class, but she did it in two of the toughest academic disciplines, majoring in economics and math.

To Parry, math is more than numbers.

"I chose math as a major because math is a tremendously fascinating academic discipline," Parry said. "From chemistry to music, from philosophy to engineering, mathematics is a 'common denominator' among almost all different academic disciplines in some form or another," she said.

"Similarly, mathematics is unique because it unites diverse peoples and transcends cultural barriers. Though it might not sound the same in every language, the expression of 'two plus two' has the same fundamental meaning on every continent."

She chose St. Mary's because she was looking for a school offering a well-rounded education in the liberal arts tradition.

"I have always had many diverse academic interests, and the liberal arts tradition appealed to my intellectual curiosity. I also embraced the small class sizes and student-professor ratio. I feel that St. Mary's has provided me with a dynamic education and exceptional opportunities for my future."

As a Marquette grad, Parry felt well-prepared "with an excellent basis for my higher education studies." Because Marquette is a small school, she gained self-confidence as a result of the support she received from the Marquette community. "I cannot even begin to express the gratitude I have for the educators and administrators ... while I was at Marquette," Parry added.

The daughter of Brenda and Jeff Parry, Michigan City, Parry is keeping her options for the future open. "At this time I am not exactly sure what I will be doing after graduation, although I am heavily considering graduate school."

At St. Mary's Parry is the only student on the college's board of trustees. She has full voting privileges, but she is obligated to keep all proceedings confidential.

She also serves as an administrative resident adviser in her residence hall. She is president of Pi Mu Epsilon, St. Mary's honorary math society, and she was a student lecturer at the spring 2008 Indiana Mathematics Meetings.

This spring she is publishing a paper with Dr. Jerome McElroy. The paper, "Determinants of Tourism Development," will appear in the Journal of Tourism Research.

Brenda Parry, Courtney's mom, naturally is proud of her daughter the valedictorian. "Absolutely, we are proud. This was exciting news."

In her senior year at Marquette, she was a student columnist for The News-Dispatch.