"I've grown tremendously at Bates," says Lauren DuBois '04 of Beverly, Mass, a women's basketball forward and honors history major. "College tests you, and to succeed is a great achievement."

When DuBois arrived on campus, she wasn't sure she'd see any court time as a first-year. But Coach Jim Murphy recognized her abilities, put her into the game, and "pushed me to become a better player." By the end of her senior season, DuBois had set Bates records for most three-pointers in a season and for most three-pointers in a career. A co-captain, she led her team to the NESCAC championship finals.

When the history faculty asked DuBois to write a senior honors thesis, she chose to investigate how the turn-of-the-century Muckrakers united the Progressive Movement. DuBois relished the experience, especially her oral defense. "You feel special," she says. "You're talking to experts who've read what you've written and want to participate in an intellectual discussion about it with you." 

In studying the Muckrakers, DuBois discovered the enduring value of making a difference in someone's life, and her Bates experience overall has motivated her to make her own contribution to education. That's why she completed a secondary concentration in teacher education.

She's eager to share the lesson with a new generation of students as a high school history teacher. "Throughout my education, I've recognized the qualities of my best teachers," she explains. "Now I want to emulate them."