Scotty Teal
March 30, 2015
Scotty Teal
Colleges: Liberal Arts, Honors College
Majors: Law and Society
Minor: Forensics, Political Science, Spanish
Why did you choose Purdue?
I chose Purdue because of its close proximity to my hometown, as well as for the amazing academic programs it offers.
What is your passion and why do you do what you do?
My passion is learning. I want to be a lawyer.
Why did you choose to graduate with Honors? What was the main benefit for you?
I chose to graduate with Honors because I wanted to push myself and see what I was capable of. The friendships and the connections I have made through CLA Honors and the Honors College are the main benefits I have experienced.
Explain your thesis/scholarly project.
My thesis focuses on abuse disclosure. Past research has mostly focused on the victim’s disclosure, and not much has been studied about the person they tell the information to. My study focuses on male and female respondent’s answers to a series of six questions that followed a short scenario depicting an account of sexual abuse. The survey was administered to two classes of Sociology 100 yielding 367 surveys for analysis. I mainly intended to examine whether females are more likely to provide support for abuse victims than males, and whether males are more likely to want some type of punitive action to be taken. Examining this information led me to draw conclusions and to support all but one of my hypotheses.
How did you get into this research?
I got into this research by taking the sociology honors research seminar that spans across two semesters. Under the supervision of Dr. Scott Feld, I was able to hone in on a topic that I was interested in studying.
What were some of the highlights during your college career?
One highlight of my college career was my study abroad trip to Spain in the summer of 2013. I met the most amazing people on this trip and I got to see beautiful parts of the word all while studying Spanish.
Another highlight would be working as the work-study student in the Stanley Coulter Hall main office. This is the main office of the School of Languages and Cultures. I have made wonderful connections in this department and I have learned valuable skills. The people I have worked with are outstanding, supportive, and caring.
What was your favorite Honors course and why?
My favorite honors course was HONR 299 Literature and Disability. It was a spectacular course and opened my eyes and mind to ideas and problems I had never even thought about. Dr. Maren Linett is truly amazing and I owe my wonderful experience to her.
Tell us about a few of your extra-curricular activities that played significant roles during your time at Purdue.
The most important extra-curricular activity I was involved in at Purdue was the Pre-Law Society. It taught me everything I needed to know about law school, the admissions process, and life as a lawyer. I would be lost without it. Also, being the President for two years gave me amazing networking opportunities and great leadership experience.
Being a CLA Dean’s Ambassador also played a significant role in my time at Purdue. Through helping the recruitment office, I was able to learn things that I never would have known about Purdue.
What’s next after graduation?
I am attending George Washington Law School in Fall 2015.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself being a lawyer for a company like Amazon or Exxon Mobil.
