Home Town: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Major: Political Science

Attending Saint Anselm College is something of a family tradition for Dan Scholfield. His great-grandfather, great-uncle, and uncle all attended. But it wasn’t just history that drew the avid politics watcher to the small New Hampshire campus. As a Washington Post columnist said, Saint Anselm has “a box seat on America’s most riveting political theatre.” She was referring to the state’s first-in-the-nation primary and Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP).

“One of the main reasons I came here was the Institute,” says the politics major and high school debate team captain. “The fact that the debate team had such a good reputation was also very appealing.”

During his two years on the Saint Anselm debate team, Dan placed well in regional and national tournaments. As a junior, however, he switched his focus from debating to community building, by taking a job as a resident assistant (RA). He organizes events and programs—“anything from a movie night to a yoga lesson”—and deals with hall maintenance and roommate issues.

“RA’s try to create friendships within their residence halls so that they are more than just a place to live, but a real community,” he says.

Dan also has a work-study job in the Office of Career and Employment Services, helping students prepare their resumes.

The opportunity to meet presidential candidates, legislators, and political experts is an exciting part of being a Saint Anselm student, Dan says. “The primaries and elections are a fun time in New Hampshire. It’s fascinating to see who’s going to come into the forefront, and how they do.”

Although he misses New Mexico mountains and sunsets, Dan has discovered two of the great things about New England: hockey games and the Red Sox. In fact, they may influence his choices when he applies to law school—at either the University of New Mexico or Boston University.