Student Profile: Alexandra Woodburne
Always up for a challenge, Grand Rapids sophomore Alexandra Woodburne began dancing ballet in high school and quickly fell in love with the precision it required.
“I really like the cleanness of the ballet style,” she says. “Everything needs to be placed just so, especially on pointe. If the angle of your head is off, everything else will be off as well. Because of that challenge, I find it so rewarding. It’s easy to see yourself improving.”
Woodburne was drawn to Alma College because of the dance program. Now a member of the Dance Company and Pi Delta Chi, the dance honorary, she has a great group of friends. But she’s just as happy in the world of education, her major.
“I’ve always loved working with kids,” she says. “I’d eventually like to teach special education. Alma has its education students do placements early on, and it’s a good learning experience and a good chance to get out of the textbook.”
Every teacher was once a student, and Woodburne says she feels positively impacted by those who teach her at Alma College, especially education faculty members Peggy Thelen and Mark Seals.
“I feel like I benefit from their classes a lot,” she says. “They both know all of our names and interests, and they tailor their teaching to each individual student so that we can learn as much as possible. Alma allows us to make these strong connections.”
