student

Briana Billingham '12

I’ve never stopped riding horses ever since my grandmother took me for a lesson when I was seven. I just love animals. You definitely create a bond with your horse and you develop a lot of trust.

I grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in northern California, and I decided I wanted to experience a different culture by going to an East Coast liberal arts school like my father. When I looked around Susquehanna’s campus I felt like I could fit in and would have room to grow. I do love it here. It’s so beautiful, with all the brick buildings. People here also seem to be a lot more laid back.

Continuing to ride was also really important to me, so it’s great Susquehanna has an equestrian team. I love all the girls and we have a lot of fun together. We have a barn and a trainer off-campus, where we ride once or twice a week, and we compete in about four horse shows a semester. It’s a challenging mental game to prepare yourself to get on a horse you don’t know and be able to ride it.

And now that I’m the team captain I’ve had to really step up, organizing people and working hand-in-hand with the school. It’s been good. I’m not as shy, and I’m more focused and really getting into my classes.

Originally I majored in marketing, and this past summer I really enjoyed a sports marketing internship I had with the around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race in Boston. But after doing well in a couple economics courses, I’m majoring in economics. I like figuring out where the market is going, so I’ll probably go into banking.

I still have a lot to figure out, though, but I’m enjoying the ride.