Submitted by Ryan McGuire
There’s so much to love about life in Granville, but one of our greatest gifts is having Denison University right up the hill — home to brilliant, generous professors who genuinely care about our community.
Dr. Susan Villarreal, a biology professor and entomologist, recently spent time with Miss Joan’s Girl Scout Troop, bringing along a fascinating assortment of insects from Denison to share. With warmth, humor, and contagious enthusiasm, she invited the girls into the magical world of bugs and the beauty of biology.
But it was more than a science lesson. It was a spark of curiosity, connection, and wonder — the kind of experience that plants seeds and opens doors.
This is what makes Granville so special. It’s a place where learning spills out of classrooms, and neighbors become mentors. Thank you, Dr. Villarreal, for showing our girls what it means to love what you do and being so willing to share that passion with (hopefully) the next generation of biologists!
Have a Bright Spot to share? Send it to Managing Editor Julia Lerner (lernerj@denison.edu). Tell us about the moment that made you smile in under 200 words, and try to include a photograph. We’ll add it to our growing list of Bright Spots on TheReportingProject.org!