A Bermudian university student at a top US university has made the Dean’s List for the third semester in a row.Halle Teart, 19, who is studying sociology and Africana studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said her support network back home was the secret of her success.She said: “I have my family, my friends, my former teachers and my church family always letting me know that they’re rooting for me.“That’s definitely a source of motivation when times get tough.”The former Bermuda Institute pupil is also taking a double minor in social policy and entrepreneurial management.She also started her second academic year last autumn as the 2019 Validus Scholar after winning the reinsurance firm’s scholarship last July.Ms Teart said that her fascination with her subjects was another advantage.She explained: “I’m just passionate about finding the best way for something to work and improving communities and societies.“I found my outlet through sociology and Africana studies — those are the things that just make me happy to learn about.“So, although I’m not necessarily doing a degree in public policy, I’ve found a way to shape what I’m interested in into my degree.”Ms Teart explained that she always had an interest in helping others and wanted to become a policy analyst.She used debating clubs in high school to practise the break down and discussion of social issues.Ms Teart said: “I found that through debating I was able to figure out what ideas worked best and why.“Debate has allowed me to figure out what can be improved, how we can improve it and why one option is better than another.”Ms Teart was a member of several debating groups in Bermuda, including the Youth Parliament and Dynamic Debaters.She also helped the Dynamic Debaters team reach the final 16 in the Heart of Europe Debating Tournament in the Czech Republic and the World Schools Debate Championship in Croatia in 2018 — the best achievement the team has managed.Ms Teart now uses her coursework for discussion of social problems.She said: “Last semester, I took this class called schooling, racial inequality and public policy.“We evaluated America’s schooling policies and how race and socioeconomic status is a factor in the way that people navigate the educational system, as well as the different outcomes that they receive through the same systems based on the differences that they have.”Ms Teart added: “There are also different organisations that I’m a part of, like the black student union and Families of Colour, that help me channel my creativity.”