By Stephen Sharp
Science fiction and fantasy lovers will be treated to a weekend of fun and knowledge as the third edition of BabelCon will take place this weekend at the Holiday Inn Select in Baton Rouge, La. The event is sponsored by the Science and Engineering Education Foundation.
Sydney Lejeune, the treasurer and one of the founding board members of BabelCon, said that the purpose of the event is to use pop culture from the science-fiction and fantasy genres to teach people, including those as young as 5 years old, about different fields of science.
The name BabelCon is derived from the "Babel Conference," a meeting of diplomats in the popular television series "Star Trek.” The two-day event will run from 10 a.m. Saturday until 5 p.m. Sunday.
The event's guest speakers will be highlighted by "Battlestar Galatica" mainstay Richard Hatch, who plays Apollo in the current series. LSU professors Robin Roberts and Geoff Clayton will also be presenters.
Registration is open at the convention’s Web site, http://www.babelcon.org, and tickets are available at the door of the event.
The Science and Engineering Education Foundation was founded by four volunteers, including Lejeune, who felt that not enough people, especially children, were taking an interest in science and engineering. They began this convention two years ago in the hopes of raising awareness in these fields through the popular media, including television shows, movies, books, games and other outlets.
Several convention "tracks" will be available for attendees to follow, each with its own theme. The tracks include science fiction, paranormal, science, anime and gaming. The convention will also offer activities for children, a Renaissance fair and merchandise for sale.
In 2007, 450 people attended the convention, and organizers estimate that number will increase to between 800 and 1,200 for this year’s event.
The Holiday Inn Select is located at 4728 Constitution Ave.
July 29, 2008
Fun, Friends and Food = Bid Day 2008
By Kate Barousse
This year more than 800 girls have registered for Rush, an annual event where girls go through a process and join a sorority. Walking the row, meeting incredible people, and finding their home away from home, are only part of the girls’ crazy week. The most important day is Bid Day, Aug. 23, when the girls receive their bids for one of the 10 sororities on campus.
Planning for Recruitment week is no easy task. “As the Vice President of Recruitment I began executing plans for Recruitment 2008 in December,” Khaki Jardine said. “A majority of the work during the school year goes into training and meeting with the chapters’ Recruitment Chairman and Advisors.” Rush is a week of crying, walking, sweating and laughing. All the stress comes to an end when the girls receive bids on the last day, Bid Day.
Part of Jardine’s job is to make sure each sorority chapter turns in the correct forms on time. Both the Panhellenic council and the sororities plan Bid Day. Panhellenic council starts the day with the distribution of bids and the music down the row. The second part of the day, the new members join the actives at the house and take part in a celebration. “There is a party down sorority row after all the bids have been distributed. A DJ plays music, while each chapter enjoys food, games, and takes pictures at their houses,” Jardine said as she described Bid Day.
The day usually concludes with a swimming party at an alumna’s house, watching movies, playing icebreakers, or a slumber party at the sorority houses. This is only the beginning of many fun-filled years in the sisterhood.
If interested in the recruitment process or more information, please visit http://appl003.lsu.edu/slas/greekaffairs2.nsf/index.
This year more than 800 girls have registered for Rush, an annual event where girls go through a process and join a sorority. Walking the row, meeting incredible people, and finding their home away from home, are only part of the girls’ crazy week. The most important day is Bid Day, Aug. 23, when the girls receive their bids for one of the 10 sororities on campus.
Planning for Recruitment week is no easy task. “As the Vice President of Recruitment I began executing plans for Recruitment 2008 in December,” Khaki Jardine said. “A majority of the work during the school year goes into training and meeting with the chapters’ Recruitment Chairman and Advisors.” Rush is a week of crying, walking, sweating and laughing. All the stress comes to an end when the girls receive bids on the last day, Bid Day.
Part of Jardine’s job is to make sure each sorority chapter turns in the correct forms on time. Both the Panhellenic council and the sororities plan Bid Day. Panhellenic council starts the day with the distribution of bids and the music down the row. The second part of the day, the new members join the actives at the house and take part in a celebration. “There is a party down sorority row after all the bids have been distributed. A DJ plays music, while each chapter enjoys food, games, and takes pictures at their houses,” Jardine said as she described Bid Day.
The day usually concludes with a swimming party at an alumna’s house, watching movies, playing icebreakers, or a slumber party at the sorority houses. This is only the beginning of many fun-filled years in the sisterhood.
If interested in the recruitment process or more information, please visit http://appl003.lsu.edu/slas/greekaffairs2.nsf/index.
Rwandan holocaust survivor and author to speak at LSU
By Kim Foster
Immaculée Ilibagiza, author of “Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” is set to discuss her inspirational story of survival and faith at the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes at 7p.m. on July 31. Ilibagiza is a survivor of the slaughter that took place during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
This free event is part of the 2008 summer selection program sponsored by One Book One Community and partner organizations that include LSU, BRCC, Southern University, the YWCA Greater Baton Rouge, Forum 35 and East Baton Rouge Parish Library, among others. According to Michelle Spielman, Steering Committee Member for the OBOC, Ilibagiza will answer all questions readers may have as well as talk over the social issues that her memoir brings to light.
Spielman said that several groups in the Baton Rouge community, including local book clubs and church groups, have already been discussing Ilibagiza’s memoir over the past few weeks. OBOC is in its third year of promoting two books annually. The summer selection is a non-fiction title whose author is invited to come to the community to discuss. Spielman said the OBOC is an organization “by the community and for the community.”
For more information, please contact Michelle Spielman at 225-578-4675, or visit the One Book One Community Web site at www.readonebook.org.
Immaculée Ilibagiza, author of “Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” is set to discuss her inspirational story of survival and faith at the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes at 7p.m. on July 31. Ilibagiza is a survivor of the slaughter that took place during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
This free event is part of the 2008 summer selection program sponsored by One Book One Community and partner organizations that include LSU, BRCC, Southern University, the YWCA Greater Baton Rouge, Forum 35 and East Baton Rouge Parish Library, among others. According to Michelle Spielman, Steering Committee Member for the OBOC, Ilibagiza will answer all questions readers may have as well as talk over the social issues that her memoir brings to light.
Spielman said that several groups in the Baton Rouge community, including local book clubs and church groups, have already been discussing Ilibagiza’s memoir over the past few weeks. OBOC is in its third year of promoting two books annually. The summer selection is a non-fiction title whose author is invited to come to the community to discuss. Spielman said the OBOC is an organization “by the community and for the community.”
For more information, please contact Michelle Spielman at 225-578-4675, or visit the One Book One Community Web site at www.readonebook.org.
Tigers After 10 to Host Late Night LSU
By Nicole Tassin
Tigers After 10, a group of student volunteers, is hosting Late Night LSU in the
Student Union on Aug. 22 at 10 p.m.
“We turn the Union into a party to basically create an alcohol-free alternative for students,” Allen Womble, Overall Chair of Tigers After 10, said. Late Night includes several forms of entertainment such as comedians, video games, crafts and musicians.
Womble said a group known as Tiger Uppercut sponsors the Tiger Arcade where various competitions take place, one specifically being Guitar Hero.
Late Night is free for any LSU student who presents a student ID, and each student may bring one guest. Free pizza will also be available for the students beginning at 1:15 a.m. until Late Night ends at 2 a.m.
Tigers After 10 has had “great comments and feedback from students,” Womble said. He also said Late Night has occurred twice a semester since 2002 and Tigers After 10 is talking about increasing the number of times Late Night will happen in the future.
Tigers After 10, a group of student volunteers, is hosting Late Night LSU in the
Student Union on Aug. 22 at 10 p.m.
“We turn the Union into a party to basically create an alcohol-free alternative for students,” Allen Womble, Overall Chair of Tigers After 10, said. Late Night includes several forms of entertainment such as comedians, video games, crafts and musicians.
Womble said a group known as Tiger Uppercut sponsors the Tiger Arcade where various competitions take place, one specifically being Guitar Hero.
Late Night is free for any LSU student who presents a student ID, and each student may bring one guest. Free pizza will also be available for the students beginning at 1:15 a.m. until Late Night ends at 2 a.m.
Tigers After 10 has had “great comments and feedback from students,” Womble said. He also said Late Night has occurred twice a semester since 2002 and Tigers After 10 is talking about increasing the number of times Late Night will happen in the future.
July 22, 2008
LSU holds its annual Sorority Rush
By Julie Thomas
More than 800 girls will be attending Louisiana State University’s its’ annual Sorority Recruitment parties, generically called “Rush.” This is 100 more girls than last fall’s recruitment parties.
The youngest girls allowed to go through recruitment are freshmen in college, and the oldest are seniors. This event will begin Sunday, Aug., 17, and end Friday, Aug., 22. The increased number of girls makes this recruitment important, according to Jamie Reibe, Pi Beta Phi’s Vice President of Membership. “It is equal to, if not bigger, than the last time the LSU Tigers won the National Championship,” Reibe said.
More than 800 girls will be attending Louisiana State University’s its’ annual Sorority Recruitment parties, generically called “Rush.” This is 100 more girls than last fall’s recruitment parties.
The youngest girls allowed to go through recruitment are freshmen in college, and the oldest are seniors. This event will begin Sunday, Aug., 17, and end Friday, Aug., 22. The increased number of girls makes this recruitment important, according to Jamie Reibe, Pi Beta Phi’s Vice President of Membership. “It is equal to, if not bigger, than the last time the LSU Tigers won the National Championship,” Reibe said.
STRIPES Program Offers Freshmen Orientation
By April Onebane
Incoming freshmen will have the opportunity of participating in Louisiana State University’s annual STRIPES program in the weeks leading up to the fall semester. The program will include two sessions, one from Aug. 4-7, and another from Aug. 11-14.
Student Tigers Rallying, Interacting and Promoting Education and Service gives 250 incoming freshmen a chance to participate in activities that will help them maneuver from high school to college with ease. Interested students can register online at www.lsu.edu/stripes.
“The main goal of it is to teach the students the history and traditions of LSU so they can gain respect and appreciation for the University,” Event Coordinator Michael Melerine said, “and hopefully start to enjoy all the school can offer before they even attend their first class.”
Incoming freshmen will have the opportunity of participating in Louisiana State University’s annual STRIPES program in the weeks leading up to the fall semester. The program will include two sessions, one from Aug. 4-7, and another from Aug. 11-14.
Student Tigers Rallying, Interacting and Promoting Education and Service gives 250 incoming freshmen a chance to participate in activities that will help them maneuver from high school to college with ease. Interested students can register online at www.lsu.edu/stripes.
“The main goal of it is to teach the students the history and traditions of LSU so they can gain respect and appreciation for the University,” Event Coordinator Michael Melerine said, “and hopefully start to enjoy all the school can offer before they even attend their first class.”
Fourth annual MonkeyBr.com Service Industry Kickball Tournament
By Ali Castillo
Get your team together and start practicing your kickball skills, because MonkeyBR.com is hosting the fourth annual Service Industry Kickball Tournament July 27 and Aug. 3 at Walk-On’s Bistreaux on Nicholson Drive. Local restaurants and bars are encouraged to organize teams of their employees to participate in the tournament.
Registration starts at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 27, with the first round of the tournament starting at noon. The final rounds and title game are on Sunday, Aug. 3. The tournament is something service industry employees look forward to all year, according to Megan Keegan, Bonefish Grill team captain. “The kickball tournament is a great way to get to know your co-workers outside of work,” Keegan said. “Managing school and work is stressful, and this is a fun way to rally together and blow off some steam.”
Get your team together and start practicing your kickball skills, because MonkeyBR.com is hosting the fourth annual Service Industry Kickball Tournament July 27 and Aug. 3 at Walk-On’s Bistreaux on Nicholson Drive. Local restaurants and bars are encouraged to organize teams of their employees to participate in the tournament.
Registration starts at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 27, with the first round of the tournament starting at noon. The final rounds and title game are on Sunday, Aug. 3. The tournament is something service industry employees look forward to all year, according to Megan Keegan, Bonefish Grill team captain. “The kickball tournament is a great way to get to know your co-workers outside of work,” Keegan said. “Managing school and work is stressful, and this is a fun way to rally together and blow off some steam.”
July 17, 2008
“Treasures at LSU” featured for the schools 150th anniversary
by Lindsey Davis
Professors at LSU are putting together a book of hidden treasures on LSU’s campus. “Treasures at LSU,” a book put together for the school’s 150th anniversary, features around 80 different school treasures.
Yasmine Dabbous, a Ph.D. student in Mass Communication and Public Affairs, has been working on the book for the summer. “The book will demonstrate that LSU is rich culturally, artistically, scientifically and historically,” she said. The project started more than a year ago, and the book will go to print in September. It will be available in any bookstore after the 150th anniversary. A price has not yet been set. Dabbous is excited that the book will teach people about LSU’s history. The treasures include several buildings on LSU’s campus and many historic artifacts. Each department in the university was asked to submit what it thought could be a treasure. A committee went through each submission and picked the best ones. Then the research started, and the project began. Dabbous started working on the book as a summer job but feels that it’s more than a job now. Her favorite treasures are the Allen Hall murals and the French House.
Professors at LSU are putting together a book of hidden treasures on LSU’s campus. “Treasures at LSU,” a book put together for the school’s 150th anniversary, features around 80 different school treasures.
Yasmine Dabbous, a Ph.D. student in Mass Communication and Public Affairs, has been working on the book for the summer. “The book will demonstrate that LSU is rich culturally, artistically, scientifically and historically,” she said. The project started more than a year ago, and the book will go to print in September. It will be available in any bookstore after the 150th anniversary. A price has not yet been set. Dabbous is excited that the book will teach people about LSU’s history. The treasures include several buildings on LSU’s campus and many historic artifacts. Each department in the university was asked to submit what it thought could be a treasure. A committee went through each submission and picked the best ones. Then the research started, and the project began. Dabbous started working on the book as a summer job but feels that it’s more than a job now. Her favorite treasures are the Allen Hall murals and the French House.
Unique LSU camp geared toward gifted children
by Jack Johnson
Gifted students, grades 3-5, will participate in a two-week camp to learn about their state. Beginning Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., the program, called “Live! Learn! Louisiana!,” will tour the kids through Louisiana’s state museum and library, coupling exhibits with related book research to create what’s billed as an “independent study project.”
LSU students will lead their younger counterparts throughout the program. Dr. Jennifer Jolly of LSU’s College of Education conceived the event to benefit everyone involved.
“The summer program came out of the need for my LSU students to work with identified gifted students for their practicum,” Jolly explained. “The LSU students really act as facilitators through the process rather than a traditional teacher role.”
Each day will begin in the museum, where every camper can find something to hone in on. Among exhibits on James Audubon, Louis Armstrong, deep-sea lures and everything in between, the camp will offer a draw for aspiring artists, musicians and gamesmen alike.
The kids will then walk across the street to the Louisiana State Library where, through what the program calls “development of research skills,” they will discover ways to enrich their learning.
“It’s really a much more interactive experience for the children,” Erin Rolfs said, marketing and public relations officer of the Louisiana State Museum.
Some of the museum’s real-life incarnations are just minutes away, needing only a quick glance out the window to find. Between the children and the LSU students who guide them, everybody wins.
Gifted students, grades 3-5, will participate in a two-week camp to learn about their state. Beginning Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., the program, called “Live! Learn! Louisiana!,” will tour the kids through Louisiana’s state museum and library, coupling exhibits with related book research to create what’s billed as an “independent study project.”
LSU students will lead their younger counterparts throughout the program. Dr. Jennifer Jolly of LSU’s College of Education conceived the event to benefit everyone involved.
“The summer program came out of the need for my LSU students to work with identified gifted students for their practicum,” Jolly explained. “The LSU students really act as facilitators through the process rather than a traditional teacher role.”
Each day will begin in the museum, where every camper can find something to hone in on. Among exhibits on James Audubon, Louis Armstrong, deep-sea lures and everything in between, the camp will offer a draw for aspiring artists, musicians and gamesmen alike.
The kids will then walk across the street to the Louisiana State Library where, through what the program calls “development of research skills,” they will discover ways to enrich their learning.
“It’s really a much more interactive experience for the children,” Erin Rolfs said, marketing and public relations officer of the Louisiana State Museum.
Some of the museum’s real-life incarnations are just minutes away, needing only a quick glance out the window to find. Between the children and the LSU students who guide them, everybody wins.
LSU MOA presents Mari and James A. Michener Collection
by David Nelson
Ever ponder what freedom looks like? The LSU Museum of Art will be presenting Mari and James A. Michener’s Collection of unconventional 20th century American art at the Shaw Center from June 11 to Nov. 30.
James A. Michener, a Pulitzer Prize novelist, known for his works “Tales of the South Pacific” and “Centennial,” has collected an extensive amount of 20th century American art. Nearly 40 paintings will be on display. “This exhibition was put together by the Blanton Museum at the University of Texas at Austin, and they put it together as a sort of ‘teaching tool,’” Victoria Cooke, Museum Curator, said. No prior knowledge of art is needed to enjoy the exhibit.
The exhibit shows American artists exploring freedom in their art. “People were experimenting with spray guns and fabric and weird shapes in a way that I think of as very American,” Cooke explained. The atomic bomb was one of the items that shook up the 20th century. It forced artists to think of the world and the way they made art differently. She also added, “American artists did not have centuries of history to weigh them down. Americans continually push the envelope of what is and isn’t art.”
Explaining the novelty of the collection Cooke said, “I think that its important for students to realize that art reacts to the world around the artists,” Cooke explains. Paul Georges and Lester Johnson are artists featured in the exhibition that were visiting artists at LSU. The collection contains a wide variety of art. All students should be able to find something they enjoy.
The exhibit is free for LSU students and will be open for 5 months.
Ever ponder what freedom looks like? The LSU Museum of Art will be presenting Mari and James A. Michener’s Collection of unconventional 20th century American art at the Shaw Center from June 11 to Nov. 30.
James A. Michener, a Pulitzer Prize novelist, known for his works “Tales of the South Pacific” and “Centennial,” has collected an extensive amount of 20th century American art. Nearly 40 paintings will be on display. “This exhibition was put together by the Blanton Museum at the University of Texas at Austin, and they put it together as a sort of ‘teaching tool,’” Victoria Cooke, Museum Curator, said. No prior knowledge of art is needed to enjoy the exhibit.
The exhibit shows American artists exploring freedom in their art. “People were experimenting with spray guns and fabric and weird shapes in a way that I think of as very American,” Cooke explained. The atomic bomb was one of the items that shook up the 20th century. It forced artists to think of the world and the way they made art differently. She also added, “American artists did not have centuries of history to weigh them down. Americans continually push the envelope of what is and isn’t art.”
Explaining the novelty of the collection Cooke said, “I think that its important for students to realize that art reacts to the world around the artists,” Cooke explains. Paul Georges and Lester Johnson are artists featured in the exhibition that were visiting artists at LSU. The collection contains a wide variety of art. All students should be able to find something they enjoy.
The exhibit is free for LSU students and will be open for 5 months.
Katrina photographic exhibit to come to Hill Memorial Library
by Carra Williams
The Louisiana State University Libraries, Special Collections, present “After Katrina,” an exhibit featuring salvaged photographs by Port of New Orleans photographer Donn Young. Young, whose Lakeview home and studio were flooded, donated what was salvaged from his collection to the LSU Libraries.
The photographic display will have an impact on everyone, not just people directly affected by Katrina, according to the organizers. “There are two stories being told at the same time, each involving Donn Young. The first is the story of his own loss; the second represents the experiences others, seen through his eyes,” Exhibits Coordinator Leah Jewett explained. The two-floor exhibit is scheduled to open July 21 and will run until Sept. 27, 2008 in the Hill Memorial Library on the LSU campus. Young will give a lecture open to the public about his artistic display in September.
The Louisiana State University Libraries, Special Collections, present “After Katrina,” an exhibit featuring salvaged photographs by Port of New Orleans photographer Donn Young. Young, whose Lakeview home and studio were flooded, donated what was salvaged from his collection to the LSU Libraries.
The photographic display will have an impact on everyone, not just people directly affected by Katrina, according to the organizers. “There are two stories being told at the same time, each involving Donn Young. The first is the story of his own loss; the second represents the experiences others, seen through his eyes,” Exhibits Coordinator Leah Jewett explained. The two-floor exhibit is scheduled to open July 21 and will run until Sept. 27, 2008 in the Hill Memorial Library on the LSU campus. Young will give a lecture open to the public about his artistic display in September.
July 14, 2008
Stephen Sharp
Catching Up to Reach My Dreams
Life rarely, if ever, works out according to plan. A person sets out to achieve goals in life and then works hard to reach the target. My goal since birth in April 1985 was to be a journalist or broadcaster in the sports world. Baseball, basketball, football and international soccer were interests of mine, and I was ready to do everything possible to write or to talk about them.
From the beginning of my life, I always sat in front of the television during a sporting event giving my own running commentary, usually to the displeasure of those in the room. As I grew up, those habits were very hard to let go. Through my early teen years, I began to take in every possible game I could, be it live or on television. I decided for sure that there no other career would be better.
After graduating from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, La., in 2003, things seemed to be progressing nicely for me. I enrolled at Louisiana State University and immediately began to immerse myself in the college life. I attended parties, football games, tailgate parties and the like. Unfortunately, I also became immersed in the freedom that college life allowed. Skipping class and missing assignments became a regular occurrence, and I began to realize that, perhaps, I wasn’t cut out for a university.
Over the next three years, I worked as a singer in my church, and I also did part-time work in the sports department for The Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge. During this time, I also began exploring some new interests. I began playing poker on a regular basis and managed to make decent money doing it. Poker kept my mind sharp while I wasn’t in school and also improved my people skills. I also began to take an interest in dogs, and that led to part-time work as a house and dog sitter. These jobs were fun, but something was always missing, and I knew it.
I always wanted to get back into school, but I lacked the initiative and drive to fill out the paperwork for re-admission. My initiative came at a party on New Year’s Day in 2007 in a rather unexpected form. I decided to be punctual by showing up early, and it paid off. I met my future girlfriend and had a great conversation about life with her before everyone else arrived. She listened to my story and encouraged me to get back toward my goals and to go back to school. As hard as it was, I took that suggestion and re-applied for the Fall 2007 semester at LSU. With a strong support base now in place, I made straight A’s in my first semester back in school. I then followed it up with a strong performance the following spring.
Before long, I decided on the field of communication studies as the best path to my dreams because I had always been fascinated by interaction with humans and why we respond to each other in the ways we do. I believed that comprehensive knowledge of communication, combined with a love for writing, could lead to a successful career. Whether it is in a newsroom, television studio or radio broadcast booth, I have no intention of abandoning my dream after coming this far, and I will not rest until it’s seen through until the end.
I thought after dropping out of college that the landscape of my life had been significantly altered beyond repair. I wanted to be a sportswriter or sports broadcaster, but those dreams appeared to slip away. With a fresh start and a new outlook on life, my dreams are now well within my reach.
Life rarely, if ever, works out according to plan. A person sets out to achieve goals in life and then works hard to reach the target. My goal since birth in April 1985 was to be a journalist or broadcaster in the sports world. Baseball, basketball, football and international soccer were interests of mine, and I was ready to do everything possible to write or to talk about them.
From the beginning of my life, I always sat in front of the television during a sporting event giving my own running commentary, usually to the displeasure of those in the room. As I grew up, those habits were very hard to let go. Through my early teen years, I began to take in every possible game I could, be it live or on television. I decided for sure that there no other career would be better.
After graduating from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, La., in 2003, things seemed to be progressing nicely for me. I enrolled at Louisiana State University and immediately began to immerse myself in the college life. I attended parties, football games, tailgate parties and the like. Unfortunately, I also became immersed in the freedom that college life allowed. Skipping class and missing assignments became a regular occurrence, and I began to realize that, perhaps, I wasn’t cut out for a university.
Over the next three years, I worked as a singer in my church, and I also did part-time work in the sports department for The Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge. During this time, I also began exploring some new interests. I began playing poker on a regular basis and managed to make decent money doing it. Poker kept my mind sharp while I wasn’t in school and also improved my people skills. I also began to take an interest in dogs, and that led to part-time work as a house and dog sitter. These jobs were fun, but something was always missing, and I knew it.
I always wanted to get back into school, but I lacked the initiative and drive to fill out the paperwork for re-admission. My initiative came at a party on New Year’s Day in 2007 in a rather unexpected form. I decided to be punctual by showing up early, and it paid off. I met my future girlfriend and had a great conversation about life with her before everyone else arrived. She listened to my story and encouraged me to get back toward my goals and to go back to school. As hard as it was, I took that suggestion and re-applied for the Fall 2007 semester at LSU. With a strong support base now in place, I made straight A’s in my first semester back in school. I then followed it up with a strong performance the following spring.
Before long, I decided on the field of communication studies as the best path to my dreams because I had always been fascinated by interaction with humans and why we respond to each other in the ways we do. I believed that comprehensive knowledge of communication, combined with a love for writing, could lead to a successful career. Whether it is in a newsroom, television studio or radio broadcast booth, I have no intention of abandoning my dream after coming this far, and I will not rest until it’s seen through until the end.
I thought after dropping out of college that the landscape of my life had been significantly altered beyond repair. I wanted to be a sportswriter or sports broadcaster, but those dreams appeared to slip away. With a fresh start and a new outlook on life, my dreams are now well within my reach.
Kim Foster
Refusing to be bored or boring
Emerson once said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." To be certain, the life and times of Kimberly Foster are anything but consistent.
While my resume has been steadily growing since the age of 16, I would like to think my work experience dates back to the age of 12. As it happens, I successfully ran my own small business all within the confines of Creekwood Middle School in Kingwood, Texas, the town I grew up in.
It started in sixth grade. During my first trimester, I recognized a particular trend sweeping the school. Small, brightly colored beaded animals on key rings hung off every other backpack, it seemed. For whatever mystical forces that drive middle school trends, boys and girls alike had to have them. What I noticed was that unlike other wildly popular fads at the time, such as tomogotchis and beanie babies, all variations of these plastic beaded key rings were rather simple and could easily be hand-made.
One weekend I conducted research on a few craft Web sites and quickly learned how to make these beaded animal key chains on my own. It was not long before I started making them for my friends as well, eventually having to charge 75 cents each to cover the cost. Other students quickly noticed my work and tracked me down, asking for beaded creatures of their own. I soon began to buy in bulk and take custom orders from friends, classmates and strangers alike throughout the school. My weekends were consumed with tirelessly weaving beaded key chains in the shapes of animals. The demand was ultimately so great that I created my own Web site for my pint-sized business. I entitled my site "Wild Things" and, in addition to contact information and a cheesy midi sound bite that looped the chorus to, you guessed it, "Wild Thing", I scanned in examples of my work. I was feeling more ambitious than ever before and even printed and cut out tags with the site URL to attach to every keychain. In theory, students could visit the site and send e-mails when they wanted to order. Unfortunately, what I thought to be my greatest achievement at the time, a Web site of my very own, was ultimately my biggest mistake.
The Web site was essentially ineffective, being that in 1997 only a handful of kids my age even had access to the Internet, much less an e-mail account. More tragic was that the creation of the Web site and the tags created a trail that traced back to myself and soon led to a summons to the principal's office. Despite praise for my entrepreneurial skills, I was kindly asked to stop selling animal key chains on school grounds immediately. Naturally, being that this was the very first time I had ever been called to the principal's office, I was mortified and eventually closed shop.
Since then I've had nearly a dozen odd jobs, giving me valuable experience. My years as a bookseller at Barnes and Noble exposed me to the unexpectedly complex world of retail bookselling. My experience at Pier 1 Imports taught me how to lift furniture twice my size without breaking my back. Closest to my heart is my work in various photography studios, which has enlightened me in the many ways to put both children and adults at ease. Currently I work at a photo studio on weekends to pay the rent as well as shoot for The Daily Reveille and Legacy Magazine. I immensely enjoy all these jobs, despite the difficulty to balance them with a tight and demanding class schedule.
If all the aforementioned knowledge about me seems a bit too ordinary, the fact that I never graduated high school might change your mind. Before you judge me, however, consider that luckily for you, dear reader, we can skip the part where I disclose my painfully typical high school trials and tribulations. This is not to say that I did not achieve anything at all, though. While in high school I did work for the school newspaper, win Best of Show in the HLSR art competition, took home numerous medals when my choir went to solo and ensemble competitions, and was a Staff Sergeant in the JROTC rifle drill team. Nevertheless, my parents thought that I would be better off if I were to be home-schooled after ninth grade. This may sound like heaven to many teenagers, but I hated the constant isolation from my peers.
Upon turning 17, I received my G.E.D. and began to attend Kingwood Community College to take my basic courses. During my time there, I had the best photography and design professor I could imagine. “Bob” was the name he preferred, and he instilled in me the importance of not only finding but also fully understanding and expressing one's unique voice from behind the lens. He often called other students’ pictures a “Kim Foster,” which was incredibly flattering. Though I have been fascinated with cameras and taking photographs since I was a young girl, Bob taught me to not only adore, but also ultimately respect the art.
Aside from the usual, boring academics, I participated in the Model United Nations. The Model U.N. was no doubt one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences of my life. My group went to New York City in 2006 to participate in Model U.N. sessions at U.N. Headquarters and debate issues just as the U.N. does during their assemblies. I was immersed in the challenges the U.N. faces while trying to bring the international community together; an unforgettable experience that was both enlightening and gratifying.
As for my future, I have no concerns about where I will be in 10 years. The past decade was brimming with more than I ever expected to experience at such a relatively young age. With a major in advertising and minor in business administration from the Manship School, I can only hope that once I graduate my path from here will only be more challenging and exhilarating. No matter how far life’s journey will take me, I will always retain the spirit of a bright-eyed, 12-year-old version of myself whose imagination, ambition and work ethic will forevermore defy the expectations of the world around her.
Emerson once said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." To be certain, the life and times of Kimberly Foster are anything but consistent.
While my resume has been steadily growing since the age of 16, I would like to think my work experience dates back to the age of 12. As it happens, I successfully ran my own small business all within the confines of Creekwood Middle School in Kingwood, Texas, the town I grew up in.
It started in sixth grade. During my first trimester, I recognized a particular trend sweeping the school. Small, brightly colored beaded animals on key rings hung off every other backpack, it seemed. For whatever mystical forces that drive middle school trends, boys and girls alike had to have them. What I noticed was that unlike other wildly popular fads at the time, such as tomogotchis and beanie babies, all variations of these plastic beaded key rings were rather simple and could easily be hand-made.
One weekend I conducted research on a few craft Web sites and quickly learned how to make these beaded animal key chains on my own. It was not long before I started making them for my friends as well, eventually having to charge 75 cents each to cover the cost. Other students quickly noticed my work and tracked me down, asking for beaded creatures of their own. I soon began to buy in bulk and take custom orders from friends, classmates and strangers alike throughout the school. My weekends were consumed with tirelessly weaving beaded key chains in the shapes of animals. The demand was ultimately so great that I created my own Web site for my pint-sized business. I entitled my site "Wild Things" and, in addition to contact information and a cheesy midi sound bite that looped the chorus to, you guessed it, "Wild Thing", I scanned in examples of my work. I was feeling more ambitious than ever before and even printed and cut out tags with the site URL to attach to every keychain. In theory, students could visit the site and send e-mails when they wanted to order. Unfortunately, what I thought to be my greatest achievement at the time, a Web site of my very own, was ultimately my biggest mistake.
The Web site was essentially ineffective, being that in 1997 only a handful of kids my age even had access to the Internet, much less an e-mail account. More tragic was that the creation of the Web site and the tags created a trail that traced back to myself and soon led to a summons to the principal's office. Despite praise for my entrepreneurial skills, I was kindly asked to stop selling animal key chains on school grounds immediately. Naturally, being that this was the very first time I had ever been called to the principal's office, I was mortified and eventually closed shop.
Since then I've had nearly a dozen odd jobs, giving me valuable experience. My years as a bookseller at Barnes and Noble exposed me to the unexpectedly complex world of retail bookselling. My experience at Pier 1 Imports taught me how to lift furniture twice my size without breaking my back. Closest to my heart is my work in various photography studios, which has enlightened me in the many ways to put both children and adults at ease. Currently I work at a photo studio on weekends to pay the rent as well as shoot for The Daily Reveille and Legacy Magazine. I immensely enjoy all these jobs, despite the difficulty to balance them with a tight and demanding class schedule.
If all the aforementioned knowledge about me seems a bit too ordinary, the fact that I never graduated high school might change your mind. Before you judge me, however, consider that luckily for you, dear reader, we can skip the part where I disclose my painfully typical high school trials and tribulations. This is not to say that I did not achieve anything at all, though. While in high school I did work for the school newspaper, win Best of Show in the HLSR art competition, took home numerous medals when my choir went to solo and ensemble competitions, and was a Staff Sergeant in the JROTC rifle drill team. Nevertheless, my parents thought that I would be better off if I were to be home-schooled after ninth grade. This may sound like heaven to many teenagers, but I hated the constant isolation from my peers.
Upon turning 17, I received my G.E.D. and began to attend Kingwood Community College to take my basic courses. During my time there, I had the best photography and design professor I could imagine. “Bob” was the name he preferred, and he instilled in me the importance of not only finding but also fully understanding and expressing one's unique voice from behind the lens. He often called other students’ pictures a “Kim Foster,” which was incredibly flattering. Though I have been fascinated with cameras and taking photographs since I was a young girl, Bob taught me to not only adore, but also ultimately respect the art.
Aside from the usual, boring academics, I participated in the Model United Nations. The Model U.N. was no doubt one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences of my life. My group went to New York City in 2006 to participate in Model U.N. sessions at U.N. Headquarters and debate issues just as the U.N. does during their assemblies. I was immersed in the challenges the U.N. faces while trying to bring the international community together; an unforgettable experience that was both enlightening and gratifying.
As for my future, I have no concerns about where I will be in 10 years. The past decade was brimming with more than I ever expected to experience at such a relatively young age. With a major in advertising and minor in business administration from the Manship School, I can only hope that once I graduate my path from here will only be more challenging and exhilarating. No matter how far life’s journey will take me, I will always retain the spirit of a bright-eyed, 12-year-old version of myself whose imagination, ambition and work ethic will forevermore defy the expectations of the world around her.
Kyle Brasher
My stepping stones towards my dreams
At day’s end, who knew a miracle was in store? At 6 p.m. on May 19, I was born. I was lucky enough to be born to two great parents. My father was a Whirlpool executive while my mom was a fourth-grade English teacher. With my father‘s company being worldwide, I moved constantly. I lived in Florida, Michigan, and Delaware before we finally found a home in Texas when I was five years old. Growing up, I pretty much lived the all-American childhood. All of that changed Feb. 13, 1995. My father suffered a severe heart attack that day, and died at my grandmother’s house. I knew at the tender age of 6 that my life would be forever changed. The next few years were hard on me. I never knew how much I missed my dad until I started playing baseball. It was hard watching all the kids with their father enjoying themselves. How was it fair that all these kids could have their dads there but I could not? Though tough times came, one person got me through it all and made me the person I am today, my mother. She was there every time I fell, every time I doubted myself and, most importantly, anytime I felt different because my dad wasn’t there. As I got older, I found an escape from everything in baseball. I loved every aspect of the game. I longed for lengthy practices and wanted the games to never end. I truly ate, drank and slept baseball. Baseball stayed that way for me for quite some time. Baseball became the only thing I was about. I wanted to be known for nothing more than a great baseball player.
For sixteen years I had that goal, then another hardship entered my life. My freshman year of high school was going exactly as planned. I had baseball, the girls, the grades, everything. Until my elbow incident, my whole life, I had made a mark with my pitching skills. I was quite the athlete, being recruited by colleges as a high school freshman. One day, I was throwing in the bullpen when I felt a pop. I immediately clinched my elbow and rushed to the training room in pain. The team doctor knew at first sight that the injury was serious. The trainers sent me to an orthopedic doctor, who gave me the bad news. I had managed to completely blow out my elbow. The bone was broken, the ligaments torn, and the muscles ripped; everything that could have gone wrong, did. I was forced to realize that baseball was no longer a possibility. Six days later I endured a grueling three-hour surgery. With my baseball career in Texas over, I headed off for New Orleans.
I walked into my new school, Grace King High School, a new man. With baseball hanging in the balance, I knew my lifestyle had to change. I had always had a passion for writing, but never developed it. With all this newfound time on my hands, I did just that. I began writing about what I knew best, sports. I rekindled a fiery passion for broadcasting. I sat for hours watching the men on Sportscenter, and picked up everything the anchors did. That’s when I realized journalism was my calling. While my focus is on sports journalism, journalism will be the foundation on my road to success. A year after my surgery and with intense rehabilitation, I returned to the game I loved. I resurfaced as not only an athlete, but as a student-athlete. I managed to be successful in the game for the rest of my high school career. When making the choice of college to attend, I remembered watching the LSU baseball team winning the College World Series in both 1998 and 2000. I adamantly followed their season and kept track of everything LSU. I knew without a doubt that this was the place for me. It was the only college I applied to. Luckily, my injury helped me because, without my renewed concentration on school, I would not have had the grades to be accepted. Overall, I love journalism because I get to the put the word out there. I know that I will take what the Manship School will give me and put it towards my dream. Being a sports anchor is my dream, and it is where I am meant to be.
At day’s end, who knew a miracle was in store? At 6 p.m. on May 19, I was born. I was lucky enough to be born to two great parents. My father was a Whirlpool executive while my mom was a fourth-grade English teacher. With my father‘s company being worldwide, I moved constantly. I lived in Florida, Michigan, and Delaware before we finally found a home in Texas when I was five years old. Growing up, I pretty much lived the all-American childhood. All of that changed Feb. 13, 1995. My father suffered a severe heart attack that day, and died at my grandmother’s house. I knew at the tender age of 6 that my life would be forever changed. The next few years were hard on me. I never knew how much I missed my dad until I started playing baseball. It was hard watching all the kids with their father enjoying themselves. How was it fair that all these kids could have their dads there but I could not? Though tough times came, one person got me through it all and made me the person I am today, my mother. She was there every time I fell, every time I doubted myself and, most importantly, anytime I felt different because my dad wasn’t there. As I got older, I found an escape from everything in baseball. I loved every aspect of the game. I longed for lengthy practices and wanted the games to never end. I truly ate, drank and slept baseball. Baseball stayed that way for me for quite some time. Baseball became the only thing I was about. I wanted to be known for nothing more than a great baseball player.
For sixteen years I had that goal, then another hardship entered my life. My freshman year of high school was going exactly as planned. I had baseball, the girls, the grades, everything. Until my elbow incident, my whole life, I had made a mark with my pitching skills. I was quite the athlete, being recruited by colleges as a high school freshman. One day, I was throwing in the bullpen when I felt a pop. I immediately clinched my elbow and rushed to the training room in pain. The team doctor knew at first sight that the injury was serious. The trainers sent me to an orthopedic doctor, who gave me the bad news. I had managed to completely blow out my elbow. The bone was broken, the ligaments torn, and the muscles ripped; everything that could have gone wrong, did. I was forced to realize that baseball was no longer a possibility. Six days later I endured a grueling three-hour surgery. With my baseball career in Texas over, I headed off for New Orleans.
I walked into my new school, Grace King High School, a new man. With baseball hanging in the balance, I knew my lifestyle had to change. I had always had a passion for writing, but never developed it. With all this newfound time on my hands, I did just that. I began writing about what I knew best, sports. I rekindled a fiery passion for broadcasting. I sat for hours watching the men on Sportscenter, and picked up everything the anchors did. That’s when I realized journalism was my calling. While my focus is on sports journalism, journalism will be the foundation on my road to success. A year after my surgery and with intense rehabilitation, I returned to the game I loved. I resurfaced as not only an athlete, but as a student-athlete. I managed to be successful in the game for the rest of my high school career. When making the choice of college to attend, I remembered watching the LSU baseball team winning the College World Series in both 1998 and 2000. I adamantly followed their season and kept track of everything LSU. I knew without a doubt that this was the place for me. It was the only college I applied to. Luckily, my injury helped me because, without my renewed concentration on school, I would not have had the grades to be accepted. Overall, I love journalism because I get to the put the word out there. I know that I will take what the Manship School will give me and put it towards my dream. Being a sports anchor is my dream, and it is where I am meant to be.
Nicole Tassin
There I stood, 5 years old, staring in the mirror at a life changing event. My mom combed my hair and I watched every strand of it fall into the sink, but I was not fazed; I was so happy.
I grew up in Slidell, Louisiana, a small town, so I drew a lot of attention when I walked around hairless and fearless, but being bald never stopped me. As a child, I was a dancer, a gymnast, a competitive swimmer and, I later found out, an inspiration to everyone around me. Apparently I was the only one who did not know I was going to be in public relations when I grew up. I only saw myself as a normal child and, thankfully, so did my friends.
My family, God and Alopecia, an auto-immune disorder that affects the growth of hair follicles, are the three reasons I became the person I am today. Thanks to my family’s sarcasm, love and support, I am able to handle life with a good sense of humor. God has always been a huge part of my life, and I have a firm faith in Him. I thank God for having Alopecia and the people I met because it. Every summer since 1996 I attend the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) conference. Through NAAF I have made longtime friends, built self-confidence and positively influenced people, whether or not they have Alopecia.
When I entered high school at Pope John Paul II Catholic High School, I had to run into new people, which meant new stares and comments, but I was still not affected. During my four years there, I was in various clubs and also a member of student council. I also participated in sports such as cross country, track, swimming and cheerleading. My senior year was the most important to me; I was president of the executive board of student council, a swim team captain, a cheerleader, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.
Outside of high school I was just as busy. I swam competitively for eight years and throughout past summers I coached a summer league team, lifeguarded at the local pool, taught swim lessons and volunteered at Vacation Bible School. In the summer of 2008 I worked as a camp counselor for NAAF along with my friends who have Alopecia.
Working with the high school newspaper felt like perfect practice for me because I was positive I wanted to major in journalism at LSU. My dream was to get an internship with a magazine in New York, but that dream quickly faded. Despite the fact that since I was 11, most people said I should do public relations for NAAF, I never considered it until my second semester in college. It seemed like everyone was telling me it was such an inspiration to see how confident and comfortable I was, and I found myself constantly talking to them about NAAF and God. One woman was so taken by my personality, she had me speak about my faith, confidence and beauty at a women’s day she coordinated.
Speaking at the women’s day made me realize how much I enjoyed being able to inform a large group of people; it was right and comfortable. That day I knew I wanted to major in mass communication and specialize in public relations.
Ironically, I have been working at a hair salon since I started LSU, but in 10 years I see myself doing public relations and fundraising for NAAF. I am currently working on a fundraiser I started called “Spare Change for Hair Change,” in which I am collecting spare change for one year, until July 2009, for the research funds of NAAF.
I grew up in Slidell, Louisiana, a small town, so I drew a lot of attention when I walked around hairless and fearless, but being bald never stopped me. As a child, I was a dancer, a gymnast, a competitive swimmer and, I later found out, an inspiration to everyone around me. Apparently I was the only one who did not know I was going to be in public relations when I grew up. I only saw myself as a normal child and, thankfully, so did my friends.
My family, God and Alopecia, an auto-immune disorder that affects the growth of hair follicles, are the three reasons I became the person I am today. Thanks to my family’s sarcasm, love and support, I am able to handle life with a good sense of humor. God has always been a huge part of my life, and I have a firm faith in Him. I thank God for having Alopecia and the people I met because it. Every summer since 1996 I attend the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) conference. Through NAAF I have made longtime friends, built self-confidence and positively influenced people, whether or not they have Alopecia.
When I entered high school at Pope John Paul II Catholic High School, I had to run into new people, which meant new stares and comments, but I was still not affected. During my four years there, I was in various clubs and also a member of student council. I also participated in sports such as cross country, track, swimming and cheerleading. My senior year was the most important to me; I was president of the executive board of student council, a swim team captain, a cheerleader, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.
Outside of high school I was just as busy. I swam competitively for eight years and throughout past summers I coached a summer league team, lifeguarded at the local pool, taught swim lessons and volunteered at Vacation Bible School. In the summer of 2008 I worked as a camp counselor for NAAF along with my friends who have Alopecia.
Working with the high school newspaper felt like perfect practice for me because I was positive I wanted to major in journalism at LSU. My dream was to get an internship with a magazine in New York, but that dream quickly faded. Despite the fact that since I was 11, most people said I should do public relations for NAAF, I never considered it until my second semester in college. It seemed like everyone was telling me it was such an inspiration to see how confident and comfortable I was, and I found myself constantly talking to them about NAAF and God. One woman was so taken by my personality, she had me speak about my faith, confidence and beauty at a women’s day she coordinated.
Speaking at the women’s day made me realize how much I enjoyed being able to inform a large group of people; it was right and comfortable. That day I knew I wanted to major in mass communication and specialize in public relations.
Ironically, I have been working at a hair salon since I started LSU, but in 10 years I see myself doing public relations and fundraising for NAAF. I am currently working on a fundraiser I started called “Spare Change for Hair Change,” in which I am collecting spare change for one year, until July 2009, for the research funds of NAAF.
Mason Lipscomb
If I said that I wanted to be a journalist since I was little, I would be lying. To be honest, I would also be lying if I said I considered it in high school. I originally declared myself a journalism major in order to gain insight into my real dream, which was to become a film producer and director. Although that dream still lives on, my mind is set on journalism because of the fast paced environment and constantly changing stories.
One could say I chose journalism because it was the closest thing to film that LSU had to offer. I first became interested with film in high school. I was in the Catholic High School band for four years and was certain I was going to become a famous musician. It was my job to create a movie for the end of the year. In the past, these videos were made as a simple slide show. Being the big showoff that I am, I decided to make the movie with actual movie software. After the movie finished, I received a standing ovation from the band, parents, and faculty, but more importantly, a sense of satisfaction with my work. People came up to me and said I should go into film. I decided to take their advice. When I came to LSU, I desperately wanted to be in film. That changed once I became interested in journalism. I started watching the news and became interested in domestic and foreign affairs.
Since discovering the love of the news and journalism, more specifically broadcasting, I am determined to expand my knowledge on the subject. The biggest boost came in June 2008. I signed up for a course in reporter training through Television News Center in Washington D.C. This company has trained a multitude of nationally known anchors and reporters. I spent four days in Washington, two of which actually training. We filmed a news spot on the housing crisis plaguing the nation, edited the footage and added voice-overs for the final product. I decided that I wanted to be a journalist. I can see myself becoming either a reporter or a news anchor. With this MC 2010 class, I hope to be one step closer to becoming a professional journalist.
I would enjoy working with either WAFB or WBRZ, both Baton Rouge news channels, because I have watched those channels for a long time and have seen them change throughout the years. I was born and raised in Baton Rouge and in the shadow of LSU. I attended private schools in Baton Rouge, which slightly helped null the shock of college. My father, an architect, and my mom, a nurse, both work with people and behind a desk. This parental trend made me search myself for what I really wanted to do in life. As previously stated, I wanted to become a professional musician with either saxophone or guitar, both of which I play. Ironically, it was my band director who swayed me to think of a more reasonable job path, saying that I would be financially insecure for a long time if I chose music as a profession. I felt overwhelmed my first semester because, before my band director said anything, I knew exactly what I wanted. I felt that I would never find something that would interest me, even though film was still a dream of mine. I realized early on that journalists, in my mind, rank with doctors and lawyers in importance. These are the select people who give the nation its information on what’s going on in the world.
It seems that I ramble about journalism too much, but the honest truth is I love this subject and I had a boring life until my last year in high school. I am a simple southern boy who loves music, news, partying, and making friends. The past semesters I have partied too much, causing my grades to slump and the likelihood of me being accepted into the mass com college more distant. I am nowhere close to giving up. After my summer term has concluded, I will continue to strive for a higher GPA so my new dream can be realized. Film will always be a passion of mine, but journalism is my career choice that I do not see changing. I hope that one day I will be reporting on world affairs or become an investigative reporter for a national broadcasting company, specifically CNN. As of right now, that dream seems far away, but with the help of my reporter training and the training I am receiving now in MC 2010, my dream seems closer than it ever has.
One could say I chose journalism because it was the closest thing to film that LSU had to offer. I first became interested with film in high school. I was in the Catholic High School band for four years and was certain I was going to become a famous musician. It was my job to create a movie for the end of the year. In the past, these videos were made as a simple slide show. Being the big showoff that I am, I decided to make the movie with actual movie software. After the movie finished, I received a standing ovation from the band, parents, and faculty, but more importantly, a sense of satisfaction with my work. People came up to me and said I should go into film. I decided to take their advice. When I came to LSU, I desperately wanted to be in film. That changed once I became interested in journalism. I started watching the news and became interested in domestic and foreign affairs.
Since discovering the love of the news and journalism, more specifically broadcasting, I am determined to expand my knowledge on the subject. The biggest boost came in June 2008. I signed up for a course in reporter training through Television News Center in Washington D.C. This company has trained a multitude of nationally known anchors and reporters. I spent four days in Washington, two of which actually training. We filmed a news spot on the housing crisis plaguing the nation, edited the footage and added voice-overs for the final product. I decided that I wanted to be a journalist. I can see myself becoming either a reporter or a news anchor. With this MC 2010 class, I hope to be one step closer to becoming a professional journalist.
I would enjoy working with either WAFB or WBRZ, both Baton Rouge news channels, because I have watched those channels for a long time and have seen them change throughout the years. I was born and raised in Baton Rouge and in the shadow of LSU. I attended private schools in Baton Rouge, which slightly helped null the shock of college. My father, an architect, and my mom, a nurse, both work with people and behind a desk. This parental trend made me search myself for what I really wanted to do in life. As previously stated, I wanted to become a professional musician with either saxophone or guitar, both of which I play. Ironically, it was my band director who swayed me to think of a more reasonable job path, saying that I would be financially insecure for a long time if I chose music as a profession. I felt overwhelmed my first semester because, before my band director said anything, I knew exactly what I wanted. I felt that I would never find something that would interest me, even though film was still a dream of mine. I realized early on that journalists, in my mind, rank with doctors and lawyers in importance. These are the select people who give the nation its information on what’s going on in the world.
It seems that I ramble about journalism too much, but the honest truth is I love this subject and I had a boring life until my last year in high school. I am a simple southern boy who loves music, news, partying, and making friends. The past semesters I have partied too much, causing my grades to slump and the likelihood of me being accepted into the mass com college more distant. I am nowhere close to giving up. After my summer term has concluded, I will continue to strive for a higher GPA so my new dream can be realized. Film will always be a passion of mine, but journalism is my career choice that I do not see changing. I hope that one day I will be reporting on world affairs or become an investigative reporter for a national broadcasting company, specifically CNN. As of right now, that dream seems far away, but with the help of my reporter training and the training I am receiving now in MC 2010, my dream seems closer than it ever has.
Mark Grant
My parents were planning on naming me Macy, so when I came out they were pretty stunned. I’m sure my father had mixed feelings, ecstatic to have an heir to his name, yet dreading having to repaint the room he spent hours turning pink and flowery for his daughter to be. Nonetheless, on April 26, 1987, Mark and Joyce Grant brought me, Mark Eric Grant Jr., home from the Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.
Before I went to kindergarten I taught myself to read. I started by sounding out syllables on billboards while riding in the backseat, and by third grade I was reading John Grisham’s “ The Client. “ Once I learned how to read, I was hooked, and kept my head in a book. I can remember in London one time I was reading while following my parents, and I hit my head on a handrail. The impact knocked me unconscious and left a permanent scar on my head. It took my parents a few blocks to realize I was gone because I had been quietly reading behind them for so long.
As a child growing up, I was fearless. At 3 I took a picture holding a 9 foot boa constrictor. At 6 I jumped off the roof of our house, and at 7 I had to get my eye stitched closed after my older cousin threw me into a desk while we were wrestling. Throughout all these events I was never injured, and rarely was I frightened. No matter how hard the fall, I was always ready to bounce back and try again. While my unfortunate friends suffered broken limbs and fractures, I was walking away from snowboarding accidents unharmed.
I love being outside, and as far back as I can remember I’ve been camping and playing sports. I spent most of my summers were spent at baseball tournaments or on 100-mile treks hiking. I joined Boy Scouts when I was young and made it to Eagle Scout. Scouts taught me how to take control of bad situations and how to work as a group toward a common goal. Being a Scout also allowed me to travel all over the U.S. to several national parks. I’ve hiked though mountains in Idaho and across deserts in New Mexico, just to name a few. Seeing so many sites gave me a new love for travelling, and, ever since, I’ve been doing just that. This past summer I travelled to Thailand for three weeks to visit friends. Going there was one of the best experiences of my entire life. I came back with a new view of what is important in life.
I attended U-High on LSU’s campus for elementary and middle school. I excelled in multiple sports playing baseball, football and running varsity track. I left U-high after eighth grade and attended high school at Catholic High. I played football and ran track there, and, if it weren’t for several knee injuries, I may have been able to take it to the next level. Throughout middle and high school I had three knee surgeries to repair torn cartilage.
My childhood is the defining point in my life. I feel like I’m still a kid at heart, I like doing boyish, outside things, and I love playing with toys. But now, instead of water balloon fights, it’s paintball, and instead of G.I. Joes, it’s plasma screen TVs.
Before I went to kindergarten I taught myself to read. I started by sounding out syllables on billboards while riding in the backseat, and by third grade I was reading John Grisham’s “ The Client. “ Once I learned how to read, I was hooked, and kept my head in a book. I can remember in London one time I was reading while following my parents, and I hit my head on a handrail. The impact knocked me unconscious and left a permanent scar on my head. It took my parents a few blocks to realize I was gone because I had been quietly reading behind them for so long.
As a child growing up, I was fearless. At 3 I took a picture holding a 9 foot boa constrictor. At 6 I jumped off the roof of our house, and at 7 I had to get my eye stitched closed after my older cousin threw me into a desk while we were wrestling. Throughout all these events I was never injured, and rarely was I frightened. No matter how hard the fall, I was always ready to bounce back and try again. While my unfortunate friends suffered broken limbs and fractures, I was walking away from snowboarding accidents unharmed.
I love being outside, and as far back as I can remember I’ve been camping and playing sports. I spent most of my summers were spent at baseball tournaments or on 100-mile treks hiking. I joined Boy Scouts when I was young and made it to Eagle Scout. Scouts taught me how to take control of bad situations and how to work as a group toward a common goal. Being a Scout also allowed me to travel all over the U.S. to several national parks. I’ve hiked though mountains in Idaho and across deserts in New Mexico, just to name a few. Seeing so many sites gave me a new love for travelling, and, ever since, I’ve been doing just that. This past summer I travelled to Thailand for three weeks to visit friends. Going there was one of the best experiences of my entire life. I came back with a new view of what is important in life.
I attended U-High on LSU’s campus for elementary and middle school. I excelled in multiple sports playing baseball, football and running varsity track. I left U-high after eighth grade and attended high school at Catholic High. I played football and ran track there, and, if it weren’t for several knee injuries, I may have been able to take it to the next level. Throughout middle and high school I had three knee surgeries to repair torn cartilage.
My childhood is the defining point in my life. I feel like I’m still a kid at heart, I like doing boyish, outside things, and I love playing with toys. But now, instead of water balloon fights, it’s paintball, and instead of G.I. Joes, it’s plasma screen TVs.
Lizzie de la Houssaye
I am one of five children
With two children, my parents were well past the days of baby books when I was born. A few years passed and my parents divorced. I do not remember very much since I was so young but it has impacted my life in the long run. My dad and I are not very close, and I have just recently, in the past few years, created a strong relationship with my step-dad. My mom and I are also incredibly close. She keeps herself very busy teaching at Metairie Park Country Day School, where I attended for 11 years, and caring for five children, ages 7 to 27. I am the exact middle of all five children.
When my sister, Catherine, was born on Jan. 7, 1997, I was excited to no longer be the youngest child. Then, 4 years later, my mom made me even happier when my youngest brother, John, was born. This event also moved me to the middle child, or as my family likes to say, “the forgotten child.” My mom and my step-dad brought the baby home and I waited patiently for my time to hold him. As I held John in my arms, I realized the strength of the situation. I was finally old enough to realize that my family was important to me. Just recently, my family realized this same thing when my sister Elaine’s life was knocked out of place.
After a two-year battle with neuroendocrine cancer, Elaine’s husband, Frank, died at 28 years old. In the beginning of my senior year of high school, my dad called me at school to tell me that we must leave immediately for Mobile, Ala., Frank’s hometown. I didn’t realize the severity of the situation until I found out that Frank only had 30 days to live. His family and mine were beyond upset. When 30 days passed, we were all surprised at how well Frank was progressing with his chemotherapy. It looked as though things were looking up and Frank was going to recover completely. It wasn’t until a few months before Christmas that he had run out of options. He tried every treatment that the doctors had suggested but the cancer spread too much. The decision was to stop treatment and let Frank rest in his final days. Dec. 26, 2007, Frank passed away. Six months later, Elaine is slowly but steadily getting back on her feet, and our relationship is more like best friends rather than sisters. I think it has also helped that we don’t see each other all of the time since I am in Baton Rouge.
I decided to go to LSU my senior year of high school. I graduated with a small class of 60 people and only three of them decided to join me to become one of 30,000 students. I decided to rush a sorority in order to meet new people and ended up in Kappa Kappa Gamma. I have met many friends who I am sure will remain close even after we graduate. I chose to major in business at first because I thought that it would be very broad. What I wasn’t expecting was the high skill level demanded for the classes. I quickly changed my major to mass communication, hoping it would be a little more laid back. I have found that it is exactly what I was looking for and am now very intrigued.
In high school, history was my favorite subject. My teacher for three years, Mr. Beachy, knew everything about what we were learning and sucked you into the topic as well. Even though history has nothing to do with mass communication and even less with advertising, I feel as though Mr. Beachy has prepared me to be interested and prepared for what is to come in my future career.
In the near future, I would like to be working at an advertising agency in somewhere other than New Orleans. After I have moved away for a few years and I have “seen the world,” I would like to move back to New Orleans and also work for an advertising agency.
With two children, my parents were well past the days of baby books when I was born. A few years passed and my parents divorced. I do not remember very much since I was so young but it has impacted my life in the long run. My dad and I are not very close, and I have just recently, in the past few years, created a strong relationship with my step-dad. My mom and I are also incredibly close. She keeps herself very busy teaching at Metairie Park Country Day School, where I attended for 11 years, and caring for five children, ages 7 to 27. I am the exact middle of all five children.
When my sister, Catherine, was born on Jan. 7, 1997, I was excited to no longer be the youngest child. Then, 4 years later, my mom made me even happier when my youngest brother, John, was born. This event also moved me to the middle child, or as my family likes to say, “the forgotten child.” My mom and my step-dad brought the baby home and I waited patiently for my time to hold him. As I held John in my arms, I realized the strength of the situation. I was finally old enough to realize that my family was important to me. Just recently, my family realized this same thing when my sister Elaine’s life was knocked out of place.
After a two-year battle with neuroendocrine cancer, Elaine’s husband, Frank, died at 28 years old. In the beginning of my senior year of high school, my dad called me at school to tell me that we must leave immediately for Mobile, Ala., Frank’s hometown. I didn’t realize the severity of the situation until I found out that Frank only had 30 days to live. His family and mine were beyond upset. When 30 days passed, we were all surprised at how well Frank was progressing with his chemotherapy. It looked as though things were looking up and Frank was going to recover completely. It wasn’t until a few months before Christmas that he had run out of options. He tried every treatment that the doctors had suggested but the cancer spread too much. The decision was to stop treatment and let Frank rest in his final days. Dec. 26, 2007, Frank passed away. Six months later, Elaine is slowly but steadily getting back on her feet, and our relationship is more like best friends rather than sisters. I think it has also helped that we don’t see each other all of the time since I am in Baton Rouge.
I decided to go to LSU my senior year of high school. I graduated with a small class of 60 people and only three of them decided to join me to become one of 30,000 students. I decided to rush a sorority in order to meet new people and ended up in Kappa Kappa Gamma. I have met many friends who I am sure will remain close even after we graduate. I chose to major in business at first because I thought that it would be very broad. What I wasn’t expecting was the high skill level demanded for the classes. I quickly changed my major to mass communication, hoping it would be a little more laid back. I have found that it is exactly what I was looking for and am now very intrigued.
In high school, history was my favorite subject. My teacher for three years, Mr. Beachy, knew everything about what we were learning and sucked you into the topic as well. Even though history has nothing to do with mass communication and even less with advertising, I feel as though Mr. Beachy has prepared me to be interested and prepared for what is to come in my future career.
In the near future, I would like to be working at an advertising agency in somewhere other than New Orleans. After I have moved away for a few years and I have “seen the world,” I would like to move back to New Orleans and also work for an advertising agency.
Lindsey Davis
The Dunham School is a small private school located in the heart of Baton Rouge, La. With fewer than 500 people in high school, everyone knows everything about everyone. It’s a familiar environment where many people just like me discover who they are. I moved around when I was younger before I settled down at Dunham in sixth grade. I was born in Baton Rouge, La., on Dec. 23, 1988. I have decided I was the best Christmas present my parents have ever received. I have an older brother, who probably didn’t agree with this theory. But with time he has learned to share my parents’ attention with my younger brother and me. I lived in Columbia, S.C., and Ruston, La., before relocating to Baton Rouge. When I entered Dunham, I instantly became a part of the close knit family, and this has forever changed me. I had close relationships with everyone, including my teachers. Having your teachers’ numbers programmed into your cell phone may seem odd to some people, but in the “Dunham Bubble” it is considered normal. I learned many things about life in my ten years at this school.
Many people have influenced me in my life. I have had the same group of friends since the sixth grade. There are seven of us, and we are all very different from one another. We’re artsy, sporty, smart and hardworking, and sometimes a little crazy. We stay out of trouble for the most part, and we always have one another’s back if anything happens. We were friends with everyone in our high school, but we share a special bond with one another.
My family have also been a major influence in my life. My parents and brothers are really important to me, and I don’t know what I would do without them. They have taught me how to be the person I am today. My teachers at Dunham have played a huge role in my life as well. Although I didn’t get along with them all the time, they have taught me many things I couldn’t have learned elsewhere. They helped me figure out what I want to do in my life, and how I will accomplish these things.
I was sitting in my English class at the end of my senior year when my teacher asked us what we wanted to do with our life. I thought to myself and realized I had no idea what I wanted to do. I thought I was too young to consider plans that seemed so far in the future. But to my surprise, all my colleagues in the class already knew what they wanted to do. When it was my turn to answer, I told the class I didn’t know or care to think about it. My teacher was frustrated, and she told me to think about what interests me. “I like art, but I don’t want that to be my profession,” I said. I want art to be my hobby, not something I have to do every day. I liked sports a lot too. But my dad works with professional athletes, and my brother coaches baseball at LSU. I decided I didn’t want to do the same thing. I was very indecisive, but I was also disturbed at the thought of being the only person with no future plans. I thought I would never be able to decide.
I graduated from Dunham in May of 2007 with plans to go to LSU. I still had no idea what I wanted to do. I chose to major in business and thought I would narrow things down as time went on. On the first day of freshman orientation, I was with the business group, and I realized I hated everything they were telling me about it. Math happens to be my least favorite subject, and that subject is vital to the study of business. I knew at this point that being a businesswoman was not for me. My favorite subjects are history and English, but I knew no career options that both used these and interested me. After having a very stressful day, I decided to watch Laws of Attraction. It’s about two of the best divorce lawyers going against each other in a case. In the end they fall in love. In the middle of the movie a light bulb went off. I wanted to be a divorce lawyer. I love to argue, and people say I am strong-willed. I want to be someone important that can help other people. I figured that there was no better way to help people than to defend them in their time of need. I immediately called my dad to tell him my plan. He was thrilled and advised me to major in public relations because I was enjoying my mass communication classes. This could lead to law school and a future as a lawyer.
Many people have influenced me in my life. I have had the same group of friends since the sixth grade. There are seven of us, and we are all very different from one another. We’re artsy, sporty, smart and hardworking, and sometimes a little crazy. We stay out of trouble for the most part, and we always have one another’s back if anything happens. We were friends with everyone in our high school, but we share a special bond with one another.
My family have also been a major influence in my life. My parents and brothers are really important to me, and I don’t know what I would do without them. They have taught me how to be the person I am today. My teachers at Dunham have played a huge role in my life as well. Although I didn’t get along with them all the time, they have taught me many things I couldn’t have learned elsewhere. They helped me figure out what I want to do in my life, and how I will accomplish these things.
I was sitting in my English class at the end of my senior year when my teacher asked us what we wanted to do with our life. I thought to myself and realized I had no idea what I wanted to do. I thought I was too young to consider plans that seemed so far in the future. But to my surprise, all my colleagues in the class already knew what they wanted to do. When it was my turn to answer, I told the class I didn’t know or care to think about it. My teacher was frustrated, and she told me to think about what interests me. “I like art, but I don’t want that to be my profession,” I said. I want art to be my hobby, not something I have to do every day. I liked sports a lot too. But my dad works with professional athletes, and my brother coaches baseball at LSU. I decided I didn’t want to do the same thing. I was very indecisive, but I was also disturbed at the thought of being the only person with no future plans. I thought I would never be able to decide.
I graduated from Dunham in May of 2007 with plans to go to LSU. I still had no idea what I wanted to do. I chose to major in business and thought I would narrow things down as time went on. On the first day of freshman orientation, I was with the business group, and I realized I hated everything they were telling me about it. Math happens to be my least favorite subject, and that subject is vital to the study of business. I knew at this point that being a businesswoman was not for me. My favorite subjects are history and English, but I knew no career options that both used these and interested me. After having a very stressful day, I decided to watch Laws of Attraction. It’s about two of the best divorce lawyers going against each other in a case. In the end they fall in love. In the middle of the movie a light bulb went off. I wanted to be a divorce lawyer. I love to argue, and people say I am strong-willed. I want to be someone important that can help other people. I figured that there was no better way to help people than to defend them in their time of need. I immediately called my dad to tell him my plan. He was thrilled and advised me to major in public relations because I was enjoying my mass communication classes. This could lead to law school and a future as a lawyer.
Kate Barousse
I am blessed beyond all understanding
Christmas Eve morning, 1987, as my mom and my older brother were watching cartoons, I decided it was time to break free into the world. Three hours and an epidural later, I was born. Katherine Barry Barousse was printed on my birth certificate. The name Katherine has been in the family for generations so being the first girl in the family, it is what my parents chose for me. As a native of Covington, La., also known as “God’s Country,” I grew up with a lot of opportunity. I attended a Catholic elementary school and then an all girls’ Catholic high school. For five years I went to a special program called Talented Art. I took art classes throughout high school and studied art history. I am right-brained, so I have interest in expressing myself more creatively. I found I excelled in English and history and would rather make projects instead of taking tests. All of my studying and experiences up to this point sparked my interest for a future in mass communication.
For 15 wonderful years I lived with two loving parents, an older brother and a younger sister. That changed in the course of about two hours my freshman year in high school. Two important social occasions were happening that night, the Valentine’s dance at my high school and the Olympia ball for all the parents. I walked out of the gym when the dance was over, my aunt greeted me by yelling from the van window, “Your mom is in labor!” Three of my friends and I left our dates, ran as fast as we could to the car, and quickly made our way to the hospital. The elevator, which seemed to go as slow as possible, finally reached the third floor. The minute the elevator door opened, sounds of laughter and excitement flooded our ears. It was a sight to watch so many people in costumes, formal gowns, and tuxedoes try to cram into one small waiting room. The parents had been drinking, which made everything more dramatic and loud. The nurses had to come out three times to tell everyone to keep the noise level down and threatened to kick us out. The door opened and everyone fell silent, as my grandmother stepped into the living room filled with joy and announced it was a girl! People burst into tears, some were jumping up and down, and others hugged with excitement. Anna Frances Barousse joined our family, and it was one of the happiest days of my life. Thirteen months later, we went through the whole thing again when my mom gave birth to her fifth child, Benjamin Eply Barousse. I cannot imagine my life without my adorable little siblings. As they learned how to walk and talk, it was about time for me to pack up my life in Covington and move to Baton Rouge.
Baton Rouge is incredibly different place from my home of 18 years. It is fast paced and a huge city! I settled into my dorm room, which I shared with two of my best friends, and looked forward to the next four years of my life at Louisiana State University. My journey into college has given me the best experience I could ask for. I pledged to the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and I am currently on the chapter council. We are one big family, and I always have someone around to just be bored with. Covington makes it easy to become obsessively close to others, and my friends today consist of old and new. They support my crazy dreams and are always pushing me forward.
I hope that 10 years from now I will be sharing old photos from my mission trip to Africa while on my lunch break from my executive position at a top- notch advertising agency. If I am not doing that, I will be having lunch at my desk as the creative director at a hospital or clothing company. Whatever I end up doing, I hope I love my job. Without my family and friends I would not be where I am today, and for that, I am blessed beyond all understanding.
Christmas Eve morning, 1987, as my mom and my older brother were watching cartoons, I decided it was time to break free into the world. Three hours and an epidural later, I was born. Katherine Barry Barousse was printed on my birth certificate. The name Katherine has been in the family for generations so being the first girl in the family, it is what my parents chose for me. As a native of Covington, La., also known as “God’s Country,” I grew up with a lot of opportunity. I attended a Catholic elementary school and then an all girls’ Catholic high school. For five years I went to a special program called Talented Art. I took art classes throughout high school and studied art history. I am right-brained, so I have interest in expressing myself more creatively. I found I excelled in English and history and would rather make projects instead of taking tests. All of my studying and experiences up to this point sparked my interest for a future in mass communication.
For 15 wonderful years I lived with two loving parents, an older brother and a younger sister. That changed in the course of about two hours my freshman year in high school. Two important social occasions were happening that night, the Valentine’s dance at my high school and the Olympia ball for all the parents. I walked out of the gym when the dance was over, my aunt greeted me by yelling from the van window, “Your mom is in labor!” Three of my friends and I left our dates, ran as fast as we could to the car, and quickly made our way to the hospital. The elevator, which seemed to go as slow as possible, finally reached the third floor. The minute the elevator door opened, sounds of laughter and excitement flooded our ears. It was a sight to watch so many people in costumes, formal gowns, and tuxedoes try to cram into one small waiting room. The parents had been drinking, which made everything more dramatic and loud. The nurses had to come out three times to tell everyone to keep the noise level down and threatened to kick us out. The door opened and everyone fell silent, as my grandmother stepped into the living room filled with joy and announced it was a girl! People burst into tears, some were jumping up and down, and others hugged with excitement. Anna Frances Barousse joined our family, and it was one of the happiest days of my life. Thirteen months later, we went through the whole thing again when my mom gave birth to her fifth child, Benjamin Eply Barousse. I cannot imagine my life without my adorable little siblings. As they learned how to walk and talk, it was about time for me to pack up my life in Covington and move to Baton Rouge.
Baton Rouge is incredibly different place from my home of 18 years. It is fast paced and a huge city! I settled into my dorm room, which I shared with two of my best friends, and looked forward to the next four years of my life at Louisiana State University. My journey into college has given me the best experience I could ask for. I pledged to the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and I am currently on the chapter council. We are one big family, and I always have someone around to just be bored with. Covington makes it easy to become obsessively close to others, and my friends today consist of old and new. They support my crazy dreams and are always pushing me forward.
I hope that 10 years from now I will be sharing old photos from my mission trip to Africa while on my lunch break from my executive position at a top- notch advertising agency. If I am not doing that, I will be having lunch at my desk as the creative director at a hospital or clothing company. Whatever I end up doing, I hope I love my job. Without my family and friends I would not be where I am today, and for that, I am blessed beyond all understanding.
Julie Thomas
Keep Your Options and Mind Open
The ‘80s marked a milestone in my parents’ life. They graduated high school, they got married and they had their oldest daughter. But it wasn’t until 1988 that they received their best gift yet, me, Julie Thomas.
Born and raised in the large city of Houston, I grew up climbing trees, riding bikes and playing sports on the week days. When Friday hit, my family and I were on our way to Shreveport, La., for jet skiing, tubing, and water skiing. I was everything opposite of my older sister who was extremely girly; I was the tom-boy of the family. When I was in seventh grade, and my sister was in ninth, I began to look up to her in ways that I never had before. Watching her do her make up for school and style her hair inspired me to start doing the same thing. She was always dressed so properly, and I began to follow her examples. As I started to mature, I began to realize just how much I enjoyed the fashion world.
I played volley ball the majority of my childhood, from third grade until my junior year of high school. I quit because I knew I had no future there and I was ready to take my life a little bit more seriously. When I was a senior in high school, I finally started to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I met my most influential teacher yet, Mr. Abitua. He was the art teacher in my high school. I only took his class because it was an elective I had to take, but it ended up being so much more. He was inspirational in every aspect of his teaching. I discovered that the only way to combine my new love for art and my on-going love for fashion is to be an aspiring fashion designer. I had taken a few art classes outside of school in my spare time, but I never thought art would part of my future.
When I told my family about my plans, my parents said I always had a creative side. My mom pulled out an old sketch book that I had completely forgotten about, which she had kept. Then she pulled out a drawing that I vaguely remembered; it was a face that I drew and detailed with make-up. I joked with my mom when I saw it and told her I’d put that in my portfolio when I needed a job.
As I began applying to colleges I hadn’t considered LSU, but mainly art and fashion colleges in New York and California. Luckily, my parents talked me out of it because they thought it would be better for me to go to a school where I can change majors if I decided fashion design wasn’t where I wanted to be anymore. Sure enough, at the end of my freshman year of college I began questioning my major and if I was really cut out for it. Eventually, I changed my major from fashion design to fashion merchandising.
So why am I taking mass communication classes? Well, I started realizing that I had moved from just flipping through the pages of magazines and looking at pictures to constantly reading articles in the fashion magazines. I also find the way that top designers advertise their clothes very intriguing. I discovered that not only did I have a love for the clothes themselves, but for the way they are advertised and written about. When my parents told me I had to have a minor as well, I decided to pick up mass communication.
Most people might say that I find a way to get what I want simply because I fight for what I want. In the fashion world it is one man for himself when it comes to being on top. To succeed in these types, of places you have to be able to strive for what you want and be able to put your failures behind you. As a proud owner of almost every issue of Vogue magazine and Harpers Bazaar, it would be a dream come true to get to see one of my articles or advertisements in them.
The ‘80s marked a milestone in my parents’ life. They graduated high school, they got married and they had their oldest daughter. But it wasn’t until 1988 that they received their best gift yet, me, Julie Thomas.
Born and raised in the large city of Houston, I grew up climbing trees, riding bikes and playing sports on the week days. When Friday hit, my family and I were on our way to Shreveport, La., for jet skiing, tubing, and water skiing. I was everything opposite of my older sister who was extremely girly; I was the tom-boy of the family. When I was in seventh grade, and my sister was in ninth, I began to look up to her in ways that I never had before. Watching her do her make up for school and style her hair inspired me to start doing the same thing. She was always dressed so properly, and I began to follow her examples. As I started to mature, I began to realize just how much I enjoyed the fashion world.
I played volley ball the majority of my childhood, from third grade until my junior year of high school. I quit because I knew I had no future there and I was ready to take my life a little bit more seriously. When I was a senior in high school, I finally started to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I met my most influential teacher yet, Mr. Abitua. He was the art teacher in my high school. I only took his class because it was an elective I had to take, but it ended up being so much more. He was inspirational in every aspect of his teaching. I discovered that the only way to combine my new love for art and my on-going love for fashion is to be an aspiring fashion designer. I had taken a few art classes outside of school in my spare time, but I never thought art would part of my future.
When I told my family about my plans, my parents said I always had a creative side. My mom pulled out an old sketch book that I had completely forgotten about, which she had kept. Then she pulled out a drawing that I vaguely remembered; it was a face that I drew and detailed with make-up. I joked with my mom when I saw it and told her I’d put that in my portfolio when I needed a job.
As I began applying to colleges I hadn’t considered LSU, but mainly art and fashion colleges in New York and California. Luckily, my parents talked me out of it because they thought it would be better for me to go to a school where I can change majors if I decided fashion design wasn’t where I wanted to be anymore. Sure enough, at the end of my freshman year of college I began questioning my major and if I was really cut out for it. Eventually, I changed my major from fashion design to fashion merchandising.
So why am I taking mass communication classes? Well, I started realizing that I had moved from just flipping through the pages of magazines and looking at pictures to constantly reading articles in the fashion magazines. I also find the way that top designers advertise their clothes very intriguing. I discovered that not only did I have a love for the clothes themselves, but for the way they are advertised and written about. When my parents told me I had to have a minor as well, I decided to pick up mass communication.
Most people might say that I find a way to get what I want simply because I fight for what I want. In the fashion world it is one man for himself when it comes to being on top. To succeed in these types, of places you have to be able to strive for what you want and be able to put your failures behind you. As a proud owner of almost every issue of Vogue magazine and Harpers Bazaar, it would be a dream come true to get to see one of my articles or advertisements in them.
Jack Johnson
I wandered around, fulfilling many destinies
I wandered around for 22 years to reach the outlook I bring to LSU. That is, I see life today as a series of cause and effect. This has given me insight into the reason behind my past decisions, my present choices, and where the path can take me. Seemingly unrelated events segued into one another—keeping me within the only 5-mile radius I had ever known—and then abruptly launched me to LSU, where I haven’t looked back since.
High school and the life before it were nice. My time playing soccer took me down every dirt road in Texas, then to Europe and back. I had friends in every grade and of every mold. I wasn’t actively involved in any organizations except the teacher-appointed “Natural Helpers,” a peer counseling group. My grade point average didn’t land me near the top of the class, but the school voted me “Mr. AHHS.” I’m telling you this so you might understand how ill-prepared I was to be in a place where no one knew my name: college.
My first stint at Texas Christian in Fort Worth, Texas, did not go as planned. I quit playing soccer and lost my competitive outlet. I spent most nights playing piano in the empty lobby of my dorm, looking for proof of UFOs, or writing in my blog—my last tie to the past I’d abandoned. Two years of those habits and I was fresh out of a scholarship. To me, no money meant no schooling—so I dropped out.
Rejected and doubting myself as college material, I was saved by the grace of my uncle, who is an entrepreneur and USC graduate of film. During the rebound year I lived with him, he recognized in me an aptitude to digitally edit audio and film. I suppose it comes with being a Millennial. He had just finished shooting his first feature-length film and asked for my help. I was lucky enough to finish editing, write narration for, and create from scratch a “behind-the-scenes” documentary on the project.
The film contained many allusions to my at times enigmatic family. As an editor, I was literally piecing together, like a puzzle, the deep-seated, kindred storylines that until then were shrouded in mystery. It was a wonderful experience. Many hours of many nights, the monitor was the only source of light I had, and it’s interesting what those times taught me about myself. The meaningful, introspective issues kids should contemplate when they get to college are what distracted me from the actual academia. The resulting fallout left many questions unanswered, but my uncle was instrumental in helping me connect the dots.
My work extended to include his developing business ventures, but before I became too entrenched in that work, I slipped out the back. I couldn’t let someone else, no matter whom, so quickly sell my fate. What was I supposed to do? That was the question I spent the next 12 months deciding.
I was still a drop-out, but my own beat was relievingly easy to march to. Literally, because by that point, I’d accumulated the equipment and learned the methods necessary to pursue a new ideal: that of a hip-hop producer. I had been composing most my life and found I could add a unique sound to an industry I felt needed some musical integrity. Looking back, I suffered delusions of grandeur—the ocean is large, and it is cutthroat—but today I remain no less confident in the chips I’ve been holding. It’s still a gratifying hobby and holds indefinite promise.
While exploring those musical avenues, I was living with my three best friends. We were all misfits by definition, whose paths crossed by chance, and spent the year making up for lost time. It was a small, tight-knit apartment complex. The village elder was an insane, 70-year-old man who, as fate would have it, was my final employer before winding up in Baton Rouge.
His name was Pat, and he’d lived in Fort Worth all his life. A construction guru, inventor, and self-proclaimed polymath, Pat was in his own prison. He had just played his final card, cashing in on family property, and needed some help appropriating the funds. The Depression “warped him” he said, and although we tried using this money to realize the dreams of a younger Pat, the whole situation succumbed to those skewed ideologies. What does any of this have to do with me? It gave me many new stories to tell, and convinced me that my job on Earth is to tell them. This was another enriching apprenticeship, but keeping up with his quixotic will often left me feeling like Sancho Panza.
At some point during my tenure with Pat, my grandmother offered to pay my tuition at any college that accepted me. This proposition arrived not a moment too soon. Pat was almost out of money, and apathy was threatening to consume the household I worked so hard to secure. I had emerged from a necessary world of relative accomplishments and finally realized that I was called to write. After an initial rejection, I convinced LSU to take a chance on me, bad transcript and all.
Spring marked my first semester here, and I made the first 4.0 of my life. I hope to continue this trend in the coming semesters, become a professional journalist, and write a book on the lessons I learned to get here. I have found my voice, myself, and know where I’m supposed to be.
I wandered around for 22 years to reach the outlook I bring to LSU. That is, I see life today as a series of cause and effect. This has given me insight into the reason behind my past decisions, my present choices, and where the path can take me. Seemingly unrelated events segued into one another—keeping me within the only 5-mile radius I had ever known—and then abruptly launched me to LSU, where I haven’t looked back since.
High school and the life before it were nice. My time playing soccer took me down every dirt road in Texas, then to Europe and back. I had friends in every grade and of every mold. I wasn’t actively involved in any organizations except the teacher-appointed “Natural Helpers,” a peer counseling group. My grade point average didn’t land me near the top of the class, but the school voted me “Mr. AHHS.” I’m telling you this so you might understand how ill-prepared I was to be in a place where no one knew my name: college.
My first stint at Texas Christian in Fort Worth, Texas, did not go as planned. I quit playing soccer and lost my competitive outlet. I spent most nights playing piano in the empty lobby of my dorm, looking for proof of UFOs, or writing in my blog—my last tie to the past I’d abandoned. Two years of those habits and I was fresh out of a scholarship. To me, no money meant no schooling—so I dropped out.
Rejected and doubting myself as college material, I was saved by the grace of my uncle, who is an entrepreneur and USC graduate of film. During the rebound year I lived with him, he recognized in me an aptitude to digitally edit audio and film. I suppose it comes with being a Millennial. He had just finished shooting his first feature-length film and asked for my help. I was lucky enough to finish editing, write narration for, and create from scratch a “behind-the-scenes” documentary on the project.
The film contained many allusions to my at times enigmatic family. As an editor, I was literally piecing together, like a puzzle, the deep-seated, kindred storylines that until then were shrouded in mystery. It was a wonderful experience. Many hours of many nights, the monitor was the only source of light I had, and it’s interesting what those times taught me about myself. The meaningful, introspective issues kids should contemplate when they get to college are what distracted me from the actual academia. The resulting fallout left many questions unanswered, but my uncle was instrumental in helping me connect the dots.
My work extended to include his developing business ventures, but before I became too entrenched in that work, I slipped out the back. I couldn’t let someone else, no matter whom, so quickly sell my fate. What was I supposed to do? That was the question I spent the next 12 months deciding.
I was still a drop-out, but my own beat was relievingly easy to march to. Literally, because by that point, I’d accumulated the equipment and learned the methods necessary to pursue a new ideal: that of a hip-hop producer. I had been composing most my life and found I could add a unique sound to an industry I felt needed some musical integrity. Looking back, I suffered delusions of grandeur—the ocean is large, and it is cutthroat—but today I remain no less confident in the chips I’ve been holding. It’s still a gratifying hobby and holds indefinite promise.
While exploring those musical avenues, I was living with my three best friends. We were all misfits by definition, whose paths crossed by chance, and spent the year making up for lost time. It was a small, tight-knit apartment complex. The village elder was an insane, 70-year-old man who, as fate would have it, was my final employer before winding up in Baton Rouge.
His name was Pat, and he’d lived in Fort Worth all his life. A construction guru, inventor, and self-proclaimed polymath, Pat was in his own prison. He had just played his final card, cashing in on family property, and needed some help appropriating the funds. The Depression “warped him” he said, and although we tried using this money to realize the dreams of a younger Pat, the whole situation succumbed to those skewed ideologies. What does any of this have to do with me? It gave me many new stories to tell, and convinced me that my job on Earth is to tell them. This was another enriching apprenticeship, but keeping up with his quixotic will often left me feeling like Sancho Panza.
At some point during my tenure with Pat, my grandmother offered to pay my tuition at any college that accepted me. This proposition arrived not a moment too soon. Pat was almost out of money, and apathy was threatening to consume the household I worked so hard to secure. I had emerged from a necessary world of relative accomplishments and finally realized that I was called to write. After an initial rejection, I convinced LSU to take a chance on me, bad transcript and all.
Spring marked my first semester here, and I made the first 4.0 of my life. I hope to continue this trend in the coming semesters, become a professional journalist, and write a book on the lessons I learned to get here. I have found my voice, myself, and know where I’m supposed to be.
Carra Williams
It was 7 p.m. in Metairie, La., when Carra and Tim Williams welcomed me in to the world. They named their daughter Carra Jane, after four other Carra in my family. I share my birthday with some famous figures such as Heinrich Himmler, Vladmir Putin, Oliver North and American Idol’s Simon Cowell.
]
After two years of living as the “chosen one” in my parents’ life, my brother, Connor, was born. Things would never be quite the same.
My family spent the first six years of my life in New Orleans. I attended St. Martin’s Episcopal School until we moved to the picturesque town of Covington, La. Covington remains our home.
Growing up in Covington allowed me to explore the outdoors more than I was allowed to in New Orleans. My brother and I were free to explore the woods next door and participate in all the normal childhood activities. The best years of my childhood were spent outside playing with my brother and neighbors. I loved to amuse myself by playing in creeks with frogs, building forts in the woods, riding my bike, playing soccer and swimming. Did I mention I was somewhat of a tomboy as a child? I also loved sports. Starting in elementary school, I began to swim and play soccer competitively. I enjoyed the challenge of competition and continued to compete at the middle school and high school levels. Some of the competitions involved travel, which I enjoyed. I learned through hard work, practice and dedication that I could succeed.
After graduation from Christ Episcopal School, I chose to attend St. Scholastica Academy for high school. SSA is an all- girls high school a few blocks from my home.
Attending SSA was a big step in my life. I was leaving the comfort of my little school for a much bigger high school. I graduated with thirty-five boys and girls from Christ Episcopal, and I was moving into an eighth grade class of one-hundred plus girls. I also had to wear a uniform, which was new to me. It turned out to be something I grew to enjoy. I never had to worry about what I was going to wear the next day.
My years at St. Scholastica permitted me to form strong friendships that I cherish today. I attend Louisiana State University with most of my dearest friends from St. Scholastica.
My family and friends are the two most important things in my life. I didn’t realize how important they really were until hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. My family and I decided to “weather the storm” in Covington while most of our friends fled north or west. It was in those hours during and after the storm that I realized what it means to be part of a family. I learned a lot about my family and myself in those weeks after Katrina. We were forced by this horrible event to be closer than ever before. Throughout the weeks that followed the hurricane I realized I actually had two families. I have one family of blood relatives and one family of incredible friends. Each family is different, of course, but together all these wonderful people helped mold me into the person I am today. Both my families encourage me to succeed when perhaps I question myself. I gain confidence and strength from their belief in my talents and tangible consistency. That is why I decided to move into the Mass Communication department of Louisiana State University. I will succeed through hard work ad perseverance.
I have flip-flopped between many majors and minors. I have considered Dental Hygiene and History. There are so many fields and careers to choose from that it is mind boggling unless you are totally committed to a special field. I finally realized that I had a strong desire to go into advertising. Advertising plays a great role in the world economy. Advertisements influence everyone. How many professions can make that statement?
My hope is that through studying Mass Communication I find my niche in the media world. I can explore many opportunities, and I think advertising is what I have been searching for in the past two years.
Ten years from now I hope to be an advertising executive with a family of my own. I would like to help pass legislation for stricter guidelines for advertising directed at children and teens.
]
After two years of living as the “chosen one” in my parents’ life, my brother, Connor, was born. Things would never be quite the same.
My family spent the first six years of my life in New Orleans. I attended St. Martin’s Episcopal School until we moved to the picturesque town of Covington, La. Covington remains our home.
Growing up in Covington allowed me to explore the outdoors more than I was allowed to in New Orleans. My brother and I were free to explore the woods next door and participate in all the normal childhood activities. The best years of my childhood were spent outside playing with my brother and neighbors. I loved to amuse myself by playing in creeks with frogs, building forts in the woods, riding my bike, playing soccer and swimming. Did I mention I was somewhat of a tomboy as a child? I also loved sports. Starting in elementary school, I began to swim and play soccer competitively. I enjoyed the challenge of competition and continued to compete at the middle school and high school levels. Some of the competitions involved travel, which I enjoyed. I learned through hard work, practice and dedication that I could succeed.
After graduation from Christ Episcopal School, I chose to attend St. Scholastica Academy for high school. SSA is an all- girls high school a few blocks from my home.
Attending SSA was a big step in my life. I was leaving the comfort of my little school for a much bigger high school. I graduated with thirty-five boys and girls from Christ Episcopal, and I was moving into an eighth grade class of one-hundred plus girls. I also had to wear a uniform, which was new to me. It turned out to be something I grew to enjoy. I never had to worry about what I was going to wear the next day.
My years at St. Scholastica permitted me to form strong friendships that I cherish today. I attend Louisiana State University with most of my dearest friends from St. Scholastica.
My family and friends are the two most important things in my life. I didn’t realize how important they really were until hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. My family and I decided to “weather the storm” in Covington while most of our friends fled north or west. It was in those hours during and after the storm that I realized what it means to be part of a family. I learned a lot about my family and myself in those weeks after Katrina. We were forced by this horrible event to be closer than ever before. Throughout the weeks that followed the hurricane I realized I actually had two families. I have one family of blood relatives and one family of incredible friends. Each family is different, of course, but together all these wonderful people helped mold me into the person I am today. Both my families encourage me to succeed when perhaps I question myself. I gain confidence and strength from their belief in my talents and tangible consistency. That is why I decided to move into the Mass Communication department of Louisiana State University. I will succeed through hard work ad perseverance.
I have flip-flopped between many majors and minors. I have considered Dental Hygiene and History. There are so many fields and careers to choose from that it is mind boggling unless you are totally committed to a special field. I finally realized that I had a strong desire to go into advertising. Advertising plays a great role in the world economy. Advertisements influence everyone. How many professions can make that statement?
My hope is that through studying Mass Communication I find my niche in the media world. I can explore many opportunities, and I think advertising is what I have been searching for in the past two years.
Ten years from now I hope to be an advertising executive with a family of my own. I would like to help pass legislation for stricter guidelines for advertising directed at children and teens.
Alexandra Castillo
Most little girls dream of becoming a ballerina at some point in their childhood. I was not an exception. Although I was only 2 years old, I vividly remember my first day of dance class. Some of the other toddlers hung on to their mothers, desperately begging them not to leave, but I eagerly kissed my mom goodbye and never looked back. I immediately fell in love with dancing. I danced around the house and constantly practiced my routines. My dance recitals for my family became part of our nightly routine.
My practice and hard work was apparent to my dance instructors. I was always one of the best students in my dance class, and I expected nothing less of myself. My dedication paid off when I became the youngest person in my class to receive their toe shoes. I was ecstatic and vowed to take the responsibility of being in point class seriously. For the next seven years, dancing was my life. If I was not at school, I was at the dance studio. I had dance class three to four nights a week for two hours a night. To most adolescents, the commitment would not seem worth the time dancing took away from friends and social activities. Since dancing had always been a major part of my life, the sacrifice seemed to be worth it to me.
Quitting dancing never entered my mind until I began high school. Suddenly, other things became more important. I became more concerned with my friends and staying in the loop of the gossip mill than dancing. Initially, I felt immense guilt for even considering quitting dancing. When I expressed my internal struggle to my mother, she was shocked and appalled. The battle I was having internally turned into an outward battle with my mom. At the tender age of 15, I was convinced I had the whole world figured out. Winning the battle with my mom became my focus, and I completely lost touch with the real issue. After many screaming matches, my mom finally gave in, and I quit dancing.
Faced with the dilemma of how to fill the free time I now had, I decided to run for my high school’s Student Council. After all, a teenager would not dream of having nothing to do. Luckily, I won the election, and before I knew it, I became chairperson of the pep rally committee. My job was to plan our school’s pep rallies each week. I took this seriously, and was determined to plan the best pep rallies in school history. I brainstormed many new ideas, including moving pep rallies to the gym rather than having them in the football stadium and passing out pom-poms to students as they entered the gym for them to use during the pep rally. I also implemented wearing a spirit day t-shirt and blue jeans to school on pep rally days, which was a nice break from the boring uniforms we normally wore. I fought with our rigidly strict principal countless times in order to make these ideas a reality. After I pointed out to him it was part of the school’s improvement plan to increase school spirit, and these changes would help accomplish this goal, he reluctantly agreed to the proposed ideas. In the end, all my hard work paid off. I had in fact planned the best pep rallies in school history. A reward greater than my sense of accomplishment was realizing I had found what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
My experience as chairperson of the pep rally committee in my high school Student Council left no doubt in my mind that I wanted to become a special event coordinator. I am now attending LSU and am pursuing my degree in mass communication with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in business. Once I graduate, I plan to work as a special events coordinator in a big city. Although I sometimes regret quitting dancing after I invested so much time and effort into it, I am thankful I did. Had I not stayed true to myself, I probably would not have had the experience that led me to find what I want to do for the rest of my life.
My practice and hard work was apparent to my dance instructors. I was always one of the best students in my dance class, and I expected nothing less of myself. My dedication paid off when I became the youngest person in my class to receive their toe shoes. I was ecstatic and vowed to take the responsibility of being in point class seriously. For the next seven years, dancing was my life. If I was not at school, I was at the dance studio. I had dance class three to four nights a week for two hours a night. To most adolescents, the commitment would not seem worth the time dancing took away from friends and social activities. Since dancing had always been a major part of my life, the sacrifice seemed to be worth it to me.
Quitting dancing never entered my mind until I began high school. Suddenly, other things became more important. I became more concerned with my friends and staying in the loop of the gossip mill than dancing. Initially, I felt immense guilt for even considering quitting dancing. When I expressed my internal struggle to my mother, she was shocked and appalled. The battle I was having internally turned into an outward battle with my mom. At the tender age of 15, I was convinced I had the whole world figured out. Winning the battle with my mom became my focus, and I completely lost touch with the real issue. After many screaming matches, my mom finally gave in, and I quit dancing.
Faced with the dilemma of how to fill the free time I now had, I decided to run for my high school’s Student Council. After all, a teenager would not dream of having nothing to do. Luckily, I won the election, and before I knew it, I became chairperson of the pep rally committee. My job was to plan our school’s pep rallies each week. I took this seriously, and was determined to plan the best pep rallies in school history. I brainstormed many new ideas, including moving pep rallies to the gym rather than having them in the football stadium and passing out pom-poms to students as they entered the gym for them to use during the pep rally. I also implemented wearing a spirit day t-shirt and blue jeans to school on pep rally days, which was a nice break from the boring uniforms we normally wore. I fought with our rigidly strict principal countless times in order to make these ideas a reality. After I pointed out to him it was part of the school’s improvement plan to increase school spirit, and these changes would help accomplish this goal, he reluctantly agreed to the proposed ideas. In the end, all my hard work paid off. I had in fact planned the best pep rallies in school history. A reward greater than my sense of accomplishment was realizing I had found what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
My experience as chairperson of the pep rally committee in my high school Student Council left no doubt in my mind that I wanted to become a special event coordinator. I am now attending LSU and am pursuing my degree in mass communication with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in business. Once I graduate, I plan to work as a special events coordinator in a big city. Although I sometimes regret quitting dancing after I invested so much time and effort into it, I am thankful I did. Had I not stayed true to myself, I probably would not have had the experience that led me to find what I want to do for the rest of my life.
David Nelson
David finds direction through his interests
When I was in the second grade, my teacher, Mrs. Parker, gave us an assignment to write about what we wanted to do when we grew up. Her plan was to display them for our parents during the open house that was scheduled for later in the week. All my classmates chose the more standard occupations such as doctor, lawyer, police officer and firefighter. I chose an occupation a little less conventional, however: a comedian. I’m sure my parents were very proud. At least they said so. Saving people’s lives, ensuring their safety or trying to get individuals out of jail just didn’t feel like they would give me the same satisfaction I felt from making those same individuals smile. Ten years later, I confess I no longer have the intention of taking on the world as a comedian. However, I still love to entertain people. Though the form of this entertainment has changed from making jokes as comedian to making people smile by playing music with my band.
I started playing drums for the school band in fifth grade and continued playing in the school band until my senior year of high school. My love for music, however, springs from rock concerts and playing songs with my friends rather than marching in line with the high school band. Listening to my father’s favorite musicians, including Jimmy Hendrix and Eric Clapton, and seeing live concerts ranging from NSYNC to Radiohead have given me an appreciation for many different types of music. Doing live shows with my band is something I love and treasure deeply.
Other than my love for entertainment and music, my third passion is technology. I’ve been playing video games since I was 3. My father bought me an Apple computer when I was 4. I was immediately intrigued by its ability to entertain me, its speed in computing math problems, and the vast array of tasks that this computer could do that were not immediately apparent to me. Discovering the Internet years later was another life-altering experience. I remember getting my America Online screen name and my father showing me the Disney Web page while saying, “You will never see all that there is to see on the Internet.” I took his comment as a mission. I began exploring, finding out about the technology and enjoying the infinite possibilities of the World Wide Web. My love for technology led me to decide on majoring in information systems and decision sciences at Louisiana State University.
After a year and a half into my pursuit for a degree in information systems, I decided that, as much as I loved computers and technology, the math courses that were required were not my strength. I remember that my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Swindell, told my parents that I was “no mathematician.” Once I realized that a career based strictly on computers wasn’t the life for me, I pondered about what kind of job and future I really wanted. I thought about the things that I loved: technology, music and entertainment. I thought about what I could do that would combine all three. I discovered the Manship School’s Web site and the degree programs they offered. There I found two words that have been on my mind ever since, “public relations.” With this degree I could use my entertaining personality with individuals or firms in the music industry and use technology as a tool to promote those individuals or firms. All the things that I have grown up loving could aid me in my career. My parents always told me to “find something you love and do it well.” I feel like I am on my way to achieving that goal.
When I was in the second grade, my teacher, Mrs. Parker, gave us an assignment to write about what we wanted to do when we grew up. Her plan was to display them for our parents during the open house that was scheduled for later in the week. All my classmates chose the more standard occupations such as doctor, lawyer, police officer and firefighter. I chose an occupation a little less conventional, however: a comedian. I’m sure my parents were very proud. At least they said so. Saving people’s lives, ensuring their safety or trying to get individuals out of jail just didn’t feel like they would give me the same satisfaction I felt from making those same individuals smile. Ten years later, I confess I no longer have the intention of taking on the world as a comedian. However, I still love to entertain people. Though the form of this entertainment has changed from making jokes as comedian to making people smile by playing music with my band.
I started playing drums for the school band in fifth grade and continued playing in the school band until my senior year of high school. My love for music, however, springs from rock concerts and playing songs with my friends rather than marching in line with the high school band. Listening to my father’s favorite musicians, including Jimmy Hendrix and Eric Clapton, and seeing live concerts ranging from NSYNC to Radiohead have given me an appreciation for many different types of music. Doing live shows with my band is something I love and treasure deeply.
Other than my love for entertainment and music, my third passion is technology. I’ve been playing video games since I was 3. My father bought me an Apple computer when I was 4. I was immediately intrigued by its ability to entertain me, its speed in computing math problems, and the vast array of tasks that this computer could do that were not immediately apparent to me. Discovering the Internet years later was another life-altering experience. I remember getting my America Online screen name and my father showing me the Disney Web page while saying, “You will never see all that there is to see on the Internet.” I took his comment as a mission. I began exploring, finding out about the technology and enjoying the infinite possibilities of the World Wide Web. My love for technology led me to decide on majoring in information systems and decision sciences at Louisiana State University.
After a year and a half into my pursuit for a degree in information systems, I decided that, as much as I loved computers and technology, the math courses that were required were not my strength. I remember that my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Swindell, told my parents that I was “no mathematician.” Once I realized that a career based strictly on computers wasn’t the life for me, I pondered about what kind of job and future I really wanted. I thought about the things that I loved: technology, music and entertainment. I thought about what I could do that would combine all three. I discovered the Manship School’s Web site and the degree programs they offered. There I found two words that have been on my mind ever since, “public relations.” With this degree I could use my entertaining personality with individuals or firms in the music industry and use technology as a tool to promote those individuals or firms. All the things that I have grown up loving could aid me in my career. My parents always told me to “find something you love and do it well.” I feel like I am on my way to achieving that goal.
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