I didn’t come to college expecting it to change me. I didn’t expect UTM to become home. In fact, I didn’t think of these four years as anything other than a challenge I had to pass in order to get on with my life. I was wrong.
When I first arrived in Martin, I was fresh out of a small private school, having graduated with the same 20 people that I had been with since sixth grade. UTM seemed large and terrifying. I wasn’t prepared to cope.
I entered Martin as a Biology major, and without any say in it, I was put into Calculus, Biology and Chemistry. The first day of classes scared me so much that I walked straight to the Administration Building and withdrew from the university.
Yes, withdrew.
Immediately after that, I called my mom and told her my news. Her reaction was to be expected. She told me to go back to the office that I had just left and hand the phone to the woman I had spoken with.
I stood uncomfortably on the opposite side of the desk from a woman who was most likely being berated by my mother. Both were only trying to do what they thought was best for me.
After my mother successfully corrected what I had so flippantly done, she put me in contact with one of her friends who teaches in the UTM Communications Department, Dr. Teresa Collard.
The days after that first week are a blur to me. I know that if I hadn’t met Dr. Collard, I would not have made it to graduation. She became my therapist, my mentor and my friend. She let me cry in her office when I needed to and pushed me to succeed even when I didn’t think I was able to.
She and my mother encouraged me to go through NPC recruitment, through which I gained a beautiful sisterhood in Alpha Delta Pi.
Although I was not yet a Communications major, I gained a glimpse into the department that would soon become family to me.
Skip ahead two years to the fall semester of my junior year. I finally had my head on straight and officially changed my major to Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations.
Immediately I felt relief, knowing that I was finally where I belong. The Communications Department embraced me as one of their own.
I have heard stories of other departments, and I know it’s not the same. Allow me to brag on my department for a minute.
Each professor takes the time to get to know each and every student. Regardless of who you are or where you came from, when you are in the Comm. Department, you are family.
I would like to thank all of my wonderful instructors, who have given me knowledge not only on the subject matter, but also real world advice.
Dr. Hoyer, thank you for always being willing to help me, no matter what the situation is. Whether it was helping me with my personal research project or keeping me sane through all of the course work, I can’t thank you enough. Also, thank you for being one of the main reasons I got to experience traveling abroad. I will never forget your influence.
Dr. Alexander, thank you for your support and encouragement. It means so much to me.
Dr. Van Horn, thank you for helping me break out of my shell during your public speaking class, and for encouraging me to follow my passion to Speech and Language Pathology.
Ms. Tomi, thank you for giving me the opportunity to work for The Pacer when I came tumbling into your office last summer, desperate for a job. You believed in me before I believed in myself. When I thought I would break down under the stress of last semester, you told me that it’s okay to cry when I need to, and that I am capable of completing anything.
Thank you to the rest of The Pacer’s Executive Board, because without all of you, I wouldn’t be writing this right now. Thank you all for your patience while I learned new things and when I made mistakes.
Dr. Ogg, thank you for teaching Comm. 326, because if you didn’t, I probably would never have personally met you, and that would have been a tragedy in my life. Seeing your enthusiasm for your students and everything you have done throughout your life encouraged me to pursue my dreams. When I told you about my dreams, you supported them 100 percent.
Dr. Collard, I can’t even say everything I have to thank you for. Thank you for teaching me how to be myself. Thank you for caring about all of your students more than anyone I’ve ever met. Thank you for never giving up on me, even when I almost gave up on myself. I can truly say that I would not be about to graduate if it were not for you, Dr. Collard, and for that, I can’t thank you enough.
Thank you to my sister, Alexis. Without you pushing me, I wouldn’t have succeeded in half of my endeavors. Even though you’re several states away, you’re always there for me, helping me and letting me know that I can do it.
Thank you to the sweetest, best man I know, Jonathan Fisher. I can’t imagine UTM without you. You have been the constant in my life over these past four years that has carried me through many dark nights. So, I suppose I should thank UTM for bringing us together. I can’t wait to see where life takes us next. I love you.
Thank you to my parents for giving me everything that I ever needed and encouraging me to be the best I could be. I couldn’t have done any of this without you both, and I hope that I make you both proud.
For the past two years, the Communication Department has been my family away from home. The professors, staff and students have become more than just a university department. They have been my home away from home.
Now, it’s time for me to leave and continue my journey elsewhere – specifically at the University of Memphis. It’s going to be a big change, and I’m terrified. I know I can do it, though, because I have so many people rooting for me that I can’t possibly fail.
So here I am, no longer the scared girl who can’t handle the big world. Thanks to everyone I have met at UTM, I feel prepared to take on whatever life throws at me.
Thank you, UTM, for giving me so much more than I could have ever dreamed to hope for.
