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Graduation Year: 2016 Major: Technical Communication Hometown: Dalton, Ga. Activities: International Student Organization (ISO), Cheerleading, King Security and Intelligence Studies Group (KSI) Interests: Comics, cartoons, writing, vdeo games, social media |
Favorite quote(s): “Life is locomotion. If you’re not moving, you’re not living.” “The best way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend.”
Favorite book(s): Action Comics Vol. 1, Dendara, Aquaman Vol. 1
Favorite music: Indy Rock, Hip-Hop, and R & B
Favorite movie(s): The Nightmare Before Christmas, Dragonball Z: The Tree of Might, Man of Steel, and World War Z
Favorite past-time: Writing, reading, tweeting, and cooking
Why did you choose King? I chose King because I loved the sound of the TCOM program, and was just realizing how much I really liked the thought of Communications as a major. The distance between King and Chattanooga (where I lived) was also good. Not too far, but not too close to home.
What do you like best about King? I love the people and the atmosphere. It’s different than what I’m used to. A lot quieter, but I like the calm feeling of Bristol. I’ve also met some of the coolest friends I don’t think I would have encountered otherwise, and I’m really grateful for that.
What is the best thing about living on campus? The best thing about living on campus is just the fact that it feels good to just be close to a lot of stuff. It feels nice to just be close to where you lay your head at night. Everything is close, no need to worry about leaving anything miles away. It’s a good feeling.
What are your plans after college? I’m looking at going into Public Relations in the private sector, possibly doing a good bit of freelance or working with a firm. I’d be interested in moving back to Chattanooga, but I also wouldn’t mind staying in Bristol.
How are you coping with being away from home? I call home every so often just to check in on my parents, and sometimes they call me. I don’t really get bothered about not being at home, but sometimes I want to talk to certain people back home, and I feel a little nostalgic.
What is your favorite class? My favorite class would have to be Public Relations. I certainly learned a lot in the class, and that’s where I felt I had the most creative freedom to do what I really wanted to in regards to our project, which involved working with a client and setting up a media campaign. Not only that, but I made a lot of really great connections.
Who has influenced you the most – Who was one of your mentors? My friend Donny Miller was a really helpful person. I learned a lot from him, about life and he’s always been someone I could turn to if I needed to talk about anything and I really appreciate all he’s done for me.
What was your most rewarding extracurricular activity? Working with the Cheerleading squad had me doing a lot of things I never thought I would do or get to do, so it’s been fun, and it’s been a challenge, but I don’t regret any of the things I’ve had the opportunity to do.
What was your most interesting summer work? Most interesting work I’ve done over the summer would probably be working as an intern for a non-profit organization, The Company Lab (Co.Lab.) I worked there as part of my high school service learning, and we were doing this huge project and they wanted me to stay on as a Happiness Intern for the inaugural GIGTANK project. I spent the summer meeting a ton of great people, learning how to network, and work in a corporate, but casual setting.
What is your favorite memory of King? Favorite memory of King would probably be what we deemed Freedom Night. One night, after a basketball game some friends and I went out for dinner. We drove around town singing Daft Punk and Disney songs, went to this nice spot in town that has a beautiful view of downtown Bristol, and even danced outside in the freezing cold. It was just a fun night for everyone.
Did you study abroad or participate in mission trips? Where? How were they beneficial? I haven’t done any of those things, actually, but I’ve often thought about studying abroad. Just the finances never lined up in my favor. I have met a lot of really awesome friends from the U.K., Ireland, and South Korea who studied abroad here, though.
Did you participate in any internships while at King? Where? How were they beneficial? I took part in the Athlete Network internship while I was at King, which was an on-campus internship for the company. I’d say it’s helped me meet a lot of people and get to make connections I wouldn’t otherwise. It’s helped me also think more about the networking that I do and more about the opportunities I can take moving forward.
Do you have a message to students relative to their own journey? A lot of people where I come from in Chattanooga, Tenn., aren’t in the best financial situations. It’s a struggle and the thought private school seems absurd, especially with tuition on the rise at a lot of institutions and even King. I always go home and tell students not to be afraid to ask for help—ask for a loan. I’ve always looked at it as an investment in my future and playing your cards right can net you a huge return on that investment.
How was your experience with the Financial Aid office? My experiences with Financial Aid were very pleasurable for the most part. I love going down and visiting the staff in the office, sometimes just to shoot the breeze.
If you are graduating with student debt, do you feel it will be easily manageable? Easily manageable? I don’t think so. Do I think it’s manageable? Well, that’s more dependent on what I have to show for it at the end of my time at King. It will certainly be a struggle to pay the money back, but one I think I’m getting well-equipped to handle.
How does your student debt compare to your friends who attended other schools? Most of my friends attended local schools and got a large amount of financial aid, so I believe the majority of them don’t have any student debt.