Being editor in chief of the Optimist this year changed me for the worse. For obvious reasons, this job made me a worse student. Lines were blurred between the work I was doing for class and the work I was doing for the next day's paper. I couldn't remember what would affect my GPA and what would show up on tomorrow's front page. This led to ... [Read More…]
Choose your own adventure: Job interview edition
It's the day of the big interview. You have an hour before you need to leave, so you: A. Take a nap. You don't need to set an alarm. You'll wake up in time, but NOW YOU'RE AN HOUR LATE. B. Trim your bangs just a little to make yourself look more professional. But then you end up with a bowl cut that makes you look like member of The Beatles. ... [Read More…]
The Senioritis is strong with this one
It's the one thing every college student thinks they'll be prepared for when the time comes. Throughout college, they hear horror stories of the syndrome that affects seniors, making them slack in all areas of life, longing for the day of freedom from academia: Senioritis. Sophomores lie to themselves, thinking, "Maybe it won't happen to me, ... [Read More…]
It’s All for Sport
A college athlete's career takes years to build to an elite level. It takes a spark to ignite a passion in a child to become great. It takes years and years of hard work - extra time on the field perfecting skills, lifting and conditioning to get into top shape, training the mind to endure as much as the body. And finally, it takes intense ... [Read More…]
A Farewell to Sports
Some of you may not know this about me, but I'm a student-athlete here at ACU. Long before I was writing for the Optimist, I was out on the softball field taking ground balls and learning how to pitch a good change-up. Now, many of you know the emotional and psychological chaos of being a senior in college - almost being done with school, trying ... [Read More…]
Graduating senior says names matter
Often when people talk about what makes ACU such a special place, they talk about the people they encounter. I am grateful for my education from ACU, but the greatest part of my ACU experience has been the lives that have become a part of my story. I am sure all of us can picture people at ACU who have shaped our lives, and although it seems ... [Read More…]
The final frontier: A senior’s tale
Part of our department's senior send-off included writing our goals and dreams on balloons and releasing them into the sky. There are how many trees in Abilene? Not that many. Yet my balloon found one of them and was denied its ascent. As I stood there, surveying the irony of the situation I thought to myself, "This is a pretty accurate ... [Read More…]
This is not a goodbye column
They told me this is my last column for the Optimist, but I will spare you my top-10 tips I taught my freshman self. I tend to think there is a surplus of senior sentiments around this time and, frankly, my advice booklet is busting at the seams. Furthermore, I have a terminal case of avoidadieuitis. Roommates can testify, I am renown for ... [Read More…]
The Optimist Print Edition: 04.30.14
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Seniors say farewell at devotional
The Student Alumni Association hosted a candlelight devotional Tuesday night in the Amphitheater as a senior send-off for the first time. The Candlelight Devotional is an annual tradition that typically takes place during Welcome Week. It is a memorable experience for all new students who attend ACU. During the devotional, each new student is ... [Read More…]