Me

Applying to colleges was a lot like browsing through the sale rack at American Eagle. There were so many attractive choices, but they were either the wrong size or too expensive.

When I visited the University of Tennessee in November 2003, I had no intention of ever attending. After all, I was only applying to make my parents happy. The day was cold, rainy and gray. Campus was deserted, and apparently most of the students had retreated from the cold to their dorms for an afternoon nap. But fate has a funny way of manifesting itself.

Good Ol' Rocky Top (Whoo!)

The home of the Volunteers won my heart that day, and I found myself in denial over my new conviction that I must go to UT. In August 2004, I began my freshman year in Knoxville and have never regretted my decision.

Since then, I have been presented with so many opportunities to learn and get experience in my fields of study, which are journalism and Spanish. This past summer, for example, I interned at a small local newspaper at home. Because it is a paper in its infant stages, I was able to report and write several stories a week, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

My Spanish major has been a great complement to journalism, and since I tutor students in the language, it has made me realize my desire to teach.

I will graduate a semester early this December and will start grad school at MTSU in the spring. Once I get my master's in foreign language education, I'd like to teach high school. If my opportunities are as great as they've been, I'll not only teach Spanish, but hopefully I can head up the school paper too.