My name is Becky, and I work for the College of Education. I’ve been here for 32 years. I started at the university as an academic advisor. I remember when I got hired, I was so excited. Walking onto the campus, I felt thrilled. I still remember that day vividly. As an advisor, we had to guide students through their degree plans. Back then, we were only a two-year university, so we primarily saw juniors and seniors who already had most of their core curriculum completed by the time they came to us.
I helped students by ensuring they were registered for the right classes. Even now, people come up to me and say, “You were my advisor, and you helped me get to where I am.” When I ask where they are now, they often say, “I’m a teacher.” That makes me feel good because I must have done something right.
I believe many students genuinely want to go to college but lack some skills that universities and colleges demand. This doesn’t make them bad students; they just don’t meet all the requirements. I feel every student should get a chance to be admitted to college or university and see if they can succeed. However, many restrictions and requirements prevent them from even trying. Students often doubt themselves, thinking they can’t handle college because they barely made it through high school. We need to make college more appealing and accessible to them.
My experience with my son highlights this issue. He graduated from high school but didn’t have a car, so he came to work with me every day and stayed all day until I left at 5:00. He wanted to attend Texas A&M International University but didn’t have the test scores for admission. He was admitted on probation after we submitted all the necessary letters. Despite this challenge, he never gave up. He started taking classes and joined the cross-country team. Though he couldn’t run the first year, he was determined to get good grades and eventually started running in his second year. His persistence paid off, and he succeeded. Everyone at the university knew him because of me, and he didn’t get a car until he got his job. It wasn’t easy, but he made it, and I’m proud of his success.
I see the new ideas and programs at the College of Education as efforts to help our society, environment, and community. These special programs give students the opportunities they need to succeed.