Author Archives: Alyssa Bertrand

The Commencement of the Rest of Your Lives

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Alyssa Bertrand

“May all the students of the class of 2015 please stand” is what everyone will hear at a graduation. These words mean more to each person than the people of the audience. These words will last forever in their minds. They know they were able to complete one-step of their lives and are now able to see what the rest of their lives has in store for them. Graduation is a special ceremony for all the students that have completed the required elements. There are some items that people fail to mention, when speaking about graduation, and that is the behind the scenes work that the staff does in order for graduation to run smoothly.

Texas A&M University-Texarkana has two main people in the graduation department. Kristie Avery and Karen Dukes are the ones who put in a ton of hours outside the office. To make sure the processing and the real ceremony is correct and able to run as it is supposed to. More staff members help of course. Avery and Dukes are the women behind the curtain. The process is long but these woman are the best in town.

Applications start flowing in at the start of the semester, and some before that. From the moment the first application is sent, the physical time of TAMU-T staff is filled. Avery has expressed that she spends many hours on graduation work outside the office, however she would never miss an important event with her family. She makes sure she is still able to help her daughter with homework, or make it to school events.

When it begins, there are many items that one must to keep in mind, when processing the application. First, one has to make sure the application is correct and every part is filled out. The next step is when the hard part starts to happen. After printing the application, they first look at the major of the applicant and print out the individual’s DegreeWorks. One must make sure that they have all the credits they are supposed to have and look at how many upper level division hours one has. The credits are important, but making sure one has all the classes one needs is harder than finding the credits. Sometimes, one may have the correct number of credit hours, but may be missing one or two classes. The graduation staff have to make sure that the applicant has the correct number of residence hours, which is the number of hour and time spent enrolled in the university.

After checking, the application, the reviewer, will call if they have a question about the application. The staff will work and try as hard as possible when making sure that every detail is in place. There have been times when a student may have all the credits but are missing one class. In this case, they will either try to put them in that certain class or look at the DegreeWorks and see if the student has taken a previous class that would equal the class needed.

DegreeWorks is an online processing page that allows someone to get access to his or her classes. It makes it easier to see what classes one needs to take and tells them what they already have taken as well. This site will also allow the student to see the percentage they are to their degree and how many credit they are lacking. Avery says, “I didn’t have DegreeWorks when I graduated (Web for Students was just really getting started and there wasn’t an email program like Ace Mail when I graduated). DegreeWorks works, so that’s one thing that makes the process easier.”

A graduating student must consider their GPA in three different parts they will need to see if there is any hold on the accounts and see if there are any outstanding balances on their accounts as well. There could be a part that will need a transcript so one will have to see if one will need to be sent to the graduation office.

Elaine Willis has recently graduated from TAMU-T; she explains that it is very stressful but would not change that for the world. Her friends from the university helped and motivated her to help finish the class she needed and she did. She says the process was long and stressful to make sure everything is okay with the application. One part being incorrect or have a missing part it could mean you either graduate or do not. Now, she could not be happier with her life. She wears her class ring every day.

Willis and Avery both have graduated from TAMU-T and they both wish there was a way to make the process easier and better to work with. Right now, the process must be completed by hand. If the process were available electronically, it would make it faster and easier for the students and the staff. “Just making students more aware of their graduation status and prohibiting the phrases “I didn’t know…. ” Or “No one told me…” this is the one thing that Avery wants to happen in the future.

Student by Day, Worker by Night

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Alyssa Bertrand

What is free time? What does time to relax actually feel like? For many, this is time to have fun or be able to just sit around the house and not really worry about anything. To an average college student, one may be able to experience this thing called free time. They can go out when they do not have class or have to worry about how they will study for a class. Being a full-time student and a full-time worker, is a different story.

Full time student means someone is taking 15-24 hours in one semester. A full-time worker is working 35 plus hours a week. With these times joined, time is very limited. Priorities is the key word. People have to make a list and know what MUST come first. To the people who are struggling, do not stress too hard.

Many students are also full-time workers and it is hard. It puts everything to the test. Your strengths and your weakness. What is more important to yourself as well as the other people around you. Free time is a rare gift that one gets to experience. This gift is something that is cherished dearly. Between work and school, the free time one gets is actually spent with a date with their bed. It is very exhausted when you go from work to school or from school to work.

Do not think that working and going to school is a bad thing or even the worst thing that could happen but it is actually a privilege. Even though the stress level increases daily, or not having much time to have fun and relax, but it shows the drive in someone. The most important part is to be motivated. The motivation that gives you the extra push is what one needs to look at all the time. Whether it is your past, the current struggle, or family that pushes you to succeed.

Take the no time as a good insight of what the future holds. If you are working and going to school, it means you are trying to make oneself better. The future is bright. Take it a roll with it. It will all pay off when the goal is reached.

Black Friday = The Purge?

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Alyssa Bertrand

Every year, the country undergoes this big event called black Friday. Black Friday is the day everyone gets out at the crack of dawn to score the best deal. People will be in line waiting for the doors to open. Some people will take part in together as a family and some will go alone. The ones that go alone have one goal in site and they plan on reaching that goal.

If you have never experienced this big event, you might not fully understand the process. I have not gone black Friday shopping, but I have worked in retail for it for the past three years. Each year new things amaze me. Sometimes I wonder what these people are actually after. I watch the people around town and think about what is so necessary for them to fight over. Then I see people come into the store I worked in and see that some people will do anything for that five dollars they will be saving.

Fighting is another problem. All over the country there are many fight that break out on the big Friday of the year. One can look online and see fight after fight. Some of the videos that are put on the Internet have little kids involved. When I see those videos, I get sick in my stomach. How could some act that way and have a good conscience after one will throw someone on the ground to gain the upper hand on a toaster or crock pot. The fighting is beginning to get out of control.

The fighting every year, the very dangerous night, and the injuries that occur lead to the thought that Black Friday could actually be considered as The Purge. The Purge is the event in a recent thriller that is 24 hours each year during which murder is legal. Nothing would be against the law for only those 24 hours. Much like Black Friday, it is a full day event, people get hurt, and one can find that people will steal even when the prices are extremely low. Which leads to the question, is it really Black Friday or could we consider it a mini Purge?

Holiday Season is Upon Us

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Alyssa Bertrand

The holiday season is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. Some people, including me, truly believe that there is a reason for the season. That reason is not shopping or making sure one has the latest gadget. The reason is family. The reason is the great birth. The reason is to be thankful for all the great blessings that you have received over the year. The people on the other side think that it is the way one should act or behave in this time of year.

As a retail worker, I see many people throughout the day and all year round. These people can be nice one day but the next time you see him or her, they act completely different depending on the time of the year. Many people seem to undergo a system change as soon as the clock strikes midnight on the night of Halloween. The ones that hold on to shopping and the gifts tend to have a switch on them that changes their whole personality throughout the year. This time of the year really makes me wonder what is going through the heads of those people.

Thanksgiving is this week and Christmas is just a short four weeks away. This is the time of the year when one should be able to sit around the table with one’s family, able to enjoy the time together and give thanks for all the good and even bad in one’s life. Instead, people are more worried about the newest television or the better gaming system that one has to have. Do those people think about the ones that want to be home for the holidays? Do they think about the ones having to work those long shifts to make them happy? I doubt that. Most of the people are shopping on thanksgiving and black Friday, do not care as long as one can get what they want, for a what they think is a cheaper price.

This holiday season, take time to thank your family, friends, and even your professors for being there and for guiding you through the semester. If you go shopping, take time to thank to workers. You are out because you are wanting to be out there, they are out because they have no choice. Be respectful during this time. Do not spend you time being rude or ungrateful this season. Follow the famous words, “Don’t forget the reason for the season”.

High School District Champs

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Alyssa Bertrand

Becoming district champs is a good feeling to have for the local high school, Liberty-Eylau. Friday night, November 6, 2015, LE took on the Princeton football team and won the title district champs as well as having the honor of carrying the traveling trophy for the city.

This last Friday night, LE hosted Princeton at Harris field. For the first half, the crowd was afraid the leopards were going to lose the title, but maybe they realized what was at stake and the team put themselves into overdrive, and pull through and able to take the win. On one of the last plays, a leopard runs the ball all the way to the end zone and flips to make the last touchdown good.

LE is one of the local high schools that have had a rough time over the years to gain the respect of rest of the town. Lately, the community has come together to support one of the local high schools.

After a big win for a school district, everyone says that is takes a good five years to build the team back up to where they are a good solid group. I believe that this is their year. The players work as a team and the coaches are guiding them to victory.

The LE leopards will be traveling to Pine Tree to battle Van for the next stop in playoffs. All local schools are actually made it to the first round of the playoffs this year.

If you can, make your way to Pine Tree to support a local school fighting to make it to the next round.

Our Graduation Specialist

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Alyssa Bertrand

“I have a problem: it’s called logic!” something we all think at some point, but Kristie Avery admits she has said it many times. Kristie Avery will celebrate her birthday in the winter when Christmas cheer is all around.

Avery has been married for 23 years to a wonderful man named Doug. Doug is a captain for the Texarkana, Arkansas Police Department. He has been a part of the police department for 25 years. Through the love from Doug and Kristie, they brought two more lives to into the world. Their son, Tim, 20 years of age and currently attending Henderson State University. Tim plays baritone in the band and will major in music education to become a band director. Heather, 18 years of age is attending Henderson State University alongside her brother. Heather plays the trumpet in the university’s band but majors in nursing.

Avery’s life in Arkansas began 23 years ago, after moving from southern California where she was born and raised. Her commute from her home to the Texas A&M University-Texarkana campus is only about 10-12 miles.

Avery is now a Graduation Specialist at TAMU-T. She underwent a year and a half of training before receiving the title. Avery loves her job now, but this is not what she wanted to be when she was younger. Her dream was to become the next Christine Amanpour, a reporter who traveled the world to cover stories. She was on and off the camera. Amanpour was Avery’s idol at the time. In order to reach her dreams, she continued her education at Texas A&M University- Texarkana. After earning her Mass Communication degree from TAMU-T, she took her journalism degree and went for the big goal. Her dream was to be a traveling journalist and adventure all over the world. She wanted to be an on camera reporter. After being on the staff of a local newspaper, Avery’s mass communication degree took her to work for a local television station as a reporter/photographer for two years. Then she decided to work for a local newspaper for three and a half years before returning to work at her Alma matter. Avery did not start out as a graduation specialist. She started by helping with the long graduation process. While doing so, the people around her began to realize she was good at her job and she was able to start training for the actual job title. As a graduation specialist, one must be able to put in long hours in order to pull graduation together. The process is long and has to be looked over multiple times.

When first applying for graduation, one must apply online, the application is then emailed to Mrs. Avery, and she will then print off the application. A few items need to be checked and in place before the process can continue. These are; make sure one has the correct number of credit hours, how many upper and lower level classes compared to how many one must have to graduation. To graduate, one’s GPA must be at a certain point and one needs to have a amount of resident credit hours as well. Avery has to be able to see if one is missing any classes and then help the student as much as possible to earn those credits for a certain course.

After printing out the application, she will attach one’s degree works to the application itself. She will then make sure she notifies the applicant if any items are missing or if she has any questions. The process of looking over the applications could be examined many times before one approves it for further processing.

To prepare for the day of graduation, not much is left to do. Avery and her fellow coworkers goes to the venue the day before to get some rows roped off, signs in the right places, and then the day of graduation ensuring every person has the correct name card. As graduation gets closer and closer, the more time everyone must spend outside of the office. Usually nine to ten-hour days become necessary. When asked how her family felt about the long days she responded, “My husband is not too happy about me being gone, but he knows it is for the students. I am always at my children’s events no matter what goes on at work”. No matter how many hours she clocks in at work, she will always make time for her family.

Avery does not see free time as much as she would like, but when she does have it, she likes to spend it with her family. She enjoys attending band events for her children and constructing jewelry. In the future, she has a desire to make the process for graduation easier for all students.

As a graduation specialist, Kristie Avery sees and hears many stories that are inspirational to her. One story stood out to her. It is when she was able to see the oldest person from TAMU-T walk across the stage. The woman was 70 to 80 years old. Seeing her graduate showed everyone is able to complete one’s dream. Not one thing in this huge world is out of reach. Even if one is 80 years old and finally graduating, one can achieve if one believes.

Family is Everything

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Alyssa Bertrand

Family is everything. Family will love you no matter what happens. Family will be around even if you do not believe so. When everything is shattered, and do not know what to do or where to turn, just look at all the people who is hurting around you. That is where one will find their strength.

Five months ago, my family life’s was flipped upside down when my father was put into the hospital due to breathing problems. It soon escalated to much worse, was all unexpected and shocking.

After being in the hospital for a week, my father was diagnosed with stage four Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer. This type of cancer is treatable, but since his age and being stage four, the odds were against us. The doctor told us we had two options; either begin chemo, which will have to be the most aggressive level of chemo or do not undergo chemo, but he could have only two weeks with whichever choice we made.

There was no way we would not try to do everything possible to make this work. That night he started his first round of chemo. This first treatment lasted eight hours every twelve hours for three days. In the beginning of August, we received good results, the masses in his chest shrunk in size. That was news we all needed to hear. With all the good there comes bad.

In mid-September my mom woke up to, a call from the nurse explain my dad’s health gotten worse and he was admitted into the ICU. His lungs were not working, as they should. Before he went in ICU, the doctors did another MRI and a bone marrow test. Half of the results were good, the other were bad. His bone marrow came back clean, which means his bones were cancer free, but they found a huge mass one of his lungs that was causing his breathing problems. The doctors were not sure what this mass was, but it was not cancer. The doctors did everything they could to understand and figure out what the huge fast growing mass on his lung.

The word ventilator is a word that no one wants to hear about a family member. My dad was put on a ventilator because he was using all his energy trying to breathe on his own. After two weeks, the hospital looks into a different or alternate way to help the patient’s breathing. Normally a TRAC would be put in the patient.

Saturday, October 3, my dad took his last breath. My family and I stood around his and prayed for him. Prayed that he would not be suffering anymore. Losing someone you love is never easy. The thought of waking up the next day to someone missing is painful but family is always going to be there. They are there for comfort, to lean on, to help in need, and to love one another in times of pain. Family is everything.

FEATURE: The Woman Behind the Music

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Alyssa Bertrand

Beautiful music is what I hear. The sounds of flutes playing to a bird’s voice, the trumpets forming the sounds of a royal guard entering a room, and the percussion playing as if something was about to happen. The sounds of every instrument in the band makes the most beautiful sound one may ever hear. The director moves her hands so smoothly with a slight bounce as if moving with the music, her students all paying close attention to every movement and every word coming out of the director’s mouth. “Thud thud thud,” the sound your shoe makes when it falls to the ground in order to keep the beat. When the song is over, you may hear a clash of the symbols falling to the ground when the student holding them is not paying attention. Nevertheless, the music coming from Stephanie Blackwell-Nelson’s Liberty-Eylau High School band hall is always wonderful.

Stephanie Blackwell-Nelson is the band director of the high school band at Liberty-Eylau. She has been the high school director for ten years. Before working at the high school, she worked at the middle school as the band director. She has alway had a love for music and even as a little girl she wanted to be a band director, accomplish great things with every band she taught, and guide each student with her help. She believes that every school should have a band or at least some form of musical program in order to keep the arts alive. The fine arts departments are normally the first to be cancelled when the budget shrinks but Nelson shows that band programs and music itself can have a positive effect on every student.

She attended and graduated from Texas A&M University-Texarkana with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) with a major in business. Even though TAMU-T did not offer a music degree, she still had a few options that gave her the degree she always wanted. Nelson is someone who will find an opportunity in any situation no matter how hard and difficult it may be. TAMU-T helped her reach her dream.

“Texas A&M University- Texarkana is one of the best places to go in my opinion. It is close to the community. The professor will help as much as they can and they don’t just teach they make sure you actually learn the material. There are other colleges out there that are bigger but to me TAMU-T was the best of me. Everyone has ‘their college’ and this was mine,” Nelson said.

She smiled and continued, “When I was little, of course I wanted to go off far away from my family and wanted to experience the ‘college life.’ When someone thinks, about how much one truly spends of that great college life everyone talks about then they will see the huge difference in staying at home and going to a local university, then to go off and having to stay in a dorm.”

She added that TAMU-T is not just a university, is it a family. “It may be a huge family, but everyone helps each other. People are friendly even if they do not know you. People hold doors open, and wave and say things like “Hey, how are you?” and “Have a good day” when you happen to be in the elevators with someone. No, they do not know you, but the atmosphere of the campus is joyous.”

Nelson said multiple times that TAMU-T is the reason she is where she is today. They allowed her to continue with her dream and never stop. She tells her students that this university is a great place to go and she would recommend her students to attend TAMUT.

“They don’t let you give up. They don’t let life struggles tear you down. The professor will works with you and will do everything in their power and under school policies they can in order to get you to pass and never stop believing,” she said. Nelson promotes the university everywhere she goes. She even tells people from other schools about her experience at TAMU-T.

Nelson has been the director of many award-winning bands. Her current band earned a sweepstakes two years in a row just recently and is working towards another one this year. In a matter of three years, she helped over 100 students advance to State in solo and ensemble, never leaving the competition with less than 30 medals each year at the state level. These accomplishments are just a few of her many goals that she has achieved. She plans on continuing to excel in her teaching and helping the students improved as much as possible.

She pushes her students to achieve their goals like TAMUT did for her. Nelson is excited to see what TAMUT has in store for the future. Nelson is overjoyed to hear that the university is starting a marching band.  Nelson said joyfully, “There is not a better staff anywhere I have attended or visited than Texas A&M University-Texarkana!”

Leopards Take Down the Hogs

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Alyssa Bertrand

Nothing is better than enjoying Friday night lights with family and friends. The excitement everyone encounters makes staying late in the stadium worthwhile. Sitting in the bleachers physically watching brings someone a completely new feeling rather than watching it on the television.

Rivalries are a part of every sport and sometimes even among people. The biggest in Texarkana is the Texas versus Arkansas football game. To some, the rivalry between Liberty- Eylau and Arkansas is even bigger and Friday night showed that it was.

There was not an empty seat in sight. The overflow of people in the stadium to watch the game was out of control. Most rival schools try to keep the schools separated at events. The abundance of Arkansas fans made the way to the LE side was not good. Crowds were rolling in around 6:30 for a 7:30 game. Even though these two districts do not have too much history in the public eye, behind the doors the history is unbelievable. LE and Arkansas only recently started playing each other in football. Before 2012, the two schools had not played each other for a while.

I attended the game as LE alumni. I was in the concession stand for a long of time, or I was in the stand by the LE band, which played part of the “fight song” every time LE scored a touchdown. The band played the song twice and I was not by them long. Amanda Baker, LE alumni since 2008, explains, “We have seen this team battle for a few years now and honestly if you watch them actually play, LE is the better team. I hope tonight proves that too. We deserve recognition for the hard work these boys do every day.” Many expressed about the same feelings. I asked people how they felt about the two teams and they said that it is LE’s time this year.

While I was helping, the other workers could feel the tension between the two schools as well. The customer’s attitude was completely different. We gave the same respect to everyone but it was difficult at times. We did not just assume the customers with horrible attitudes were from Arkansas, but they were wearing the team’s shirt. I realized no matter how nice one is to another, if one is unhappy from the beginning, and then someone most likely could not change a mood in five minutes waiting for an order of fries. The lines never ended. The concession stands were still helping people when it was over. The game lasted from 7:30 to around 10:20. We did not think the game was ever going to end because we felt we were there for longer than little more than three hours.

After the game, I asked one of the customers, Ariana Hines, the final score and she said, “66 to 21, we fried some bacon tonight.” That made us all laugh. I was happy that LE won. All week Arkansas was talking down to the LE school district and it was a good feeling when LE was able to prove them wrong.

Football is a family game. Fridays is a time when many teenagers think they can go party, but being at a football game prevents them from doing dangerous activities. I saw many families out there that night, whether there for someone on the football team, in the band, a cheerleader, a member of the dazzlers, or just there for a good family event. There is nothing like a good night Friday nights light.

NASCAR — Off the Paved Road

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Alyssa Bertrand

“I just like to go fast!” driver Mike Wells says when asked about winning points. There is always an adventure at the dirt track. Dirt track racing is a sport to many people in the South. It is much like NASCAR, but on dirt instead of pavement. Huge tires around the track keep one from going into the grassy part of the track, the infield.

The adventure does not start when the light goes green; it begins when your feet step onto the gates. Many people think that the dirt track is a stress reliever. No one ever leaves the track with the same stress or anger they came with.

Saturday night racing is something that everyone can be involved with and enjoy. It is something that people take back home and tell everyone about. It a family event as well. You can go there once and be hooked. Many visitors think that it will not be as much fun as they would like but those are the same ones that go back every weekend. There have been times someone attended a race and was convinced to build a car himself or herself. People that attend the races are for there for support to everyone and being with each other. No matter what happens, they come together as one to help.

With the good times, there are also some bad. In every competitive sport, some people do not like the others, or some talk down about someone, but in the end, no one wants people hurt. There is danger in it as well. Sometimes crashes cause cars to flip and hit the wall but the drivers are supposed to be wearing fire suits and helmets. The guidelines are very strict. The drivers are disqualified if any rule is broken. The rules are detailed since this is a dangerous activity. Safety of not only the drivers but also the staff and the fans is the number one priority at the track.

If one is planning to race every weekend, then one should know about the point system. Every entry and every win earns points. Every thing one can do at the track earns points. Of course, the higher up when one finishes the more points one receives. At the end of the season, the top five drivers get a prize and the top one person receives a trophy with their name and car category on it. Receiving the number one spot is a big honor. It may not mean much too many people but for the returning champion, it means the world. This award shows commitment and skill level. It shows commitment because you earn points every time you enter at that one track. It shows skill level because the higher in rank when you finish a race, the more points you earn.

Early this month, I went to one of the best dirt tracks around here and it was great. Everyone was welcoming and it was a good night for racing. The only thing that took me by surprise was that they started so late in the evening. I asked why they started so late and officials explained they were worried it was too hot to start at the normal time. Saturday night was ‘fan appreciation night’ when the track is open for the public to view the cars and talk to the drivers. Everyone was able to learn about the drivers and be able to take pictures with their favorite cars.

If you do not have a place to go to have fun on the weekends, attend one of the most exciting sports out there. The dirt tracks drivers would love to see more faces in the crowd. They are motivated by people there to support them. “Nothing feels better than going around the track on your last lap and looking up to see the big checkered flag above me!” driver Kelly Knighten says with a big smile on his face.