Category Archives: Travel

“Hey Now, This is What Dreams Are Made Of”

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Do you remember what you would imagine for your life in your 20s? You would be a cool cat with a real job. Maybe you were a server on skates at Sonic or traveling Europe in your dreams. Who really didn’t want a job in which you could roller skate all day? Maybe those were just my dreams. The real question is, “Are you living your dreams?”

Give yourself a second and think to yourself what you truly pictured for yourself in your 20s. Now ask yourself why you haven’t accomplished the goals. It’s understandable that maybe costs are too tight, or the dream may seem extreme and scary at this point. 

Spring 2019 I walked the halls of A&M Texarkana when a TV screen suddenly caught my attention. It read something along the lines of “Study abroad in Paris.” In that moment all of my daydreaming of being like Rory from Gilmore Girls flashed before my eyes. I made a choice in that moment to do whatever it took to spend time in Europe all by myself. I picked up a couple of extra shifts and I went for it. In the blink of an eye I was living out my Lizzy McGuire moment in Paris, France for four weeks. 

Here are some tips and tricks I learned over the few months before my lone excursion across the pond:

  • Accountability partners are everything. Once you let someone, or a few people, of your dreams and goals you will feel more responsibility to accomplish it. 
  • Organization is key. Trust me, I am not a professional organizer by any means, but I do know how to write out a checklist. Give yourself some deadlines and do them.
  • No excuses. The morning of my flight, I experienced a heavy anxiety. I felt like I couldn’t actually be capable of traveling the world by myself, but I did it anyway. I pushed through my fears and conquered them. Remind yourself, “I can do it.”

You are the only one capable of fulfilling your dreams. Go out and live them.

Slippery Slope to Purgatory

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Do you ever want a boost of adrenaline and an urge to try something new? I can tell you that snow skiing is worth a try. Who doesn’t want to put their feet in a pair of ski boots and rush down a snowy mountain? I don’t think there is anything better than that. Snow skiing may seem simple to some people, but there is actually a lot to learn and keep in mind before going down the slopes.

I went snow skiing for the very first time in March 2019 and, man, it was so much fun! Since I had never been before, my two older siblings did not let the opportunity slip away for me. The three of us and my brother-in-law packed our bags and made the trip to Durango, Colorado to meet up with our uncle and his best friend. Durango is a popular town in Colorado because Purgatory Ski Resort is right up the road.

Purgatory is a smaller resort with less runs and slopes, but since it was Spring Break for some schools, it was packed. I have never seen so many people on a small mountain in my life. The resort has condos that people can rent out for however many days they want to stay. The condo that we stayed in was very neat and old-timey. We cooked out and relaxed in our condo when we weren’t on the slopes. The majority of our time was spent trying to master skiing. My sister, brother-in-law, and I all spent the first full day in lessons and on the bunny slope.

At the beginning of the lesson, I was struggling to get the hang of it. I wanted to give up and just go to the condo, but I knew better than to give up. The second day, I was in lessons half a day then practiced on my own. On the third day, I went up the lift with my brother and uncle and they turned into my instructors. We started on a green run, which is the least difficult. I was skiing along and noticed that I was doing tremendously better than on the bunny slope.

As my confidence was building, they decided to take me on a blue run, which is a step-up from a green. Once again, I went down with some ease and a few crashes along the way, but felt good about it. At the end of the day, I was skiing all over the mountain and having a blast. After we left and got on the plane, I was already wanting to go back. I knew at that moment that I had found my new and exciting hobby. Purgatory will always have a special place in my heart.

Riding the Athletics Bus to OK

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Does a two day trip to Oklahoma with over forty of Texas A&M Texarkana’s soccer players sound like a good time? There’s WiFi on the chartered bus. There are plug outlets every other row of seats. There’s even a bathroom in the back, a nice little closet with a toilet that does not flush located right behind the men’s team! If you’ve never been on one of these away-game-trips, buckle up. You’re on one now. 

Walters carries the ball up the field against SCU. Photo by: Suzanna Summerlin

Madison Walters began her journey at TAMUT in August of 2016 at her first preseason training camp for the Women’s Soccer team. Since then, she’s grown as a student athlete and been named team captain. We’ll be following Walters on her last preseason away trip of her career to play against Southwestern Christian University and Oklahoma City University.  

Rise and shine! It’s 5:30 A.M. and it’s time to get moving. Walters is on the chartered bus surrounded by her teammates by 6 A.M. Everyone quickly dozes off to sleep after the team prayer and the 6 hour drive began. “My whole body hurts,” Walters commented during the pit stop the bus took at the halfway point of the journey as she stretched her legs. The bus made a brief stop for lunch before heading to the field so the women’s team could begin to warm up. 

After a 3-1 win against SCU, Walters was exhausted, playing the full 90 minutes. She changed into clean, dry, clothes and sat with her team to watch the TAMUT men’s team win 2-1 in overtime. The bus smelled of sweaty trash as both stinky teams piled onboard to head to the hotel. Walters was dead asleep by 10 P.M. after the teams ate a feast at Golden Corral.

The next morning the hotel lobby was packed with soccer players as they ate breakfast before loading the bus at 10:30 A.M. The teams were eager to play as they arrived to the OCU field around noon. Walters was frustrated after the women lost 2-1 in overtime. She led the team towards the locker rooms to shower off before watching the men’s team battle it out on the field. 

Photo by: Suzanna Summerlin

After two frustrating loses against OCU, the bus loaded up with freshly showered athletes and began the 6 hour trek home. A hectic pit stop at Chick-fil-a was made for dinner– restaurants usually struggle to handle the soccer program and their large appetites. “I want to be home already,” Walters said as she opened up her laptop to begin a Kinesiology test; putting in earphones to drown out the noisey men’s team. The bus arrived safely to campus around 1 A.M. and the bus unloaded quietly as everyone headed their separate ways. 

Just like that, Walters’ last preseason away trip was over. “Next week is going to be brutal,” Walters sighed as she looked over the soccer schedule. The women’s team has a week off from games before conference play starts and they’ll put in work until it’s time to load the bus again.

A New De Kalb Cafe

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Are you a local coffee connoisseur looking for a new flavor to try? De Kalb is excited to welcome you to its own little coffee shop—the De Kalb Grinder. The Grinder has been in the works for some time now, and is finally open for business! Located in the quaint downtown area of De Kalb off 992, next to Jody’s Flowers, you’ll find this homey coffee-house.

Photo Courtesy of The Grinder Facebook page.

De Kalb has long needed a specialty coffee shop for students to meet as well as for those on the go to pick up a tasty breakfast. The Grinder opened with a bang as locals swarmed the shop to try all of the drinks. The menu is quite impressive as it offers something to everyone at great prices.

Available sizes vary between 12 and 16 ounces. Their regular brewed coffee starts at $1 with the extra 4 ounces just a quarter extra. Flavors offered are caramel, salted caramel, chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon. Chocolate flavors intensify from there with options such as white, dark, Swiss, milk, and German chocolate. You can choose from hot or cold coffee, or even from three fruity flavors. These choices are not inclusive of specialty holiday flavors or holiday drinks, or any of their traditional coffee options. If you’re unfamiliar with the town of De Kalb the recommended flavor is “The Honey Bear” named after the high schools mascots!

The Grinder offers a cozy and relaxing atmosphere if you’re looking for somewhere to sit back and read a book, or for somewhere with great free WiFi to work on your next project. Along with the great prices and great atmosphere if you visit The Grinder you are supporting a small business as opposed to a corporate organization, which provides more jobs for local students while simultaneously saving you some money.

Photo courtesy of The Grinder Facebook page.

The Grinder is a great option for all passing through the area, or locals who haven’t made time to try it out yet. If you aren’t sure when you’ll make it around the area yet, be sure to keep up with their Facebook at “The De Kalb Grinder” where they post many of their amazing creations. The physical address is 136 N. Runnels St., don’t forget about them next time you make the trek out to De Kalb!

Christmas at the Perot Theatre

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For the first time in 40 years the Perot Theatre is open to the public to play holiday movies, in a collaboration between the City of Texarkana, Texas and TRAHC, and Perot Theatre to bring Texarkana a new holiday tradition.

The event will take place on December 22, 2018 at the Perot Theatre in Downtown Texarkana. This is an all day event for the community to come and enjoy. There will also be food trucks, vendors, crafts, refreshments, and holiday movies shown throughout the day. The forecast has predicted for snow to fall on Main Street.

The first holiday movie to be shown will be Polar Express at 10:30 a.m. followed by How the Grinch Stole Christmas (short film) at 1 p.m. The Elf will be shown at 1:30 p.m., with the grand finale of It’s a Wonderful Life at 7 p.m.

Santa Claus will make a stop for photo appearances.

Ticket prices range from $5-7. To purchase tickets call (903) 792-4992. For more information click here.

All Aboard for Prague!

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The Career Development Office has been given an opportunity to host a course, and guess what, it’s a study abroad leadership course to Prague, Czech Republic! It’s going to be focused on career development, your own career choices, and how those fit in the global workplace. Everyone who will take part in this amazing opportunity will travel to five industrial sites in Prague where everyone involved will talk with the leadership and human resources teams. Students will also be connecting with Prague college students who will be sharing how they get jobs there. Similarly, A&M students will share how they can get jobs in America. “I am hoping the students that go with us will return back for an internship or a study abroad course over there,” says Tina Boitnott, Director of Career Development. She also “hopes it opens up the world a little bit more to students and lets them see how they fit into that global workplace with everything they’re learning right here at A&M-Texarkana.” So if you’re curious and interested in traveling to Prague, Czech Republic make sure to stop by our Career Development Office with any questions you may have.

3rd Annual Lavish Lounge Showcase 2018

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Dallas salon, Lavish Lounge will host their 3rd Annual Showcase Decemeber 2nd Sunday evening 5pm-10pm. Photo Credit: Lavish Lounge Cutz & Stylz.

Looking for a diversion only a couple of hours away this weekend?

“It’s not a competition, but a display of talent. We have various makeup-artists, barbers, stylists, and fashion people. As entrepreneurs, these people making a living using their gift in their field. Displaying their talents in front of audience and their peers takes courage and boldness”, said Entrepreneur and Guest Host, Eric Lockhart.

Dallas fashion industry professionals will showcase their creativity when Lavish Lounge Cutz & Stylz hosts their 3rd Annual Showcase December 2nd Sunday evening, 5-10 p.m. at The Highland Dallas Hotel 5300 East Mockingbird Lane Dallas, TX 75206.

A list of Lavish Lounge Showcase 2018 participants. Photo Credit: Lavish Lounge Cutz & Stylz.

Attendees will see creative, unique, yet stylish pieces among showcasing participants. “It will include conventional makeup, body makeup, various haircuts/beards, various hair styles and fashion from boutiques to actual designers”, said Lockhart.

Before being selected for the showcase, participants must follow proper standards and procedures. “They have to own their own brand and display qualities in their work product & service”, said Lockhart.

The stylish salon set a professional theme for fashion industry business — “Excellence”. Attendees will also support regional business vendors, including hair, real estate, clothes, and makeup.

Frederick Johnson aka Sipp the Surgeon will be honored within the 3rd Annual Lavish Lounge Showcase event December 2nd. Photo Credit:@sippthesurgeon

The third year showcase will also honor fashion industry guests Bridgett LaDawn, Sipp The Surgeon, Meke Stephens, and Princess The CEO. “These individuals have exhibited excellence and longevity in these fields with influence, giving back and power”, said Lockhart.

All proceeds will go towards the non-profit organization, IMAGINE WELL, Inc. “We are the founders of IMAGINE WELL, a non-profit organization that works with kids and the adult entrepreneurial industry”, said Lockhart.

With great expectations, Lockhart looks forward to the high-end, energetic showcase. “A unified, high energy show with great host, comedian, food, networking, vendors, great time”, said Lockhart.

PrincesstheCEO will be honored within the 3rd Annual Lavish Lounge Showcase December 2nd. Photo Credit: PrincesstheCeo.

A wide range of individuals are welcome. “Dress to impress. Attendance of 500-600 people to come out with energy and enjoy a great show”, said Lockhart.

Make-up artists, stylists, models, hair stylists, barbers, or fashion industry professionals are welcomed from all areas including Texarkana.

Tickets can be purchased via Evenbrite.

For upcoming events or bookings visit Lavish Lounge.

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Email: Lavishlounge5@att.net 

Need Help With Your Resume?

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The Career Development office here on campus is truly an exciting educational office that educates and teaches students how to get a job. Not only after graduating from college, but through your whole work career. Career Development also teaches students how to conduct themselves around potential employers, professional development, and how to find jobs. So there are many benefits when getting help with your resume on campus. It is accessible to all students and the staff are always here for you. So are there any tips when it comes to creating your resume? Here’s what I found. “One size does not fit all,” Tina Boitnott, Director of Career Development said. “What I mean is that one resume is not good for every job you apply to. Every resume needs to be fine-tuned and tweaked so that it shows relevance to the job that you are applying for, and that’s the one thing that’s sometimes difficult to think about is I need to tweak this resume each and every time.” Similarly, when it comes to students who have little to no work experience there’s a way to work things into your resume. “You have skills that you gained co-curricular, or volunteer out in your community so there are skills set that you’re learning,” Boitnott said. “Maybe you have a leadership role in a fraternity or sorority or student organization, those are good skills that transfer into the workplace. So we just look at what you have done maybe volunteering and not actual pay work.”

In addition to this, anytime a student can show that they’re not only going to school but also work and are active on campus are things employers look at. “They want to be sure that you are well rounded and not just a 4.0 academia and that you’re an excellent student,” Boitnott said. “That’s definitely positive but they also want to know maybe you don’t have much of a GPA but that you are very involved.” Equally important is that a student should at least keep their GPA at a 3.0 since although some of the industries that you go into aren’t going to put as much weight on your GPA , it’s a nice average to have.

Finally, The Career Development are able to help students a lot when it comes to the various workshops offered here on campus. “We will have opportunities where we will invite employers to come in and network with you to teach you how to talk to and approach them, and then when we have the career fairs you’re ready,” Boitnott said. “We’re gonna have a career closet that’ll teach you how to put together a professional interview wardrobe so that when you go to that interview you’re dressed in a way companies and businesses would expect you.” The Career Development staff also goes into classrooms to work with students more one on one to try to create awareness on campus of who they are, and they’re truly remarkable staff. “The Career Development Office at A&M-Texarkana staff wants you to be successful, and the staff wants to help you be successful,” Tina Boitnott said. “We’re not scary, and we’re not intimidating and you don’t know what you don’t know. So why not come in a safe place, learn and get educated on how to do this in a place where people care about you.”

Wanna Study Abroad? Here Are Some Things You Need To Know.

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Jennifer Felps, Director of International Studies. Photo by Cambresha Knight.

Do you want to travel to other countries, try new foods, and embrace the culture you are living in? Get ready for A&M-Texarkana offers a lifetime opportunity. Our university offers a variety of short term and long term for students looking to study abroad. For short-term programs, these components range from one week to three weeks however, for the long-term program, A&M partners with some study-abroad providers, such as (CIEE), who offer programs where A&M students can enroll as a full-time student and take classes abroad for a full semester. If there is an internship option in the student degree plan, the university will allow the student to pursue an internship study abroad. Within the study abroad preparation, the university will ensure that the internship options prepared is directly related to the student’s career field. For example, a Mass Communication student may be engaged in local news stations, local radio stations, or some type of company marketing. History student may work in an art gallery or as a tourist guide in a museum. “It is very important for our students here at A&M-Texarkana to be ready for the global society that they are going to enter, and we offer such opportunities here on campus,” says Jennifer Felps Director of International Studies. Ms. Felps also went on to say that “We have international faculty, international students, we celebrate international education week but for a student to actually receive academic credit and go abroad and experience that culture it can open their world.”

So what are the requirements to meet before studying abroad? What should a student do if they are interested in the campus study abroad program? “The program has to count towards a student’s degree plan and the student must have at least a 2.5 GPA,” Jennifer Felps said. Ms Felps continued by saying that “If a student is interested in going abroad, they should stop by the International Studies office. We can begin the process discussing what their major is, what their favorite location might be for them to study abroad, and then how we can find a program that would fit into their degree plan.”

International students from the Education University of Hong Kong. Photo by Jennifer Felps.

Felps also had a fun experience meeting international students from Hong Kong two summers ago at A&M-Texarkana. “We had a group of doctoral and master students come from the Education University of Hong Kong to A&M-Texarkana,” Felps smiled showing the photo that was taken that day. “This is a picture of our Hong Kong students at State Line. We did a cultural excursion with the students and also held an education workshop that was put on by our educational faculty here at A&M-Texarkana. All of these students were pursuing masters and doctorates in education and so they were able to come to A&M-Texarkana for a short-term program straight from Hong Kong. They visited UT Tyler and then our university to learn more about the educational aspect that we pursue here at A&M-Texarkana.”

So take a little courage, prepare yourself and go out there. “If you are fearsome or worried, come talk to me. I’ll put your mind at ease about things but just understand that you do not need to be scared to experience a new culture, the best way to break the walls around you is to be confident in the life you are trying to pursue” as Felps would say. Thank you for reading. Stay safe and have fun.

Batted Eyelashes in Dallas

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iLash Magic held their eyelash workshop November 17th 8:00-1:00pm. Photo Credit: iLashMagic

Eyelash specialist and iLashMagic owner, Tiffany Brown (no relation to this writer) held an eyelash workshop Saturday morning, November 17th in Dallas, Texas. Attendees of all levels  learned lashing techniques 8:00am-1:00pm.

“The workshop event is a lash extensions certification workshop. I included a kit, manual, certificate of completion, and a mannequin to practice with”, said Brown.

For the past two years, she has specialized in eyelashes and have taught more than one course in Dallas, Texas. “This is not my first lash workshop. I’ve been lashing for almost two years. Proudly can say I walked away from corporate 9 months ago”, said Brown.

With a leap of faith and great ambition, the iLashMagic owner created her own brand within the fast-growing makeup trending business. “I came up with the workshop because, as the lash industry is growing there is a need for lash extension education”, said Brown.

The eyelash course included proper eyelash applications, a little history behind lashes, and business techniques. “The students learned the introduction to the history of lashes, how to apply and remove lashes as well as proper sanitation, and marketing”, said Brown.

iLashMagic graphic art. Photo Credit: iLashMagic.

Makeup experiences were not required, however certain requirements were met before registry. “They must be 18-years of age and did not have to be experienced or have a certificate to attend the class. The class was for education purposes only”, said Brown.

For the next upcoming eyelash course or bookings visit, www.ilashmagic.net or call 214-702-8377. You can also follow iLash social media below:

iLash Magic Facebook

iLash Magic Instagram

Email: tiffany@ilashmagic.net