Families Enjoy Warm Pumpkin Patch Scenes

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Caleb Landall takes a family photo of his wife, Tiffany, and their children Jocelyn (4), Lylah (2), Tucker (3 1/2 months). Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

Williams Memorial United Methodist held their annual pumpkin patch Saturday afternoon 10/27/18. Families enjoyed the pumpkin scenery with selfies and the warm weather with their children.

According to Russell Martin, Director of Student Ministries, the church has hosted the Texarkana event for years. “The pumpkin patch has been here as long as I’ve been here and I think the last calculation is about 15 or 16 years”, said Martin.

18-month-old, Lana Navarrette poses in a pumpkin setting during Williams Memorial United Methodist’s pumpkin patch. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

The annual event opened October 8th. Family festivities included fun games, and trick or treats for the kids. “We did have a a host last week for our Pumpkin Palooza event, which is games, carnival, trunk or treat, and those types of things. Every year we try to do a movie night, but it got rained out”, said Martin.

Justin Sherman takes a family pumpkin patch of his wife, Nicole Sherman and two-year-old daughter, Harper Sherman Saturday afternoon at Williams Memorial United Methodist Church. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

Latrice Walker takes a photo of her 12-year-old, Iya Hanson during Williams Memorial United Methodist’s pumpkin patch. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

Families brought their children for selfies during available hours. “Typical hours during the week are 11:30 am until dark, which is about 6:30 pm or so. Tomorrow will be 11:30 am until dark as well”, said Martin.

Williams Memorial United Methodist’s pumpkin patch was free and open to the public 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 4000 Moores Ln Texarkana, Texas.

For more upcoming family events, please visit their website, or connect on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Sportsplex Brings Willy Wonka to Nash

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Amber Harris announces the Golden Ticket Bingo game alert throughout Healthcare’s Sportsplex hall during Wonka Fest Saturday afternoon.

The Sportsplex by Healthcare Express hosted their Wonka Fest  Saturday morning October 27th. The local gym kicked off the pre-Halloween family event and fundraiser for Nash Elementary School with a costume contest 10 a.m. and hosted family fun events until  closing time at 2. The contest competition included age categories 0-3 years old and 4-12 years old.

“This is our gym and community center, so this is our Halloween Wonka Fest we are doing today in partnership with Nash Elementary School as their fundraiser for their program”, said Healthcare Express’ Chief Marketing Officer, Angela Evans.

Suki Oneal straightens arranges the ultimate Wonka bar during Wonka Fest at Healthcare’s Sportsplex.

The local gym raised donations through a family classic theme, “Willy Wonka”. “We just decided that it would be cool to have kids excited about finding golden tickets, so we hid for the whole month of October. We hid golden tickets at random stores and different places all around town for the excitement to get them to come here for the fundraiser”, said Evans.

The golden tickets were not found in chocolate bars, but throughout various games. “They were just randomly around town when they find the tickets, but you can purchase golden tickets when they’re playing Bingo. It gives you a Bingo card to where you’re able for a give-a-way for a Ninetendo Switch and we’re giving away a cabin trip, designer bag purses, and some bikes”, said Evans.

7-year-old, Kailyn Hall plays toss a soda game during the Wonka Fest Saturday afternoon 10/27.

Besides the golden ticket bingo game, free games, a photo booth, a sweet shop, and concessions were  included in the Wonka Fest. According to Evans, all donations will go towards Nash Elementary. “Our goal is to raise $3,000.00 toward the school and they can use it however they need to”, said Evans.

Ho, Ho, Ho – Look Through my Window!

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2017 Window Wonderland Winner, compliments of www.mainstreettexarkana.org

Looking to get a jump-start on Texarkana Christmas festivities? Well, look no further! One of the more fun and creative events downtown is the Window Wonderland Contest, a chance for merchants to showcase artistic talent with the best Christmas design for shoppers and strollers.

Contestants started installing displays as early as November 1st, so stop by with the kids downtown on your Christmas lights tour. Let the kids help you decide which windows give you that warm, cozy feeling.

Contestants’ window designs need not mimic the theme, “My Favorite Christmas Memory”, as long as they fall within event guidelines, such as filling the entire window space, not using fresh flowers or inflatables, maintaining professionalism, and so on.

2017 Window Display, compliments of Jennifer Keathly at TXK Today

You can find more contest rules here.  Ten windows remain available to business owner participants. This year’s prizes are worth a shot, with Best In Snow (overall best piece) receiving $750, Window Wonderland (best window design) earning $250, Holiday Fame (the crowd favorite) winning a gift basket, and Deck the Door (best door design) receiving a variety of downtown gifts from locals. But the event is really less about the prizes or the glory than about bringing families together to celebrate a season near and dear to many.

2017 Window Wonderland Contesting Window, compliments of Texarkana Gazette staff

The chance to register began on November 1st of 2018 and will continue until November 15th, when all displays must be up, or until all no more window units remain available. Judges will be able to see a display between November 15 and December 2, and will announce the winners at this year’s Christmas Parade in downtown Texarkana on the 3rd. To register, submit this application to txkdna@yahoo.com or, visit Main Street Texarkana to register online. Don’t miss out!

 

Texarkana Takes Pen 2 Paper

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Attendees receive a wrist-band moments before the 7 p.m. Pen 2 Paper strategist conference at the Texarkana Convention Center. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

Business strategist Bridgette Moody strategized, organized, and maximized the visions of Texarkana conference attendees during her Pen 2 Paper celebration 7 p.m. Friday night November 2. Ambitious entrepreneurs, ministry leaders, and business vendors made connections, ate great food, enjoyed live music, and grabbed their pens and paper for Moody’s instructions at the Texarkana Convention Center.

Pen 2 Paper display graphic design during conference. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

“Tonight’s event is about vision celebration. It celebrates the vision people who had a vision and walked that path. Some people wrote books, began and completed new projects. We want to celebrate those who had the tenacity and hung in there. Not only that, celebrating those advocates the country who have gotten Pen 2 Paper”, said Moody.

Before hosting Pen 2 Paper over the country, Moody began with herself and others around her. “This conference started as a result of working with ministries and finding out that people really didn’t have a clear vision, understanding their purpose. As a result of my own experience in trying to figure out the next level of my life, I began writing those things out, because there’s more in our hearts than we can see on paper”, said Moody.

Attendees shop around business vendors moment before Pen 2 Paper strategy conference Friday night. Photo Credit Tiffany Brown

In order to have a clear vision, an individual must grab the necessary tools: pen and paper. “Learn to write. Jot before you journal”, said Moody. Your vision should also be clear and detailed oriented. “Know what your vision is. It’s hard to put steps together, if you don’t know what it is. Be clear. Do you know what it is? Are you just doing something that someone else is doing? Do you have a heart for it? Without a heart or a passion, 9 out of 10 ten times, you’re ready to quit if you’re not making money. When it’s your purpose, you persevere the ups and downs, but you will keep going if that’s what you’re called to do.”

According to Moody, you do not have to be a skilled professional writer. “Everybody is not a writer. Write every thought down. If you can write every thought down, it helps you put those things together. You get everything out on the table like putting a puzzle together. You put your edges, colors, and like images until you the full picture”, said Moody.

Although business owners and ministry leaders attended the event, an individual did not need those titles to have a successful, clear vision for themselves. “It’s not just for business owners or ministry leaders, but individuals to find themselves in their life and figure out where they’re supposed to be. It helps them to not just exist, but to live”, said Moody.

Business strategist, Bridgette Moody welcomes attendees during Pen 2 Paper conference. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

Before vision boards became a successful trend, celebrities such as Harvey, Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey, Will Smith, and Arnold Schwarzennegger accomplished their written goals using this one method. “You should always keep the vision before you. Once we put it on paper, it magnify the dream, goal, and vision”, said Moody.

“Keep in mind success is not a quick process. The vision is not something that you write it today and it happens tomorrow. It’s over a period of time. You have to establish goals in the process of moving toward the vision. The vision is an expected end. Once it happens, that’s the end result”, said Moody.

Online Combat Rebooted

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Are you a fan of traditional first-person shooter video games, zombie puzzle games, or battle royale style matches? If so, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 delivers on all fronts.

Developed by Activision and released on October 12, 2018, COD: Black Ops 4 is shattering sales records across download platforms and viewership numbers on streaming services.

World-wide sales topped $500 million according to GFK Chart Track data.  Following its October 12th launch, Black Ops 4 established a new one-day record for PlayStation digital game sales, and  became the best-selling Activision Xbox One digital game in a 24-hour period.

“Black Ops 4 is an incredible game, and the community’s response to it has been amazing. We have shattered multiple digital day one sales records, and the number of people who connected online on day one to play has grown year on year,” said Rob Kostich, EVP and GM of COD in a press release. “But probably the most important thing is that the community is having so much fun across Multiplayer, Zombies and Blackout. We are so incredibly thankful for the community’s trust and support. This is just the beginning, it’s going to be an incredible journey with Black Ops 4.”

COD: Black Ops 4 has garnered extraordinary viewership on the video game streaming site Twitch.  According to analytics provided by the Esports Observer, one of the world’s top sources for Esports business news and insights, Black Ops 4 has taken over viewership on Twitch since its release. From October 11 to 17, the game has amassed a total of 29.66 million hours watched on Twitch, the highest level of viewership through a launch weekend in Twitch’s franchise history.

Courtesy of Desert.com

So, what exactly is special about COD: Black Ops 4? A brief step back in gaming history will shed some light.

The battle royale style game mode has gained in popularity over the last couple of years with games like Player Unknown’s Battleground and Fortnite. In a nutshell, 100 players are dropped from the sky with no weapons or gear. They must scrounge around in search of “loot,” items like guns, ammo, body armor, helmets, scopes, and grenades. The playing field or “map” is large, taking up the virtual equivalent of two square miles.

After a short time, a random circular section of the map is revealed, then an all-encompassing larger sphere of electric death closes in around. This squeezing of space continues until one player remains.

By incorporating well known COD fixtures from the past, Black Ops 4 has innovated the battle royale style game. Player enhancements or “peaks” can be found randomly around the map that can have one of several effects such as improved hearing, complete silence while moving, enemy awareness, or longer held breath while sniping. Several gadgets unique to COD can be found as well such as trip mines, portable sonic walls, sensor darts, grenade deactivators, grappling pistols, and an assortment of grenades.

Will Black Ops have the longevity of its predecessors? Can it maintain Twitch viewership with the onslaught of holiday game releases? Has the battle royale genre reached its zenith of popularity? These questions can only be answered in time, but for now COD has set new watershed marks for the next iteration of battle royale to strive for.

Stay in Bed, Stay in School

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The average American public high school student starts school between seven-thirty and eight in the morning, which means the student wakes up around six to six-thirty. After a seven hour school day students have jobs, clubs, sports, homework, and other extracurricular activities to attend to. High school students are missing out on the sleep they need because of  late nights and early mornings. Students who participate in extracurricular activities, obtain jobs, or are overloaded with homework have a higher risk of health problems due to the amount of sleep they are losing.

In order to produce higher academic success and a more healthy educational environment, high schools should start later in the morning to let students be more alert and prepared. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later to allow students the opportunity to get the recommended amount of sleep on school nights, about 8.5-9.5 hours.

Photo credits to depositphotos.com

Getting enough sleep is essential for people of all ages, but especially for high school students. The majority of schools — about 82 percent, on average — started earlier than 8:30 a.m. High school students are busy with hours of school, jobs, sports, homework, clubs, and other extracurricular activities. If school starts at seven-thirty a.m., most students are out the door between seven and seven-ten to get to school on time in all the traffic.

I would try to leave for school before seven-ten and would still be late even though I lived less than ten minutes away. Having to leave around seven means students have to wake up anywhere from six to six-thirty depending on how long it takes them to get ready. Students have to wake up even earlier if they want to make and eat a nutritious breakfast. When school starts early students are likely to skip out on breakfast.

Some early risers wake up extra early and can take time to get ready and to make and eat a nutritious breakfast. Another solution to not getting a nutritious breakfast is preparing it the night before or grabbing something right before walking out the door and eating on the way to school. There are also school breakfast programs that provide breakfast for students in the morning.

Sending sleep-deprived students to school is not productive. For many people, days just don’t seem long enough. In order to cram everything into one 24-hour period, something has to give. Judging by many surveys of Americans, it’s sleep. If students could sleep in they would be more alert during school. Later high school start times means students have the freedom to get up at a decent time and not have to rush to get ready or eat breakfast.

With jobs, homework and extracurricular activities, high school students stay up late at night to try to get all their stuff done before they go to sleep. For example, a student with a job goes straight to work after school and works a five-hour shift, but still has to eat dinner and finish all their homework before falling asleep. Having a later start time for high school means that those students who stay up late get to catch up on their sleep.

On the other hand, not every student has a job or does sports outside of school. There are some students that strictly go to school and go straight home and have plenty of time for homework. Even though the recommended amount of sleep is anywhere from seven to eight hours, some students can function properly and pay attention with less than the recommended amount because it works for their body. When people wake up without the recommended amount of sleep or wake up too early are not fully awake. Sleepy students don’t learn or perform as well as their well-rested peers. Students who do not get enough sleep have a hard time paying attention and staying awake in class. Those students that might drift off with a quick nap on their desk are usually considered lazy, but their teachers and peers do not know how busy they are at home after school.

Photo credits to depositphotos.com

If schools started later and high school students had a chance to get the correct amount of sleep then there would be fewer students falling asleep in class. During adolescence, the body goes through many changes. These include a shift in sleep needs. When students are not falling asleep in classes they pay more attention and their grades can improve. For some students, their classes are too important to fall asleep in the middle of class and miss crucial information. Those students that are in dual credit (DC) and advanced placement (AP) classes cannot afford to miss any information if they want to get the college credit hours during high school.

Pushing back the start time of school means that the end time would also have to be pushed back. This could interfere with jobs or after school activities and give students less time in the afternoon and night to get all their stuff done before falling asleep. Some high schoolers also have the responsibility of picking up a younger sibling or family member from their middle school or elementary school. If schools push back the start time of high school there is a good chance that high school would start at the same exact time as the elementary school or middle school, causing problems for drop off and pick up times. Another outside influence is parent and student schedule conflicts. Having school start early makes it easier for parents to drop off their kids at school and make it to work on time. Even though school starting early makes it easier on the parent, the school bus system, public transportation, personal cars, and carpooling can help students get to school on their own without a parent’s help.

Starting school too early forces teens to lose a large chunk of what’s known as REM — or rapid eye movement — sleep. This type of sleep helps teens (and everyone else) control their moods. But that’s not the only problem. Too little sleep also has been linked with an increased risk of obesity, depression, drug use and other problems.

Students are not getting enough sleep due to high school starting too early. Too little sleep has become so common among teens that the CDC calls it an epidemic, a widespread public-health problem. Students overloaded with homework, sports, clubs and other extracurricular are missing out on sleep. There are many benefits from pushing back the start time of high school including, catching up on sleep, paying more attention in class and health benefits.

Don’t Be Scared: Halloween 2018 Isn’t Bad

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Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

After so many years of sequels and remakes, David Gordon Green has wiped away the slate and delivered the best Halloween film since the original.

Since 1978, John Carpenter has set the standard for slasher films. Halloween spawned numerous imitators, made a household name of Jamie Lee Curtis, created an icon of cinema, and began a franchise that, while containing a few standout films enjoyable in themselves, never recaptured the same magic of the first film.

While that’s still debatably true, there’s no denying that the latest attempt, which sets itself up as the true sequel to the first film by ignoring everything but the original, is not only a great follow-up story, but also a thoroughly entertaining horror film in its own right.

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

It’s been 40 years since that Halloween night where famous masked killer Michael Myers menaced the streets of Haddonfield, Illinois, and Laurie Strode, the sole survivor of Michael’s rampage, has never forgotten it. Living in constant fear that Michael may, once again, escape captivity, Laurie has remained in isolation from the world, including her own family, to prepare for the worst. Her fears are soon realized when Michael, having remained silent and inactive all this time, breaks free and returns to Haddonfield to continue where he left off. With her family to protect, Laurie must engage Michael head-on in hopes of finally ending the nightmare she has lived through for so long.

Green’s direction is worth commending. Certain shots and scenes are definitely owed to Carpenter, but Green’s method of bringing the film to life is his own, as it doesn’t feel as though he’s trying to imitate Carpenter. Long takes and wide-angle shots recall the original, but there’s a modern sensibility that helps the film stand apart. For instance, one scene  feels like it would have been staged by Carpenter, but its execution feels new and eerie. If you’ve seen the  trailers you’d know I’m referring to the tracking shot of Michael as he goes from the streets to someone’s garage to someone’s house to steal a knife and kill the person inside. It’s all done in one, continuous take as it follows Michael, and it’s a stunning moment.

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

The acting from most of the cast was excellent, with Jamie Lee Curtis giving the best performance. You feel how the trauma of that event has affected her character solely through her body language and line delivery. She’s reclusive, withdrawn, paranoid, and depressive, having occasional crying fits in public. It’s uncommon for slasher films to focus on how the life of a victim, or “survivor girl,” was impacted by their encounter, and, thankfully, Curtis was able to impeccably realize this rare opportunity by giving one of the best performances I’ve seen from her in some time. Other notable performances include Judy Greer as Laurie’s estranged daughter, Karen, who feels as though her mother ruined her childhood, Will Patton as the town’s deputy, and Jibrail Nantambu, an unknown child actor who easily stole the show whenever he was onscreen as a funny little kid babysat by one of Laurie’s granddaughter’s friends.

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

Then there’s the core question posed about the film: is Michael Myers, a character that most people are familiar with and has been used to, scary? Yes, he is. Not another film in this series, apart from the second, has been able to make Michael as fearsome or alarming as he was in the beginning. Fortunately, that’s been rectified with this film. Michael is as brutal and unpredictable as he’s ever been, going after characters you wouldn’t expect him to target, setting up gruesome, macabre decorations for people to find, and stalking the night without anyone being aware of his presence until it’s too late. The tension when he’s on the screen is palpable, and even if you don’t see how some characters meet their demise, the aftermath paints an even more horrifying image in the viewer’s heads.

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

Part of the advantage with Michael in this movie is the fact that the creators focused on what made him threatening to begin with. He’s still human and, feasibly, able to be hurt and stopped, unlike in some of the sequels where he felt like a copy of Jason Voorhees. In the first film, an almost supernatural quality showed about how ghostly and determined he was. It fools the audience in believing that he is this unstoppable force or, as Samuel Loomis put it, purely and simply evil.

While nothing ruined my satisfaction with the film, a few negatives are worth addressing. For starters, the film does fall into the usual horror tropes that we’ve come to know for years, especially for the slasher subgenre. Characters, no matter how appealing or likable, make illogical decisions only to further the plot or build tension, teens partake in scandalous activity only to be viciously murdered, predictable jump scares are present (thankfully, minimally), and so on. Another point against the film is the pacing. For long stretches the film trails on and on, specifically in some moments of comic relief that stops the film in its tracks, and takes away from time that could have been dedicated to other, more important, characters. Finally, a certain plot twist near the end of the film, while interesting in concept, feels too last minute and confusing. I won’t go into further details than that to spare everyone from spoilers, but know that there is a twist and it is a touch perplexing to say the least. Once again, if the film took a little more time from moments of comedy, that twist could have been stronger and easier to grasp.

David Gordon Green’s Halloween is a welcome return for Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, and judging by how well the film has been doing at the box office, Blumhouse Productions may be opting for a continuation. If they iron out some of the issues here while maintaining what worked well here, I think we’ll all be in for a treat in Halloweens to come.

8/10

The film is now playing in cinemas.

Students Crossed Paths with Local Businesses

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Students network with local Texarkana employers during Crossing Paths connection event. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

TAMUT students networked with local employers through the Career Development Center networking event, Cross Paths. Employees guided and made connections with student attendees on the University Center’s third floor Thursday afternoon, November 1.

“Today we have a networking event. This is for our students to mix with employers, meet them, ask them questions about their career fields or just about their profession in general. Our theme this year is, ‘The World Awaits You’ to promote travel”, said Coordinator of Career Development, Samantha Armstrong.

Coordinator of Career Development, Samantha Armstrong describes the Crossing Path networking event a few minutes before it begins. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

“When we talked to the students, they always say it’s not what you know, it’s who you know in the career professional world. This allows students to create the professional connections with employers to talk with them a little bit about their professional journey and get some advice”, said Armstrong.

Local employers such as State Farm, Arkansas Dept of Human Services, and Encompass Health, connected various majors, classifications, and goals within their career aspirations.

Arkansas Dept. of Human Service representative, Martin Vernon connects with a student during the Cross Paths event. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

“We pretty much have opportunities that you are looking for from facilities, maintenance all the way to lawyers, so we like to provide information, a positive life, and other opportunities to the students”, said Martin Vernon of Arkansas Department of Human Resources.

“We are looking to get to know the A&M students that are in the business world for the next few years. Let them practice their interview skills, and hopefully someone who could join our team, whenever they’re ready. For the most part we sell and service insurance”, said Mckenzie Skinner of Kelly Ashbrook State Farm.

Students connect with various organizations, such as State Farm, Encompass Health, and Arkansas Dept. of Human Service. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

Other local employers networked with different student attendees. “We have the Dept. of Human Resources, DPS Officers, crime labs, published author John Bunch who works here at A&M-Texarkana. He is a published photographer on the cover for People magazine. We have a big array of people on our Facebook and we sent it out in e-mails as well”, said Armstrong.

The employers described their expectations and qualifications with the students. “Someone who’s committed to helping customers. A self-starter that cares and will spend the time in getting to know and getting the right products to their customers”, said Skinner.

“Because we are Human Services-based, we’re looking for someone more personable, don’t mind working with people, have a good heart, and different things of that nature”, said Vernon.

“We look for enthusiasm and compassion. If you have the time and you want the hours, we are here. Volunteers work in the office with me, answering the phones. If you’re in the medical field, how do you feel about working with patients? We work with patients and their information is confidentiality. We work with a various of people. We want to know can you give that and do you care? Are you able to give to others? “, said Tonya Pace of Encompass Health.

The students also shared their goal aspirations regarding the campus networking event.
“I want to go to med-school and become a cardiologists”, said biology major, Neha Amberkr.

The biology major wants to attend a medical school in Ohio and connect with local Texarkana health-care professions.

“I’m looking forward to talking with the medical people around here and seeing if they have a part-time job or volunteering opportunities I can do. I have a background in EKG technician and have been certified. I was trying to find something around that”, said Amberkr.

Junior and Criminal Justice major, Mason Ladd checks out the Arkansas Dept. of Human Resources’ table. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

“I want to network with other employers and to check out the vibe”, said criminal justice major, Mason Ladd.

Interesting in criminal justice and health, criminal justice major describes his qualifications during the Cross Paths networking event.

“What I add to the table is hard work. Pretty good IQ and the willingness to learn”, said Ladd.

“I want to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics to teach at a high school, but around that time I want to pursue a masters and eventually a PhD, so I will be able to teach at a university”, said Mathematics major, Cashaun Harris.

The future Trigonometry or Calculus student also described his qualifications regarding teaching Mathematics.

“I feel like when it comes to Mathematics, it’s taught in a different way that it should be. That’s the problem I see alot of kids trying to understand”, said Harris.

2016 TAMUT Alumni, Life Share Blood Center’s Account Manager, Kyndra Davis and Jake Hamilton State Farm Insurance Self-Agent Percy Davis connects with Mathematics Junior major, Cashaun Harris. Photo Credit: Tiffany Brown

Alumni graduates, Life Share Blood Center’s Account Manager, Kyndra Davis and Jake Hamilton State Farm Insurance Self-Agent Percy Davis connected with student, yet gave them valuable advice.

“I would suggest to start looking now. It’s okay to apply for jobs and say you are graduating this date. My brother actually did that and he got a job within his degree field. Be confident in yourself, because people like confidence. They put their trust in people that know what they’re talking about”, said Kyndra Davis, a recent A&M graduate.

“Never give up, keep being active, staying in the community, doing different things, because you never know who you may meet. Always keep it professional, because you maybe holding the door for someone that maybe a CEO and stay hungry. Don’t let rejection discourage you. You are probably going to get rejection, while applying for jobs. That made meant the job was not for me. Keep your resume tight and updated. Don’t give up”, said Percy Davis, a Mass Communication alumnus.

“They can take away some connections. People to talk to about their career field. Somebody to give them professional advice. They can take away inner personal skills and talking with the employers that you will need as a professional”, said Armstrong.

Bravo’s Top Chef, Carla Hall Leads TAMUT With Love

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Photo Credit, Tiffany Brown. Members of the National Society of Leadership and Success sign in before famous Top Chef, Carla Hall’s “Leading With Love” live-stream in Eagle Hall 6 p.m. Tuesday night.

Bravo’s Top Chef, Carla Hall leads the National Society Leadership and Success (NSLS) organization with love through a live-stream leadership conference yesterday evening October 23 at 6 p.m. in Eagle Hall.  Hall’s tough, tedious experiences taught the united NSLS members the importance of following their passions, learning from failures and resilience, and leading with values and integrity within Eagle Hall’s conference room 6pm Tuesday night, October 23rd.

“If you feel frustration about something that happens to you, that frustration is about the teacher coming to you to teach you that thing. When all of those things happened to me at The Chew, it wasn’t about them, it was about getting me frustrated enough, so I could move from that”, said Hall.

Photo Credit, Tiffany Brown. National Society of Leadership and Success’ Founding President Philip Deuroen takes notes during famous chef Carla Hall’s live-stream.

The students took notes regarding accountability and self-diagnosis. “All this blame and not taking responsibility, you can play that game, but you’re going to delay your gifts and delay your lessons. If you are frustrated, then that’s your lesson. If you’re indifferent about what’s happening with someone else, you can just look and support them, while they’re going through it, but it’s not your lesson, it’s their lesson”, said Hall.
Upon learning Hall’s method of leadership, attending member Matthew Edwards and staff member Phillip Barnes discussed their definition of a leader. “To be a leader, be willing to listen to other ideas and not force your own ideas, be cooperative. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself, said Edwards. “Communication and empathy. It’s one of the coessential roles a leader should have. It shouldn’t be just working with different people of all shapes and sizes, you should understand where people are from. At one point, you will be always that’s under someone person and a leader. It takes a person that has round-about thinking pairing to understand everyone and working together to similar goal. Empathy is the goal”, said Barnes.

Photo Credit, Tiffany Brown. A Carla Hall poster lies on the National Society of Leadership and Success’s sign-in table.

The famous chef coincided her personal experiences with Barnes’ statement. “When I hired people at the restaurant, I wanted to teach young people work ethic, which is why I hired older people. I want this older woman to yank this kid up and be like look dude okay. Sometimes, it’s leading by example. Other people just don’t see it. You can not be a lesser than you. Nobody wants a lesser than you. Nobody wants an earnest, overly-righteous, pointing the finger, because what you don’t realize is by doing what you do other people are watching. They will flow with you or leave you”, said Hall.

Photo Credit, Tiffany Brown. Members of the National Society of Leadership and Success communicate briefly before Carla Hall’s live-stream leadership conference.

She also described the importance of teamwork during her hard-core, Top Chef competitive days. “When you’re in a competition, and it seems cut-throat and everybody’s trying to win, for me it was about doing me, and being true to myself and others, and helping others. If I am running away to get er done and I see somebody fall, I’m going to go back and get that person, because you don’t win by yourself. Top Chef was that thing, it was hard and it was a little bit of bullying. I learned you just have to say no.”

Photo Credit, Tiffany Brown. Founding NSLS chapter President Philip Deureon speaks positive messages toward the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Founding NSLS chapter President Philip Derouen and Phillip Barnes believe Hall’s advice will equip the organization to become future better leaders in their organizations. “She will give our members a live-stream about leadership, women’s foundation, and teach our members leadership and how they can use that in the real world”, said Founding President, Philip Derouen. “It will be another series of various speakers that exemplifies leadership and will intern inspire the ones in the room to grow and build upon those aforementioned leadership traits they carry”, said Phillip Barnes.

Besides being active, having boundaries, and achieving your goals, Deroeun states a necessity every leader should have. “For me your mindset effects everything, so if you have a positive mindset, you can accomplish anything that you want. That’s what I want to give all my members apart of this society.

During the live-streamed, Q/A session, Hall touched similar topics regarding the right attitude. “God goes before me making smooth, easy and clears my way. No person, place or thing or outside condition can affect me. I am powerful, worthy, free, creative, unique, confident, and so it is. I say that every morning”, said Hall.

King James Comes to L.A.

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It’s a great time of the year to be a sports fan. From mid to late October is the only time of the year when all the major sports cross over at the same time for the sports “equinox”. The NFL season is well under way and the MLB World Series starts in just a few days. While the NFL and MLB are in key points of the season, the biggest sports story right now belongs in the NBA, where the season is not even one week underway and LeBron James is making his debut in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. The 16-year veteran, still in the prime of his career, has spent the last 15 years playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. The sports world went into mayhem in July when James, who many consider the best basketball player ever, signed with arguably the best organization in league history.

After a long off season of anticipation building up, James made his debut for the Lakers Thursday, in a road game against the Portland Trailblazers. Despite the Lakers’ loss, there is plenty of optimism for the rest of the season. The team had many highlights that brought an energy to the team that fans had not seen in years.

Saturday night, James played his home debut in front of Laker fans. The jam-packed Staples Center was full of liveliness as fans awaited James to take the court for the first time as a Laker. “Lakers fans, the wait is over,” said rapper and actor Ice Cube in a pre-game video played on the big screen. After announcing James for official introductions of starting lineups, the in-arena announcer was drowned out by the roar of the fans. The game ended in another loss for the Lakers, bringing them to 0-2 to start the season. But, like the first game, there were plenty of highlights exciting the fans. The game included moments of Hollywood drama with an on-court fight between the two teams. Ultimately, the homecoming for James did not end as the Lakers would have liked.

Adding James, the Lakers are looking to finish the season with a winning record and make the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Lakers have no clear-cut second-best player to compliment James. Insiders are curious to see if the Lakers will make a move at the trade deadline to acquire another star. Others are hoping one of the young players on the team will break through and become a reliable second option. Even the Lakers acquire a “sidekick” to James, they will still have a difficult season playing in a stacked Western Conference. This is James first time playing in the west. Plenty of people are skeptical of the Lakers making a run in the playoffs. If so, it would be the first time in 8 years James would not be playing in the finals.

After five straight losing season there is life in the Staples Arena again. The Lakers may not be a top team this season. But, this season, fans are more excited than they have been in years. With Lebron James coming to Los Angeles, one thing is certain, it is now a new era of the Showtime Lakers.