Thanks, and Gig 'Em.

Howdy,

With finals season upon us, I'm sure that you all, as professors, are completely inundated with frantic emails from students. This is not one of those emails. If you want to completely disregard this or save this for later or something, I'd encourage you to do so.

I'm a graduating senior. I planned my schedule such that I have no finals this semester. I'm officially done with college. You're receiving this e-mail because you're one of the professors that has significantly shaped my college experience. Maybe some of you remember me, but it's likely that most of you don't, and that's totally fine. I'm just an observer and a learner. College for me, as it is for most college-goers, was a catalyst of an experience. One that was filled with trials and victories that are unique to me, and that ultimately I now consider pure joy as I reflect upon them.

After the first semester of my freshman year, I was pretty positive that I probably wouldn't make it to sophomore year. Freshman year was hard. I barely scraped by above the line of academic probation. Funny, the earliest I sat in class with any of you receiving this email was my sophomore year. 

Those of you that I had sophomore year (Doc Shock and Dr G.) were instrumental in helping me realize my greatest passions in life. 

Dr. Shockley, you gave me a passion for thought and reinforced an existing passion in my life for Jesus Christ. Getting to hear your stories about talking a guy down from shooting you and exploring Buddhist Temples at unheard of hours in downtown Dallas encouraged me to seize life, and experience it to its fullest. The following summer, I did an internship at an orphanage in Guatemala. I got fleas, I explored a graveyard of open and robbed tombs, and had countless tickle fights with thirty-plus Guatemalan princesses. They stole my heart, and I don't know if I even want it back. Thanks Dr. Shockley.

Dr. Greenwald, I was blessed and privileged to have you for your last ever INTS 201 class. At the time, those daily writing assignments that you gave us were the bane of my existence. They ended up opening my mind up to the idea of writing stories frequently and led me to pursue a journalism minor. You pulled me aside once and encouraged me to really pursue writing, and I did that. I now get paid (though not much) to write. I'd do it for free, so getting paid is quite the victory. As an INTS professor, you affirmed my unexplainable thirst for the world around me, for people, and for adventure. Thanks Dr. Greenwald. 

My junior year was tasked with a challenge more unique than almost any other student I've ever met. While faced with this challenge, I shared my days with Martha, Dr. Scarborough, Professor Rice, and Dr Walraven.

Ms. Martha Muckleroy. I was in your canoeing class the first semester of my junior year. I was fresh off of the adventure from Guatemala, and newly dating the man that I will be marrying in 66 days. My head was in the clouds and I wasn't ready to come down. I came down soon after I met a student in your canoeing class in my carpool. You encouraged us to really get to know the people around us. I love people. A lot. I'm an only child, people were a new "thing" to me in college. I often need a nudge to be reminded how cool the people around me are. Thanks for reminding me of that and pushing me beyond my comfort zone. That student that I met in you class ended up having brain cancer, and I became her primary caretaker. She began living in my house. She would sleep in my bed most weekends following chemo treatments in Houston (which I drove her to). She came home with me to meet my family. She moved in with a couple from my church, and later medically withdrew from the university before finals spring semester in order to prepare for brain surgery. When she got home, word got out that she had been lying. The brain cancer was made up. The "chemo treatments" that I took her to were just leisurely walks she would take around MD Anderson, her "absentee parents" were a lie, the survivor lap that she walked at Relay for Life actually happened, but it was a lie. It was all a lie. Although this situation is seemingly soiled with betrayal, deceit, and hurt, too much good has come out of it for it to be a bitter experience. Keep encouraging your students to invest in one another. Thanks Martha.

Dr. Scarborough. I hate math more than I hate most things. I hate it probably more than I hate papaya but less than I hate injustice. I was so afraid walking into your MATH 167 class in the spring of my Junior year. I made an A in your class, and still marvel at The Lord's grace in providing that for me. The day that I took your final, I found out that the aforementioned girl that I was taking care of with brain cancer was lying. You were a great professor who invested in me, never let me feel like my questions were too stupid, and always welcomed me in your office hours with a basket full of candy. Don't stop doing that candy thing. More importantly, don't stop doing that fantastic, clear, and approachable professor thing. Thanks Dr Scarborough.

Professor Rice. I had you my entire Junior year. If I had thought that Dr. Greenwald's daily writing assignments were the bane of my existence, I was incredibly mistaken. Compared to the five weekly blog posts asked of me in JOUR 215 and daily stories asked of me in JOUR 203, "daily writing assignments" were a walk in the park. You taught me to dig deeper. You helped me to realize my potential as a writer and prospective journalist. I get paid to tweet, Facebook, and blog right now. So that's pretty cool. This past year, you encouraged me to make time for my family in a time that was so difficult with my dad's brain surgery. While seemingly ruthless in the newsroom atmosphered classroom, you're not so bad after all. On my first ever story I wrote for JOUR 203, you wrote "Not bad at all" at the top of the page. I think I'll frame that in my office someday. Thanks Professor Rice.

Going into my senior year, my dad had just been diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. He had surgery to have it removed in November.

Professor Kessler. *See statement made on Dr. Scarborough's paragraph.* I still hate math. I hate it so much. I like words. I like creativity. I want to come up with my own way to solve problems. Math doesn't exactly welcome that. But, I passed math. I never, ever have to take it again. You too were kind to me and understanding in a time that was difficult for me and my family. November 2013, my dad and very best friend in the whole world had brain surgery to have a tumor removed. That was less than cool, especially after dealing with "fake" brain cancer my entire junior year. Thanks for just being understanding, but still holding me to a high standard. You helped me to pass MATH 166 with minimal collateral, even while missing a week of school while my dad was having surgery in Pittsburgh. More than that, you are one of THE MOST invested professors that I've ever encountered at Texas A&M. It was clear when I was in your class in the fall that you were super busy, but you never let business be an obstacle. You take your responsibility of educating very seriously. You learned ALL of your students names. That in itself is huge. Please, please, please, don't let being a professor take this out of you. Don't get diluted by the system. You're a fantastically invested professor. Thanks Professor Kessler. 

Last but certainly not least, Dr. Walraven. You're such a character. One of my favorite quotes of all of my college professors came from you "Make it like a mini-skirt, long enough to cover everything, but short enough to keep it interesting." Sorry this blog post has become kind of long. I'm not really that sorry. Thanks for constantly reminding me, along with our class of other aspiring journalists, that we are ambassadors of truth. We're after showing the world for what it is. You constantly encourage us to double and triple check our sources. You taught me that credibility for a journalist can be synonymous for their character. Also, once you told me I was a good writer. Thanks for that. It really means a lot coming from you. As a professor, a veteran of the field of journalism, and an overall hard to crack individual, your words carry a significant amount of weight. 

Now, I'm graduating. My grades are already all locked in. These posts are not an effort to salvage my GPA (besides, most of these teachers gave me good grades anyways.) I'm getting MARRIED to a man that loves Jesus more than he loves me, and he loves me a lot. I could not be more excited. I feel as prepared and as ready as I can be to take life on. As an International Studies major my focus is Latin America,  I'm now fluent Spanish. My "track" within my major is  Media and Communications. I also have a double minor in Religious Studies and Journalism Studies. Since all of this is from Texas A&M University, I should be able to take on the world. 

Moral of this post: every college student has their own unique challenge. Whether it's simply a search for self or adventure, or fake brain tumors, or real brain tumors, these lives you work with are entrenched in their own trials and victories. Thank you for being caring, responsible, challenging, and approachable. There's a sprit can ne'er be told.

Thanks and Gig 'Em.