Well, well, well, I am officially a West Texas A&M University Alumni. Graduation went amazingly well. It was great being able to hug mom and dad after with a degree in hand. As a mass communication major it was a requirement to create a portfolio (you can check mine out at www.alliemichelereyna.com ). Included in that portfolio was a reflection essay of the years we had been at WT. There was restriction on how long it was, so I definitely didn't elaborate as much as I wanted, but I thought I would share.
Come to Life by Falling in Love
West Texas A&M University Reflection Essay
Growing up I was driven by the approval of others and how they labeled
me. My worst fear was falling short of their expectations and being on the
receiving end of “the disappointed look”. It was my duty to appear as if I always
had it together and I never ever allowed anyone to discover my weaknesses. If
those around me were satisfied, I was convinced that I was successful and was
living life as it should be lived. I came to West Texas A&M University to be the
athlete and college girl that I was expected to be, but as a senior mass
communications major graduating with honors, and having competed at the
collegiate level all four years, I am walking away with so much more.
I have learned that just because you are alive does not mean you are
living. To be filled with life you have to fall in love with something. Something
that will never fade. Something that grabs such a firm hold of your heart that you
have no choice but to wake up every day and take hold back. Something that
captivates your heart with such a tight grip that you set aside all fear of failure
and recklessly pursue it.
While at WT I have fallen in love. I have fallen in love with the power of
media. I have fallen in love with how simplicity in design can convey so much. I
have fallen in love with chasing the perfect lighting with my camera in hand. I
have fallen in love with creating relationships with people. I have fallen in love
with the battle I took on every season with my teammates. I have fallen in love
with challenging myself and others around me. I have fallen in love with learning
and ultimately, I am continuously falling for a God who loves me enough to place
all these passions in my heart before time existed.
I am very proud to say that while at WT I was part of both the Lady Buff
Cross Country program and the Lady Buff Track Team. The student-athlete
lifestyle taught me many skills that I will hold on to after I stop wearing the
uniforms which include skills like discipline, time management, organization,
prioritization, perseverance, focus, performance under pressure, teamwork, and
many more. But because my athletic career in college was not the ideal picture
that I hoped for, I have gained so much more than a skill set. To put it simply, my
body was not capable of the wear and tear of long distance running.
My freshman year I suffered a stress fracture in my left femur and right
tibia. Every season I have suffered multiple stress fractures. Through my career I
have literally and emotionally been broken, but only to be molded into someone
much better. Growing up I often identified myself based on my athletic
performance and thrived when I was applauded by the audience around me.
In the times that I was not able to compete and go mile for mile beside my
teammates, I learned to lay down my selfishness and pride to embrace the role of
being a servant to my team and becoming a different type of leader. I also
learned to not rely on attention to motivate me, but rather to focus on competing
out of love and sacrifice for the sake of my teamʼs goals. I may not have ran
away with individual medals and awards, but I walked away knowing that I did
everything I could with what I was given to make a difference.
In the process of realizing that there was more to me than just the athlete I
had been since eight years old, I discovered opportunities in being an advertising
and public relations major. To be honest, I do not remember how exactly I
became interested in mass communications, but I do know that I would like to
give the advisor that helped me during new student orientation a big hug for
pushing me in that direction. I love the constantly changing market of mass
communications and the innovation and influence that it is capable of. I love the
integration between different departments to create one strong message and the
many talents that can be used in the advertising industry.
The biggest benefit of being a part of the West Texas A&M mass
communications department is utilizing the way the faculty have passionately
discovered the perfect balance between nurturing our abilities as individual
students, but at the same time allowing us freedom to stand on our own two feet
in risk of failing.
The best example I can give is my experience as a two-year member of
the WT National Student Advertising Competition team. It was an honor to be
chosen by my faculty to represent WT against top schools in the nation. I felt as
if every class I took regarding media law, basics of advertising, new media,
advertising techniques, and public relations was completely encompassed in this
one competition. The professors at WT prepared us in lectures and in projects
every semester, but allowing our team to put together a 360 degree campaign for
a national company was our time to stand on our own two feet. We were tried
and tested, yet achieved success that WT has never seen in N.S.A.C. In some
ways we were disappointed as a team, but personally their has not been a feeling
of accomplishment comparable in my professional career to that of nailing the
final presentation and fading out the last slide to a standing ovation or holding the
final plans book that I designed fresh off the printer. The confidence I have
obtained through my experiences and faculty encouragement in the mass
communication family at WT has made me believe that through media, creativity,
and passion I can make a difference wherever it is that I am.
One of the biggest things that I have discovered about myself through this
journey at WT is that I love to learn. I like to think that I get it from my dad. He
has taught himself how to golf and play guitar as well as support a family by
being a self-taught mechanic. Although it has not been a formal part of my
education, I have learned and am captivated by graphic design, photography,
and a relationship with Christ so much so that I will continue to learn and fall in
love next fall at the Youth With A Mission (Y.W.A.M.) discipleship and
photography program in Herrnhut, Germany. The worldwide program teaches
youth how to spread the Gospel and glorify God using their passions while
serving on mini outreaches as well as a month long outreach in an entirely
different country.
Howard Thurman once said, “Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what
makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs are people
who have come alive.” I am not certain where I will be lead after Germany, but I
know that I will take up what I have learned from every institution I have attended
and every experience I will have undergone and continue to learn. I will fall in
love over and over again with what I am passionate about and allow those
passions to pour life into others as well as myself. Just because you are alive
does not mean you are living. West Texas A&M University will not only give me
a piece of paper confirming a completed degree, but has allowed me to come
alive.
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