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A Publication of The Chronicle for Centralia College Since 2012 • www.centraliablaze.com
The Jobs Edition
Perseverance and Ingenuity Helps Student Reach Goals ‘‘Everything you go through is temporary. It’s just a phase of you growing up.’’ Michael Weymouth
By Courtney Simmons
Centralia College student
The Blaze
Each student at Centralia College has their own story to tell, each one as unique as the circumstances that brought them to campus. One such student is Michael Weymouth Jr., a 20-year-old Centralia College student living in Centralia. Michael said that studying at Centralia College has helped him gain better organizational skills and work ethic. He also feels his time here has helped him grow as a person. “I’m more willing to open up to people by being here,” said Weymouth. Though his life here has treated him well, Weymouth’s road to the campus was a bumpy one. Due to problems with financial aid, he couldn’t attend fall quarter of 2011 when he had intended to start. Though he was out of school and unable to find a job during this time, he never lost hope.
He created a lawn mowing and errand service in Tenino. “That’s how I created my own income when no other business would hire me,” he said. Spring 2013 is Weymouth’s sixth quarter studying criminal justice. Though his ultimate goal is to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation after graduating with his associate’s degree, he first plans on joining Reserve Officer Training Corps and then entering the United States Air Force. “[I want to] be with the Air Force for a certain amount of time, and then go into the FBI,” said Weymouth. “I love it here,” he said. “The criminal justice program feels like we’re family.” He also has a high opinion of the faculty.
Check, Please!
“I feel that the teachers here want you to be successful. They have us be more independent and not make us feel like we’re different from anyone else,” he said. Weymouth’s advice to those looking to create their own income is to be creative. “Show that you’re reliable,” he said. “You have to show etiquette, too, and professionalism.” Despite his perseverance, the odds still seemed to be stacked against Weymouth. In October 2011 he was forced to leave his parents’ house. “I didn’t know what to do at first,” he said. “On October 7, Sunday, I slept outside the library gazebo.” The following day, an Internet search led him to the shelter he would live in for the next
three months. Winter quarter of 2011, things looked up. Michael enrolled at Centralia College, was hired as a recycler at school, and moved into his own apartment. Within two months, he had received a promotion, and now works as a custodian. “I know everyone has their trials and tribulations in life, and I just can’t give up,” Weymouth said of his situation. “When bad stuff happens to you, you have to persevere.” Weymouth also added that his faith helped him a lot. His relationship with his mother and stepfather is improving, and he attributes that largely to their faith in God. “My step dad told me, ‘It’s all in God’s control’,” he recalled. “I’m realizing that now too.” Though Weymouth has been through a lot, he makes an effort to remain positive and think of others. “With all the stuff I’ve gone through, I can’t just be thinking ‘poor me.’ I have to think of others.” He said that everyone should remember that “everything you go through is temporary. It’s just a phase of you growing up.”
Latest Centralia College Drama Production Approaching
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Entrepreneur: Criminal Justice Student Created His Own Job When Faced With Homelessness, Unemployment
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B Frisbee on the Lawn: It’s back!
By Emmalee Baker The Blaze
“Check, Please!” is the college’s upcoming spring play, running May 16-18 and May 23-25. The production is a collection of short comedies, the majority of which are written by award-winning contemporary playwright, David Ives. All of the plays are set either in a café or a coffee shop, tying the whole production together. “We intend on producing it in the Wickstrom, in the small studio space, with people sitting at café tables … And there will be two separate stages on either end of the room … The audience then will sit in between us,” said Brian Tyrrell, the drama instructor at Centralia College. Coffee and desserts will be served to the audience throughout the play. Tyrrell plans on retiring after three more years at the college. During his remaining time at the helm, he plans on continuing to lead the drama department. His goals for the department haven’t changed much throughout the years, as he still wants to showcase the drama department to the community while supporting the students and volunteers who work on the production itself. “I’m not sure that it’s anything different than what I’ve accomplished before, other than the opportunity to still provide both the community at
Photos online
Photo by Elliott Townsend / The Blaze
Brian Tyrrell, drama department chair, gives instructions to the cast and crew of “The Play’s The Thing: A Shakespeare Oratorio” on the last night of their Winter Quarter performances.
large, and our campus community, and the students involved, backstage and on stage, with a variety of productions to work on,” Tyrrell said of his goals over the next three years. The productions will represent a mix of classics, comedy and some features that haven’t been done before, like this dessert theater, Tyrell said. Since being established by
Margaret Corbet in 1925, the drama department has been an important part of Centralia College. However, there have been rumors that the Drama Department could be eliminated due to a lack of funding. Tyrrell was quick to dispel those rumors. Although the drama department’s budget has been cut back by nearly 20 percent over
the past three or four years, those reductions have reflected campus-wide changes. Each year, the department is allocated money by the Associated Students of Centralia College. The royalties for each production cost approximately $300-$500 with musicals costing upwards of $5,000 per show. The rest of the department’s budget goes to set-building ma-
terials, costumes and props. According to Tyrrell, the college just wouldn’t be the same without this important expression of art and human nature. Tyrrell, along with many others, believes the drama department is an essential component of not only the college campus, but of the surrounding community.
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