The Gradual Fall 2021 Vol. 105 by The Rambler

THE GRADUAL by The Rambler VOL.105

ROARING TWENTIES CLASS OF 2021

FALL 2021

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Contents 3

Letter to Graduates

Breanna Salisbury: Early Children - 6 Bilingual Major Alma Iglesias: Psychology Major

Callie Naser: Sociology Major

Odalys Sigala: Early Children - 6 Bilingual Major

Lauren Poche: Marketing Major

Tysa Taylor: Doctor of Nursing Practice Lori Coughlin: Theater Major

Harris Matthews: English Major

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Eduardo Ruvalcaba: Management Major

Parker Turley: Mass Communication Major Diana Valdez: Management Major

List of Graduates

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Gregory Blaser: Accounting with Forensic/Fraud Major

Elaina Audette Wells: English Major

Juan Taboada: Management Major

Opinions expressed in THE RAMBLER are those of the individual authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas Wesleyan community as a whole. To contact us, call 817.531.7552. Student Media Director: Dr. Jenny J. Dean Editor-in-Chief: Veida Dima Design and Editing: Veida Dima, Ashli Young, Angela Castillo, Tatiyana Giddings, Crystal Hernandez, Vincy Nguyen, Cristian Perez, Lorrain Nyamwela, Ariadna Garza Practicum Students: Jacinda Chan, John Bland, Landen Nealy, Nicholas Goldsby, Ricky Arthur, Ariadna Garza, Jabial White, Tatiyana Giddings, Joseph Thomas, Laren Scott, Jaden Chapman, Carmen Ochoa, Chance Carroll, Lee Benting.

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December 2021

Letter from the President To the Class of 2021, Congratulations on completing your Texas Wesleyan degree. It took time, energy, hard work and dedication to arrive at this major life achievement. You’ve earned this recognition and it should be celebrated. This year, you persevered toward graduation in the face of an extraordinary time in history. Having made it this far has made you stronger than you realize. Keep that in mind as you approach the next stage of your journey. You can achieve anything. Your Texas Wesleyan degree proves it. Your degree tells the world that you have the critical thinking, analytical reasoning and problem-solving skills that our society needs right now. Whether the next chapter of your story involves graduate studies or entering the workforce, we are confident that you are ready to excel. We are proud of you and are pleased to now call you Texas Wesleyan alumni. You are the fabric of our university, and a prime example of what makes this place the Smaller. Smarter. campus that it is. Congratulations, good luck, and I hope to see you back on campus soon. Frederick G. Slabach President Texas Wesleyan University

The Gradual

he wasn’t always the student she is today: Callie Rae Naser created her own success story. Naser was born and raised here in Fort Worth, TX. She attended Southwest Christian School and struggled to find her purpose in school. Having not been the best student in high school, she knew she wanted to reinvent herself at Texas Wesleyan University. “I wasn’t successful in high school, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could be somebody that I looked up to,” she said. “All these people were always doing things and was always involved in things and were keeping up with their grades and I saw college as a fresh start to do that, so I really just took the initiative to do so.” Her first semester at Wesleyan she was a music major; She found music as her “safety blanket,” but knew her passion was no longer in music. She felt being a music major was what was expected of her because she “wasn’t successful in a lot of traditional academic subjects,” she said. During her senior year in high school, she took a forensic class and fell in love instantly. Naser knew before coming to college that she had a passion for criminal justice but “I was just scared to do that because I was really unsure of myself and insecure in my abilities,” she said. Not only did Naser reinvent herself academically, but she became highly involved around campus, unlike her days in high school. She even holds special positions like two year president of Alpha Xi Delta, president of Mortar Board, and Student Government Association (SAC) treasurer. “Something I did regret from my high school years was not being super involved so I made that a mission of mine to get involved in college even though I didn’t expect that to be Greek Life,” she said. “I’m glad that it was because Greek Life here was really what catapulted me into my transformation period of becoming a confident version of myself.” Naser emphasized that Wesleyan faculty members and professors were also a huge reason why she felt motivated to continue forward when times got tough, especially Dr. Adkinson. “Dr. A. saw potential in me and when I thought I wasn’t doing well like my first semester after I change to criminal justice, my first semester as basically a science major,” she said.

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Naser steps up to move forward

Photos courtesy Callie Naser

Although she doesn’t have any set plans after graduation, she is keeping an openmind with the intentions of going to grad school, with a focus on forensics. “I’m like you know, think about what you were in high school and see what

you are now,” she said. “I’m looking at post-graduation as another developmental phase for me to just accelerate to the next level again rather than being scared of it.”

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December 2021

Sigala shines with school pride

dalys Sigala is a graduating senior at Texas Wesleyan University, majoring in Early Childhood-6th Grade bilingual education with a focus on Spanish. Some of her hobbies include going to the movies, listening to music and working out. She started her college career when she graduated from R.L. Paschal High School to attend TCC, but in Fall 2019, she decided she wanted something different for herself and started school at Texas Wesleyan. Sigala transferred from TCC to Texas Wesleyan because, “I feel like the professors here [at Texas Wesleyan] will help the students if they need help at all times.” The main difference she saw in her experiences at both schools was the ‘Smaller Smarter’ mentality at Texas Wesleyan. “I felt so close to my fellow classmates and professors, I felt like a lot of my classmates that became my friends are going to be my friends for a very long time,” said Sigala. Sigala works for the Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO) to help support fellow bilin-

gual students on campus. Sigala’s been at Texas Wesleyan for two years and she has made tons of memories on campus. Her favorite memories were spent in class, learning new material. “My teachers would always make class so fun and enjoyable. It felt like they weren’t lectures,” she said. It wasn’t just the classes she loved, she also loved her teachers. Some of her favorite teachers were Dr. Carlos Martinez, Dr. Patsy Robles-Goodwin, Dr. Jessica Salazar and Dr. Jacqueline Gaffner being some of her favorite teachers. “When Dr. Robles would teach, it was very interactive. Along with Dr. Salazar, she would always give great feedback to all her students, and was just a great person all-together,” she added. As her journey at Texas Wesleyan comes to an end, she opens a new beginning as she pursues her dreams of teaching Spanish to elementary school kids. “I’ve applied to a few schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth area like Willow Creek Elementary in Saginaw and Castleberry Elementary here in

Congrats Class of 2021 From Mass Communication and Sports Communication

Fort Worth,” she said. Despite all of the achievements she has accomplished throughout her time at Texas Wesleyan, Sigala kept herself motivated through a quote she always told herself: “God is in control, everything takes time.”

Photos courtesy Odalys Sigala

Congratulations Ashli Young Rambler media's managing editor

Class of 2021

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December 2021

Matthews overcomes educational challenges and excels in school

Photo courtesy Eduardo Ruvalcaba

Ruvalcaba finds passion in marketing

lthough his original collegiate path led him to a science degree, Harris Matthews majored in English with a concentration on writing. He dreamt of going to medical school when he was younger but was influenced by a beloved Wesleyan professor to pursue English. Harris was born in Fort Worth and grew up in Crowley, TX. All throughout his youth, he struggled in school but was able to mostly maintain an A/B honor roll with support from his parents and personal strive for excellence. At a young age, it was determined that Harris was autistic. “I tried really hard to not exhibit those weird qualities that are associated with autism. I became ‘normal’ but really, I was masking some of my stranger aspects or eccentric parts of me to be normal,” he said. Harris used self-taught skills and educational video games to keep up with his family’s educational expectations, however, he did experience bullies as he tried to overcome his autistic obstacles. Harris said, “Education can be very hard for someone like me. It’s not for everyone. My heart goes out to those who struggle with education.” As he decided which college to attend, he took inspiration from his mother, a Texas Wesleyan graduate with high honors. Harris enrolled with the hopes of majoring in biology but decided to change course when he realized the highly competitiveness of biology students. After a discussion with Dr. Battles, and attending a World Mythology class, Harris decided to switch to an English major because of his writing skills. “I have been told that my writing style resembles stream of consciousness because mostly of the grammatical components. But I

Photo courtesy Harris Matthews

think that that style is valid. I think within a certain context a stream of consciousness is a really interesting take of stories or text that are structured in a way where readers don’t get lost,” Harris said. He enjoys the idea that English is an open-ended subject with many angles of discussion. Harris wants to eventually become an English professor or write an autobiography comprised of poems and short stories, but in the meantime, he is seeking a career involving writing.

“I became ‘normal’ but really, I was masking some of my stranger aspects or eccentric parts of me to be normal,”

duardo Ruvalcaba from Fort Worth and attended Marine Creek Collegiate High School. He is graduating with a degree in marketing and management with plans to take a break before pursuing his master’s in management. Eduardo says that Texas Wesleyan’s environment was a key in his decision to choose TXWES. His favorite thing about TXWES is the size. “The sizes of the classes are important to me and because the sizes are small you really get to build a relationship with not only the teachers, but your classmates as well,” said Eduardo. Eduardo has only been here two years because he obtained his associates in high school. He isn’t sure what he wants to do with his degree, but he wants to find a good job. “Market segmentation is really interesting to me. Studying the different markets and applying my knowledge of advertising I gained while in school will hopefully land me a good job.”

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Turley chooses mass comm over teaching

arker Turley grew up in Mansfield, Texas where he didn’t know how far football would take him. Parker chose to continue to pursue his dream in college and he began his first semester here at Texas Wesleyan in the spring of 2019. He has felt at home ever since. Football was one of the main factors that drove Parker to Wesleyan. Sports were always a part of his life, but he felt like he should take it a step further. “I have always had a passion for sports. I wanted to get into sports broadcasting so, getting into mass communications seemed like the best decision, from a degree standpoint to learn what I needed to be able to get in that career.” Even though the true college experience for him was cut short because of COVID, he still sees his experience here as helpful and eye-opening. Even

Photo courtesy Parker Turley

without the in-person experience, his professors kept in contact with him and made sure that he had help and support if he needed it from them. “Dr. Colley and Dr. Dean did a really good job with keeping

December 2021

tabs on me and making sure that I was okay. I really needed that support when COVID hit, and it was one of the only things that kept me going through that rough time.” Parker may not be a first-generation college student, but he is the first person in his family to get a degree in Mass Communication. The rest of his family are all teachers. “My grandparents did not go to school, so my parents are the first-generation college students in the family. They both ended up becoming English teachers and became great ones at that. But I wanted to break off into a different path and become the first of something else in the family with the passion I love.” Parker wants to work where he covers sports, whether it’s radio, newspaper or anything that deals with production.

Valdez excited for next steps

iana Valdez is graduating with a dual major in business management and marketing from Texas Wesleyan University. She has always lived in Fort Worth, so she was interested in Wesleyan after touring colleges in high school. As a student, Valdez has been a member of the honor society and the Beta Gamma Sigma sorority. After graduating from Texas Wesleyan this fall, she will search for careers in business or marketing. Although no certain career path has been chosen, Valdez has other ideas on how to use her new skills. “I think in the future, I would like to apply what I have learned at Wesleyan to grow [my father’s] business even more,” Valdez said. Valdez is feeling a mix of emotions as graduation approaches because of the huge milestone she is set to overcome. “I feel excited, but nervous at the same time. Just because it’s a

Photo courtesy Diana Valdez

big step after graduating from college because it’s taking the next step to finding a job if it’s my career” Valdez said.

Graduation is a time to celebrate your achievements, prepare for a future of opportunities and embrace a world of infinite possibilities.

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UNDERGRADUATES Daniela Aguilar Amirah Ahmad Parker Anderson Jovanni Angon Anna Barnes Lindsey Beckrich Joseph Benavidez Lee Benting Gregory Blaser Bastian Blumenberg Daneisha Bradford Deborah Brandi-Brown Shameka Brown Casey Brownlow Morgan Burns Yaridia Bustamante Jachin Byrd Hailey Calvert Sandra Carranza Kristen Carter Geneva Castro Jackelyn Cazares Jacinda Chan Harindu Chandraratne Jiajun Chen Brines Childs Brooklyn Chisolm Sarah Cole Terroni Collins Jordan Cooksey Dana Coronado Lori Coughlin Alexandra Cuestas Ayanna Davis Kenard Davis Madison De la Cerda

Kevin Desai Olivia Dickerson Serge Ditu Robert Doshier Alyssa Ellis Charity Ellis Sarah Espitia Jasmine Finney Bailey Foy Damian Francis Martha Francis Graciela Frausto Myles Gaddy Christian Gaffner Nicholas Gant Jordan Gilbert Jonica Gillings Gabriella Gracia Badillo Alejandro Grande Davonn Granger Brigitte Green John Grimsley Tameir Grosvenor Raegan Guerrero Sean Guerrero Stefan Gurtner Esmeralda Gutierrez Cailee Hendrick Sandaru Hirunika Kayla Hughey Blen Hussain Alma Iglesias Madison Jarvis Zhe Jia Joanna Jimenez Adrian Johnson

Kaleb Jordan Jared Kelm Malikah Kendrick-Riser Tracy Kennedy Justyna Kersten Tyler King Iram Lafarga Sarah Lawson London Leslie Zhihao Liang Shengran Ma Sandra Martinez Craig Mason Harris Matthews Jacqueline Maya Daniela Meza Rommel Moreno Robinson Mugisha Angel Munoz Callie Naser Jordan Naser Kelsie Neubauer Michael Nguyen Patti Noe Jennifer Olson Madison Ortiz Eric Pan Jaykumar Patel Nil Patel Zaira Perez Jessica Pierce Lauren Poche Kyle Raines Katia Rico Crystal Rincon Leslie Rodriguez

Eduardo Ruvalcaba Breanna Salisbury Gabriel Sanchez Jennifer Sanchez Lhamu Sherpa Alicia Sidney Jeannet Sigala Odalys Sigala Bradley Smith Destiny Snell Lidia Stanley Marquiana Steele Tyler Sutton Juan Taboada Robel Tesfamichael Lindsey Thorpe Kayla Torres Ariel Townley Danielle Trought Parker Turley Diana Valdez Alejandra Valenciano Rianna Vidales Elsa Villagomez Vanesa Villegas Brian Wanamaker Douglas Warren Kasey Watts Veronika Webb Elaina Wells Kaylie Wiley K’iara Williams Han Yang Ashli Young Cheng Zhang Hanming Zhang

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December 2021

GRADUATE PROGRAM

DOCTORATE PROGRAM

Emmanuel Akere Reham Alhaddad Jeffrey Babina Rafael Barboza Casey Barker Gilberto Becerra Gaylon Cannon Kervin Carrette Alyssa Cavitt Panya Chaibulom Ruby Coleman Trenae Crosson-Bailey Michaela Crumpler Diana Cruz Edwin Dzakpasu Chase Edgar Marissa Erickson Erica Estrada Simon Flory Jalesia Gassaway Luis Giron Michael Griffith Muhye Hammattah Lessie Haney Janet Harris Mariella Heiskell Felicia Hobson Abby Jaegle Teran Jeffery

Jacquilyn Aniscol Sonya Brown Britnay Canizales Quintrella Davis-Gahagan Linda Govea Maxwell Hernandez Cecille Jacinto Teshia Kyser Luna Love Lydia Mwesigwa Katharine O’Connor Rachel Renteria Sabrea Robinson Tysa Taylor Debra Taylor-Smith Allison Teeples Natasha Wade

Shuntel Johnson Jimmy Lee Wiley Lindsey Frank Linton Luis Lobos Edmund Martin Michael McVey Jason Messerli Liliana Middlebrooks Rafael Navarro Spiro Nicolas Jacquelynn Olalde Syed Raza Alexandria Reese Nephtaly Rivera Patrina Rogers Brandy Rucker Jacob Sapienza Katherine Sierra Clara Slaughter Laneta Spivey Jarod Sweetland Jacob Trotter Jennifer Van Kesteren Alyssa Wiley Steve Winburn Prudence Zavala

ONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES!

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December 2021

Next stop, masters in education

t only 24 years old, Breanna Salisbury will be graduating with an EC 6 degree also known as early childhood education through 6th grade and an ESL certification, as a first-generation college student. She is originally from Saginaw, Texas which is in the inner suburbs Fort Worth. She graduated from Boswell High School that offered a practicum on education that allowed high school students to shadow teachers and learn by observing. “I joined that program, I remember I was loving it, I was enjoying it, I was like yeah, I’m going to be a teacher. And then, I had gotten a teacher that was not as compassionate to her students, she was very impatient and overall, very ugly, and it killed it for me.” After graduating high school, Salisbury moved on to TCC. While she was there, her sister adopted some relatives’ children, a little boy and a girl, that came from a very hazardous environment. By the time she graduated TCC with her associate’s, she was walking down the stage and realized that she still wanted to teach. “I just knew that even though someone may have ruined the perspective for me, I still had the power to change a student’s life. I had the power to be that positivity, that role model that they deserved. Maybe they aren’t getting that at home, maybe they aren’t getting that love, so I decided that I wanted to

take that role. I decided that I wanted to be a teacher again.” After graduating from TCC in 2018 and being recently married, Salisbury knew she wanted to continue her education in Fort Worth. “And as I looked around, I loved being at TCC. I just knew I couldn’t go any further there. I looked around and realized that Wesleyan was definitely a Smaller and Smarter school. I liked that they were very personal and had a very intimate setting. I wanted to be a part of that, so I applied, got admitted, and I have loved it ever since.” Salisbury is enrolled in the 5-year program, so after graduating this winter, she will proceed to pursue her master’s in education. She will be completely certified before that and can be a short-term, temporary, or long-term substitute teacher. Her dream job after a few years of teaching under her belt is to be a school counselor. “I would love to take on the role of giving the students that comfort they need and the guidance that they deserve.” During her time at Texas Wesleyan, Salisbury has made a name for herself. She is the vice president of Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO) and she is a member of Kappa Delta Pi. She says she’s learned many leadership qualities from mentors in her sorority and urges students to join BESO because it is open to everyone, not just education majors.

Salisbury has faced challenges. “Definitely setting my priorities straight, TCC was a small community college, I was fresh out of high school, my mindset was ‘If I pass, I pass and If I don’t, I’ll take it again.’ When I got to Texas Wesleyan, I knew how valuable it was to exceed in my education. I had to learn to balance my life. My husband and I are youth pastors in our church, so our schedule is very packed. I had to learn how to manage my school life, my personal life and still have time to relax.” Some advice Salisbury had for herself and others was to take in every moment and to keep going. “I realized how important it was just to take in each moment that you get, having lost family and friends, especially to the pandemic. It was very important to understand that we don’t have every minute, we don’t know how long we are gonna be here, we don’t know if we have tomorrow or the next 20 minutes, so be thankful, be grateful. We are not promised tomorrow so make the best of today. Keep going, keep going. It is going to feel like too much, you will question if it is worth it, but it is.” After years of hard work, Salisbury will be walking the stage this December and continuing her education. “It felt like it took so long to get here, but I made it, I did it, and I will be the first in my family to get a college degree.”

Photo courtesy Breanna Salisbury

“It felt like it took so long to get here, but I made it, I did it, and I will be the first in my family to get a college degree.” ~Breanna Salisbury

Iglesias takes on ﬁnancial advising T

Photo courtesy Alma Iglesias

exas Wesleyan’s Alma Iglesias is a senior this year planning on graduating and finishing her time on campus as a student and an employed tutor for the school. After graduation, she plans to take over an administrative position for a local financial adviser. While maintaining a strong relationship with her clients by applying psychological principles to strengthen their relationship, it was Texas Wesleyan that helped her feel comfortable and remain disciplined. “The work I needed to complete while here at Texas Wesleyan necessitated a lot of discipline so that will certainly be applicable to any and every job,” said Iglesias. She has been on the dean’s list every semester thus far during her

years at Wesleyan. Outside of school, Iglesias was blessed to announce that her artwork was published in a book where it is displayed in the Carillon gallery at Tarrant County College. “I don’t dedicate a lot of time to art anymore but they’re still accomplishments I hold close to my heart,” said Iglesias. When she finishes school, Iglesias hopes to return to academia where she feels she can help find big discoveries throughout the world. As Dr. Jay Brown’s teaching assistant in psychology, Iglesias had an illuminating experience and got to see some of the responsibilities of an instructor. Her advice to fellow students is, “Make friends and get involved. School involvement is highly

considered with higher rates of retention, so get connected with your peers.” Iglesias suggests that without putting too much pressure or overly stress on yourself, try to take it easy throughout the year. She lives by one quote that she carries with her, “You don’t have to get ready if you stay ready.”

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December 2021

Poche pursues road to publishing

auren Poche is a marketing major who graduated from high school in 2007. Poche attended Tarrant County College after High School but lost motivation in the middle of her journey. “When I first graduated from High School, I took a year off after that I started putting myself through community college,” Poche said. “ I took a couple of classes each semester, and then I got to the point where I lost motivation.” Poche knew she was losing motivation because she started not to give her all.

“It’s going to sound funny because it’s when I got my first B,” Poche said, “For me, that was a big deal because I had never gotten a B before and that in my eyes was failing.” She decided to take a break because of her lack of motivation and the thought of taking college Algebra, but the break lasted longer than she expected. “That one semester I wanted to take off lasted 4 years, and I worked, and I got to live life a little bit,” Poche said. While Poche lived life, her friends and sister graduated, and she chose to go back to school. “I thought what am I thinking, but I didn’t want to be called a quitter, and in my eyes that is what that was, and I knew I was better than that,” Poche said. She expected more for herself and decided to return to school even though she was still on the fence. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I think that was a big part of it too,” Poche said. “Not only did I have college Algebra looming like this big-tall scary monster, but I also didn’t know what I wanted to do.” Not only did Poche return to school, but she also made sure she did not take the easy way out and made college worthwhile. “I didn’t want to pour money into education and get the easy degree and then never do anything with it,” Poche said. “I was driving a school bus, and I

from that dream, but she needed to know what she would do next. “I was sitting at home on my couch, unemployed going what do I do now,” Poche said. Already on her journey to receive her business degree, Poche decided to research career paths, and she realized her dream job was with her the whole time. “I am a huge gigantic nerd, and one of the things I always wanted to do was work in the publishing world,” Poche said. During her research, she found that becoming a publisher is easier now than when she graduated high school. “You had certain steps to be able to be a publisher, and now because we’ve come so far with technology, and we’ve had so many advancements, it’s a lot easier to get there,” Poche said. “ I don’t have to have an English degree and all these certificates and qualifications to be in the publishing world. I can get there through marketing.” “So, I switched from general business to marketing,” Poche said. Poche will graduate in December with her degree in Marketing, and she surprises herself every day with what she has achieved. .

had decided I was going to get a business degree and be able to move into an office there and do

Photo courtesy Lauren

routing in a school district.” In life, many things change, and Poche decided to walk away

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December 2021

Coughlin chases dream career

t is crazy to think that Lori Coughlin has only been at Texas Wesleyan since the Fall of 2020 considering the lasting footprint that Coughlin will leave when she graduates this coming December. The theatre major has connected with many parts of the diverse campus during her short time at Wesleyan. Coughlin was part of Alpha Psi Omega, ISITT, AATE, TxETA and Tau Sigma. Coughlin, 47, returned to the classroom after 25 years and chose Wesleyan as her final destination because at Wesleyan, no one is just a number and the school made Coughlin feel at home. “I came to Texas Wesleyan after spending 25 years in banking and I am excited that once I graduate, I will get to do my dream job of teaching theatre to others,” Coughlin said. “The smaller community meant I wasn’t just going to be a number. From my first visit, speaking with Professor Joe Brown at the end of my college tour, I felt like I was home.” In terms of personal favorite memories made during college, Coughlin says that her highlight during her stay at Wesleyan was working on the musical, “Oh What a Night.” “My favorite memory was working with my fellow students on our musical production, ‘Oh What a Night’ this past spring. Even though I

am twice the age of most of the students I go to school with, the experience helped me make new friends,” Coughlin said. Smaller, Smarter has played a huge role in Coughlin’s Wesleyan career because during her time studying, Coughlin said that her dad fell very ill during her first semester, and she had fears of dropping out to take care of her dad. “While attending Wesleyan, my father became very ill with cancer. At the end of the fall 2020 term, I didn’t think I would be able to go to school, as I was needed to assist my mother with his care,” said Coughlin. Luckily this was not the case as the faculty were able to help Coughlin. “I spoke with the faculty, and they found solutions for me to be able to still go to school and be there for my family. We lost my dad on January 3, 2021,” Coughlin said. “The faculty were all super supportive and made me like I was not alone in all of this,” said Coughlin. As graduation edges closer and closer, Coughlin believes that she is capable of doing more now than ever thanks to her support system. “I have learned that I am capable of more than I ever thought possible thanks to the encouragement of some really great people,” Coughlin said.

Photo courtesy Lori Coughlin

Tysa Taylor takes on nursing

ysa Taylor is currently taking her doctoral classes at Texas Wesleyan where she is working towards getting her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. She graduates this December. She is passionate about her studies. Taylor grew up in the 10th ward in New Orleans. She stayed in the St. Thomas Projects. Born in 1977, she is currently 44 years old. She graduated in 2005 with honors from Southern University, the same year Hurricane Katrina hit. That left her homeless. Though she went through that, she overcame the battle by graduating college. When she graduated, she received her Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN). Taylor is a graduate of El Rock Wayne High School. Taylor said she chose Texas Wesleyan because it was a small, private university. That way she could get that one-onone experience with the professors here. Taylor said it was difficult to take classes through the Covid-19 pandemic. Her focus has always been on school. “Stay focused and enjoy the process” is a word of advice she said. Taylor explained that when in college you’re not there to party or be popular. Remembering why you’re here is very important to Taylor.

One of the most difficult times she experienced was when Hurricane Katrina hit. She said that the plans were for her to move to Houston. But since it was so crowed at that time, it made it hard to afford it. She soon heard from her mom a couple of days after the storm. Her and her family relocated to Fort Worth, Texas. It took four hours to get there from Houston. Taylor said that she really enjoyed helping people and decided on a career in the medical field. Also, her grandmother was a nurse. So that influenced her to do it. Taylor said, “This is my calling.” Taylor’s proudest moment is raising her daughter. The reason she chose Texas Wesleyan is simply because she liked the school’s moto. “Smaller. Smarter,” which attracted her attention. She liked that they had the doctoral program which was exactly where she wanted to be. Taylor says that being at Wesleyan has really been a great experience. A little advice for future graduates would be, “Resilience is being steadfast and willing to endure any storm that life may throw your way because we were built to be more than conquerors.” Photo courtesy Tysa Taylor

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December 2021

Blaser looks forward to a bright future

regory Blaser or, as he prefers Greg, is a 22-year-old and an accounting major with a concentration in Forensic Fraud. He has a job lined up with a Forensic Accounting firm called J Taylor after he graduates on Dec. 18 He was first introduced to this company by taking a fraud class taught by Dr. Albritton. In class, they got to do a case study for the company. He was soon asked if they could contact him due to his work on the case. They liked the way Blaser handled the situation and offered him a position he could start after graduation. While working for J Taylor he plans to work on getting his master’s so he can sit in for the CPA exam. Blaser chose to be an accounting major because he “has always been good with numbers, math and money.” It seemed like a perfect fit. During high school, he took an accounting class he “breezed through and enjoyed it.” However, during his freshman orientation, Dr. Wright convinced him to switch to Forensic Accounting. This led him to finish all three and half years of his college career here at Wesleyan. There are only five to six other schools in the country that offer this major. Blaser stuck with forensic accounting vs. regular accounting because he finds it more intriguing. He also has enjoyed taking his fraud classes. “They are hands-on, they deal with real-life scenarios, and they force you to critically think to solve the problem at hand,” said Blaser Blaser’s dream job is to open his own forensic accounting firm or join the FBI. Although he’s known he wanted to do accounting since he was a junior in high school, before that he wanted to be an Astronaut or an Aeronautical Engineer. Although he is reaching the end of his undergraduate college career, it was not always easy for

him. The biggest challenge he faced in school was time management. With him being a part of the football team, he has had to juggle a lot of different responsibilities. Not only did he have to deal with classes on top of football, but he also had various jobs and was involved in organizations on campus like SGA. What helped him get through this challenge was being responsible. He made sure to do his homework in his free time and kept reminders on his phone and laptop to make sure he did not miss anything. He also had his friends and family that helped keep him motivated. He stated that he wants to be successful for his family and his friends, and they were always understanding because of his busy schedule. “The combination of both of these things have helped me to stay motivated and see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Blaser. In addition to his friends and family, he had professors like Dr. Webb and Dr. Albritton who mentored him. They taught him, “life lessons on top of the material needed to pass the course.” He stated he was very thankful for them and what they have done for him along the way. Blaser chose to attend Texas Wesleyan due to wanting to play football, and he enjoyed the coaching staff. He was also on the cheer team for one competition season in the spring of 2021. He is from Cypress, Texas, and he enjoys playing video games, hanging out with friends and watching videos on YouTube. Greg is proud of where he is today and stated that he feels like he was successful in college and wouldn’t change anything.

Photo courtesy Gregory Blaser

Congratulations to all the Graduates! Spiritual Life wishes you all the best while pursuing your future.

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December 2021

ASC tutor writes her own story

laina Audette Wells will soon be graduating with an English degree in December. Her dream is to become a either a full-time fiction editor or a writer. “I wouldn’t mind spending my entire life just like either – you know editing other people’s work or you know publishing some of my own,” said Wells. As graduation approaches, she is actively looking for jobs at a publishing company and considering working full-time on her own. “Depends on what’s available once I graduate, because I’ve been looking now, and I have seen some promising things. The thing is I have to be remote, because with my husband in the army we have to move around a bit,” Wells said. Wells recently got married during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2021. Her husband is in the army. He is stationed in Fort Hood, in Killeen. She couldn’t physically commute on campus for just a few hours a day. This last semester she is working remote from campus two hours away. This is due to the Academic Success Center (ASC) and her professors. Wells emailed them in advance to ask for accommodations since she could not attend class in person. “I honestly don’t think that would have happened at a

bigger school,” said Wells. During her time as an undergrad here, Wells was a writing tutor at the Academic Success Center (ASC). Her tutoring at ASC led her to getting an internship there as an English intern. Wells creates handouts, word documents to help students, and PowerPoints to talk about tips on studying. “Now at Texas Wesleyan, I feel like I can help other people, now because of my position as an English intern now. I kind of hope to help people during my last few months here as much as I can,” said Wells. Wells has also been on the Dean’s List every semester while attending Texas Wesleyan. She has only been at Texas Wesleyan since 2019, because she took dual credit courses and knocked out her basics in her sophomore year of high school. She is on track to graduate two years early because of how hard she worked in high school. Wells has always been a bookworm and loves to read books. Her whole family is a family full of readers. Her grandmother was someone who got her into reading and her mother helped her out as well. “If I ever become an author that’s what I aspire to be, is just someone who interacts with the people who gave them their success,” said Wells. Photo courtesy of Elaina Wells

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December 2021

Taboada pursues career as salesman

uan F. Taboada is a 21-year-old senior who born and raised in Dallas, has attended Texas Wesleyan University since his freshman year and is destined to become a top-tier salesman. As a double major in business management and marketing, he has direction for his future. “Having a career in the automotive industry would be my ideal career,” said Juan. He is someone you would call a car fanatic. His love for automobiles started when he was in high school where he took courses covering automotives and their operations. when he decided to stick with it once he got to campus in the fall of 2018. Juan decided to attend Texas Wesleyan University because of the smaller classroom sizes offered. He is also closer to home and does not have to worry about out-of-state fees. “More interaction with professors and the ability to address any concern I may have about the class,” said Juan.

He enjoys learning more about different cars during his free time so he can stay up to date on the latest changes in the automotive industry. After receiving his degree this fall, Juan plans on working as a salesman for a well-established dealership where he will make his footprint in the automotive industry. Soon after he will get his MBA in business management and marketing. “I plan to get a job in the automotive industry then go back to school to get my MBA,” said Juan. Attending Texas Wesleyan University has been vital in Juan’s life and for that, he’s beyond grateful. Life on campus offered an abundance of activities that he took part in, not to mention the care that was shared around campus. “The activities we had in our dorm hall and the friendly environment that Texas Wesleyan has are the reasons I’m going to miss Txwes, I know it may sound cliché, but I think the best years of my life were spent at Txwes,” said Juan.

Photo courtesy of Juan Taboada

Congratulations to all 2021 graduates from the School of Business Administration!

The Gradual

December 2021

Congratulations Graduates!

From the School of Arts & Sciences

May your dreams blossom and grow.