Bordelon to experience theater around the world

As graduation season approaches, Texas Wesleyan University bids farewell to Bethany Bordelon, a senior theater major who has left an indelible mark on the university community.

Bethany’s journey at Texas Wesleyan was not a straightforward one. She had never heard of the university before but a fellow theater student at her high school, Taylor, shared photos of the productions she had worked on. Intrigued, Bethany visited Texas Wesleyan and was immediately taken by the small size of the school and the warm and welcoming people she met, particularly the theater department. “I came to Texas Wesleyan for a tour and immediately loved it, I never realized I wanted a small school but I loved the size and the people, and the theater department made a really really good impression on me”

Throughout her four years at Texas Wesleyan, Bethany has been involved in an astonishing number of extracurricular activities. She served as the secretary of the American Association of University Women, the vice president of event coordination for Alpha Psi Delta, the president of Alpha Psi Omega, a member of the Programming and Activities Committee, and she had even created a plant club called the Growgetters. Bethany also worked as a resident assistant for two years, a new student mentor and for her last semester she became a lead student mentor.

Bethany’s theater career at Texas Wesleyan has been equally impressive. She has acted in every show she auditioned for, costume designed, and stage managed. Her passion for the performing arts does not end at Texas Wesleyan since Bethany wants to continue pursuing her passion for it after graduation. “I plan to get settled in the metroplex and audition for roles in community theater around the area. I just want to be in theater as much as I can.” Bethany emphasizes her desire to travel and experience theater in different parts of the world. “My long-term goal is to travel and see the world to see how theater is in different places and learn new skills.” Once Bethany is ready to settle from her travels, she wants to go back to grad school and become a theater teacher. She’s grateful for the opportunities she’s had and the people she’s met along the way, and she’s excited

Burton wanted to go back to college for two reasons. One was when someone tried to belittle him because he didn’t go to college.

“Before I decided to come back to school, I had somebody throw that in my face like I’m smarter than you because I have a degree and I decided at that time I wanted to get my own degree so I could never have anybody throw that in my face again.”

Another motivator that drove Burton to return to school was to show his children the importance of getting a degree.

Burton said he is a family man who wanted to set a strong example for his children and show them the importance of getting your degree no matter what your circumstances are.

“By doing that my one daughter is in school going to be a nurse,” Burton said.

Burton’s path was different from a normal college student but what made it more unique is that he attended a junior college first. This is not common for non-traditional students but shows Jerrod’s determination to get his degree.

When Burton was in high school attending classes, “everything was still old school.” Even though having classes that are part online would have been helpful when running his own business, Burton still preferred attending classes in person with hands-on learning.

Burton believes in pursuing education and making that investment in yourself. “Stay in school. Find a way to make it work. You may struggle in the short term, but it’ll pay off in the long term.”