Tootles

When I first stepped foot on N.C. Central University I hated it. Then again, I was a home body and hated the idea of leaving home period, even if it was just two hours away. I remember taking a tour of the campus with my parents, the rainy weather didn't help either.

I kept thinking, there's no way in hell I'll ever remember where anything is and all my friends are at home. The tour guide told us about chicken Wednesdays and showed us the Campus Echo, as if I'd ever have any interest in working for a newspaper, right?

I was such a wimp; so afraid to try new things. But then I met a tall skinny man with a funny looking hat by the name of Mr. Huff. He was starting a new summer program called the Aspiring Eagles. The program was meant to help incoming freshman get adjusted to college life over the summer before freshman year started.
 

My parents strongly urged that I sign up, it would only be for two months. So I did. I cried only once, okay maybe twice because I wanted to go home but part of the rules were that we couldn't go home during the two months. so I had no choice.

That two months was exactly what I needed. It took me out of my small town comfort zone of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., brought me to a bigger city, with people I didn't know and forced me to deal with it.

We took trips to places like Atlanta, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.. We went to a black wax museum, an aquarium, Six Flags, a street festival, visited churches, and learned who can and cannot hold their alcohol.

By the end of my two months I was proud of myself. I'd stayed the entire time and used the money I was awarded to buy a laptop, which is still kicking!

The main thing I learned was that you will be afraid sometimes, but you just have to grit your teeth and do it, especially if you know that it will only benefit you in the end.
 

For a long time I declared on a daily basis that there was no way I'd make it to graduation. I wanted so badly to quit, constantly thought about stopping but after taking the advice of friends and family I decided to stay and I'm so glad I did.

Now I can look back on my college experience whenever I'm afraid of something and think ‘Well, I sure as hell didn't expect to make it through that but I did, and I'll make it through this too .'

I'm grateful to NCCU for my degree in Mass Com. It's something no one can ever take from me, thank you.

Now down to the nitty gritty: Housing, please get it together! The juniors and seniors have every right to stay on campus if it better helps them focus. Don't mess them up by forcing them away. If you don't have enough room for everyone quite accepting more than you can handle.

Eagle Landing, stop it with the fire drills, my God man!

To the popo, more parking spaces or less tickets, one of the two.

Eagle Card office, when students don't use all their meals within a week they lose them.  Why not tally up a total of how much each meal costs and whatever meals students don't use at the end of the week, let those turn into flex dollars?

Students could be using that money in the convenient store or at the Eagles Nest. Waste not want not. Other than that, I wish everyone the best of the best.  

Tootles!