As a transfer student, I’ve been at UTM for a mere two and a half years. In that short amount of time, however, my life has gone through many changes.
My first semester here I came in as many do – knowing absolutely no one. Being an introvert as well, it was a growing experience, to say the least. I remember after my parents helped me get moved in and left, I realized that I was now in a new town, a new school and I knew nobody.
This was slightly scary for me at first, but it didn’t take too long for me to begin making friends.
Some of the first connections I made were with Dr. Robert Nanney and Mrs. Tomi McCutchen. I had met Nanney at transfer orientation and was assigned to Tomi for advising. Tomi knew I was interested in sports, and as fate would have it, it just so happened that her sports editor was graduating at the end of that semester.
So began my time at The Pacer, where I’ve made friends, learned many different things and came to accept that sometimes in order to get the job done, you have to stay up into the wee hours of the morning.
What many students don’t realize at UTM is that on some layout nights, only a few hours before some students may be waking up for class, The Pacer staff is working hard and putting the finishing touches on the paper. Through this process, we’ve formed bonds, made each other mad, laughed and probably cried a few times. The Pacer is truly where I first got involved at UTM, and I owe Tomi and the staff a sincere thank you.
I won’t even begin to list off or thank everyone within the Communications and History Departments that have meant so much to me because I’d inevitably leave someone out. You all know who you are so I’ll just say one big, collective thank you to you all.
Thank you for making these last couple of years ones that have further molded me into a better-equipped person to enter the ‘real world’.
I will never forget my time at UTM. Honestly, how could I forget?
I owe many thanks to UTM; it’s where I met my future wife, and it’s where we are now planning the next chapter of our lives.
