UT: The largest leadership manufacturer in Texas

It has been said, “luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” I couldn’t say with certainty that every UT graduate that has gone on to do notable things and achieve national renown purely out of luck. I do, however, believe that the unparalleled academic, social and mental preparation they received at this institution allowed them to become fully amenable to make opportunity’s “acquaintance.” Reading these alumni reflections made me feel as if I was reading testimonials for a weight- loss program, in which I was enrolled in and a few steps shy of successful completion. These reflections were inspiring anecdotes with an overall message of “you can too.” Margaret Cousins, an English major in the 1920’s said this of her learning experience, “I was introduced to ideas and became aware of their potential. It was then, indeed, that I first became aware, which inevitably changed my life”(p.891) I think that when we adopt that awareness, we mark the beginning of who we are going to be. I feel that no other learning atmosphere would have facilitated such a growth in leadership initiative in me. As of late I’ve experienced somewhat of a rebirth. As children we aspire to be astronauts, ballerinas, presidents and doctors until we reach a point in higher education when we must abandon possibility for practicality. I have come full circle and returned to possibility. I feel as if now more than ever, there are so many things that I’d like to do but beyond that, I am capable of accomplishing them all.

I am initiating a new campaign for myself called “No Dream Left Behind” and it is effective immediately. I am UT’s ball of clay. I am being shaped and molded; undesirables are being taken away, upgrades are being added, and what I have is being modified. I aspire to one day be featured alumni in Professor Bump’s anthology and have students read of my journey to what will hopefully be a bright future. UT’s scaffolding environment inevitably produces a competitive culture. Students continue to push themselves as well as each other. “Competition became tough. And as often happens in such circumstances, the process of education became challenging and exhilarating” (p.901). On Monday, I met with Manuel Justiz, the dean of the college of education, and I was taken aback when he told me that UT was lucky to have me. I found his statement flattering, yet in my heart disagreed. I am more than fortunate to have the opportunity to attend this institution of higher learning, higher standards, and higher plateaus of achievement. “ I feel like everyone who goes to The University of Texas is blessed and lucky to be there because they’re getting a chance to be as good as they can be”(p.926).

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The Many, The Proud, The Longhorns

As I read these passages, my mind kept going to what being a Longhorn truly meant to me. I feel that I attend a university where both academics and rich traditions are unparalleled. Longhorn students have grown to be very similar to the animal for which they are patrons. " The cattle I am thinking of made their reputations in fierce, hardy, persistent,resourceful, daring efforts to maintain freedom. They refused to be the 'dumb driven cattle'"(p 148). Characteristically , we all got into this university because we were the cream of the crop from our high schools. We refuse to the take the path that most travel and make our own. We are the "outlaws" of conformity and mediocrity and constantly reaching for higher ground in academics as well as athletics.

Mustangs, like longhorns have resilient spirits that are not easily broken. I often envied the images of wild horses that I had viewed in past. I resented their freedom and their lack of barriers. When I actually think about it, as a student longhorn, I am more like a mustang than I realized. I have freedom of thought and my creativity is what no knows no bounds. It's important as students to never lose that spirit. When we lose that spirit, we lose our beauty--our essence. "When he stood trembling with fear before his captor...made submissive by choking...he had lost what made him so beautiful and free" (p. 168). "He relied upon motion, not covert, for the maintenance of liberty" (p.169). I will rely upon my constant movement and will not become complacent. I want to always strive for better and that's how I will maintain my liberty.

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Time Flies...

When the opportunity arose to be the discussion leader for this topic, I jumped at the chance without hesitation. I love the challenges I find in leadership roles. Evidence of this is found in my involvement in Sweethearts, Student Government, Senate of College Councils and Education Council. However one problem remains, I am serial procrastinator. The was a quote that rang true with me from the anthology, "Now people seem to have become dependent on stress to motivated, to get started, to keep going, to get things done, to feel challenged, to feel excited, to feel busy, to feel important, to find meaning, to feel validated by being in constant over demand" (p.87). In past semesters I have felt like I was the most important out of my roommates because I "needed" to pull all-nighters and I had to stay up the latest, but in reality I had placed all the pressure on myself by waiting until the last minute. I did in fact feel receive validation from feeling in demand. Maybe I volunteered to the discussion leader because in a way I knew I would wait until it got down to the wire to pull things together. I thought that the added pressure would increase the integrity of my work. I had started the work for this assignment Thursday evening. I sat down at a coffee shop and did all of my readings and planned some discussion topics because I had plans for the weekend. Now I find myself no further in work, because I spent the whole day on a party barge. In the past I have relied so heavily on the last minute study sessions to get me through and I am laying a terrible foundation for later in life. I enjoyed reading some of Covey's analyses," Satisfaction is a function of expectation as well as realization. And expectation( and satisfaction) lie in our Circle of Influence.Rather than focusing on things and time, fourth generation expectations focus on preserving and enhancing relationships and accomplishing results--in short, on maintaining the P/PC Balance"( pg. 150). Balance--I think that word captures it all. Time management is essentially a juggling act, you have the keep the right balls in the air ( your main priorities) at the right time and if you find that you can keep those in the air you start tossing in a few more balls ( friends, fun etc). It is definitely a trick which requires practice to master.