Newspapers / Winston-Salem State University Student … / May 1, 2005, edition 1 / Page 2
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Dedicated senior sets great example for all By Lisa Boone ARGUS NEWS EDITOR It's 3:30 a.m. and Kimberly Gilchrist is just waking up from her two-hour nap. She stretches, lets out a small yawn and con vinces herself "it's time to get back to work." Determined to make her 9:30 a.m. class, she opens two books, places her laptop on her lap, pops open a bottle of Dr Pepper, takes a sip, tunes the radio to "The Light" 1340 AM, and begins to finish an accounting project. According to Ashley Farmer, a sophomore business major, she shows this kind of persistence in everything she does. "There have been times when she has stayed up until three in the morning to complete work, went to bed, got back up at 7 to get ready to go to class at 8, and at the end of the day still helps me with my homework. She does what she has to do when she has to do it and does it well," said Farmer. Kimberly, a 21-year-old senior mathematics major, will graduate one year early with a 4.0 GPA in just a few days. The tall, brown-skinned, soft- spoken Gilchrist almost always wears a radiant smile with her small-framed glasses. She attrib utes her success to the support of her parents and brother and her adviser. “She does what she has to do when she has to do it and does it well.” Ashley Farmer "Next to God, my family has been everything. They have sup ported and encouraged me throughout everything. My advi sor, Ms. Margaret Poston, also helped me a lot. I have attended summer school for the past two years because I was advised on which classes I could take early," Gilchrist said. Though Kimberly's school work is apparently a top priority, she balances her life with extracurricu lar activities. In each of the on-campus organ izations Gilchrist is involved in. Inspirational Voices of WSSU, Leaders of Virtue and Excellence (L.O.V.E.), and the Honors' Program, she holds an executive board position. Kimberly's cousin, Sabrina Gilchrist, a December 2004 gradu ate of WSSU and founder of L.O.V.E., said humility and faith allow her such success. "Kim is one of the sweetest peo ple I've ever met. The fact that she's humble makes her even sweeter. I am proud to say she's my cousin. Even though I am older than her, I look up to her quite a bit. She is dedicated, always on task with her priorities in the right place, and most of all, she puts her trust in God," said Gilchrist. After graduation, it's back to work for Kimberly. She will attend graduate school for accounting at North Carolina State University beginning in June, keeping up her summer school tradition. Kimberly's advice to others who aspire to follow in her footsteps is concise. "Keep God first. As long as He is the first priority, everything else, whether it's grades, finances, or whatever, it will eventually work out for your good." ESSAY WINNER: Grandma had big effect on Tirst Lady' By Elease Lowery FAMILY WEEKEND ESSAY WIN NER The Most Influential Person in My Life The person who influ enced me the most will have to be Jessie Jones Tatum. Jessie Tatum is my grand mother on my maternal side. We have always shared a special connection because I was her first grandchild and she always called me her "First Lady." As I got older I learned some of my grandmother's experience through all of the stories she use to tell. One of my favorite stories is, the day my mother went into labor with me. During my moth er's pregnancy, my grand mother used to tell her co worker that she was going to have another baby in a few months. My grand mother told me, on the day my mom went into labor she felt the same labor pains. I never knew if was because I was her first grandchild, or if it was because her only daughter was having a baby. If you let my grandmother tell the story, she had to run to the bathroom every two sec onds. However, after thirty- six hours of labor pains experienced by my mom and grandmother, my grandmother had her "First Lady." My grandmother was the youngest of seven children and was spoiled by all of her older siblings. Her par ents always taught her to value the meaning of life and to contribute her talents back into society. After graduating from high school, she attended A&T College now know as North Carolina A&T State University. Her major was English and she wanted to become a high school teacher. She had completed the first two years of her degree, when her father was hurt in serv ice. As a result of her father being hurt, she had to drop out of college because her family could not afford to continue to send her to school. If you knew my grandmother, you would know that this is one part of her life that was hard to move on from and I can honestly say that this event created the grandmother I know and love. Once she was old enough to support herself, she returned to school and became a nurse. She always told me that her career choices were based on being able to help others with their endeavors. When I was a young child my grandmother instilled many of the values that I carry on today. One of those values includes helping oth ers through public service. Throughout my grandmoth er's life, she always gave back to her community. If Change(chanj) to put or take in place of something, substitute , Black (blak) beautiful, powerful equation you go over to the area my mother was raised in, the neighbors will talk about how "Jessie was involve in this or that." My grand mother always carried pride with her no matter where she was going and she made sure everyone knew that she was always avail able if they needed her. That is one trait I have learned to admire about my grand mother, and one I strive to portray. I have always thought that it is amazing how I can remember so many of the small details about my grandmother's life. Of these memories, I share thousands of them with my family and they all are positive and proud memories, when it comes to Jessie Tatum. During the latter part of my high school years I decided that I wanted to become a teacher. I knew that this decision would make my grand mother proud and I wanted to find a cre ative way to tell her. I wanted to take her out to dinner on April fool's day and tell her that I had decided to drop out of school. However, my mom thought that this joke would be too outrageous and so I decided not to go through with it. Since the plan I created did not go as planned and I ended up telling her over the phone. I could hear the smile on her face through the phone as soon as I completed my sentence. Once she had found out that I wanted to be a teacher she was overly excited about my decision, and told me to always chase my dreams. I knew that a part of me chose this profession because I wanted to follow in my grandmother's foot steps, and to this day I can say that I think she knew it as well. The reason that I am so confident in this belief is because she always made me promise that I would finish college no matter what it takes. I made this promise to her, and I am two years away from fulfill- ing that promise. On my graduation day I know my grandmother will be smil ing, telling all whom she knows that, "That's my First Lady." My grandmother has been an inspiration for many parts of my life. On April 11, 2004 my grand mother passed and left behind a letter address to me. The letter included an inspiration that I am willing to share. My grandmother asked me to complete col lege and live the dream we both shared especially since she did not get the opportu nity to do so. This is one individual God blessed me with for a short but signifi cant time and I am deter mined to use her influence and zest to achieve my dreams. If you every run across someone who influences your life in ways beyond explanation, make sure you treasure every moment with them. The reason I am offering this advice is because; there will come a time when that person will no longer be a physical part of your life. It may not be because of the same reason my grand mother is no longer with me, but because at some point you have to stand on your own. When that time arrives, yoxi will reali^.G. tKat all you have left are the memories, promises and experiences you shared. However, in the end these are the parts of their life that will be most significant. Life has its ups and downs, but the people whom God puts in your life for encour agement and inspiration will help to guide you across those mountains that we sometimes have to climb. FAMILY, from page 1 cellor for enrollment management. At the C.E Gaines Center, visitors were provided a cookout-style lunch of hamburgers, hotdogs, coleslaw, baked beans, chili and brownies, while entertained by music provid ed by DJ "Cease Fire, a student here at WSSU. Other campus organiza tions that provided entertainment iacluded the Inspirational Voices of WSSU, The Marching Ram Band, Mozik Modeling Troupe and Epiphany Modeling Troupe. Sherise Wilson, 18, applied to more than one university but says "WSSU is my top choice." WSSU is not far from her family in Charlotte N.C. and this is one of the most appealing aspects of the school, she said. Wilson attended with her mother, Catherine Johnson, and plans to join the marching band sometime during her tenure at WSSU. She said her stepfather is an alumnus of this university, another factor that influenced her decision to attend WSSU. The News Argus The Student Newspaper of Winston-Salem State University Bridget Taylor Managing Editor Lisa R. Boone News Editor Crystal Davis Advertising Manager Reporters: Brandolyn Love, Kristin Smith, Robyn Floyd, Kiandra Jefferson, Talda Miller, WilUam Monk, II, Michael Champaign, Michaela Siegrist, Erin Perkins, Sam Harley, Steven Gaither, Sharrod Patterson, Van Monroe Photographer: Razaria Best * The News Argus is a monthly campus newspaper for the students, fac ulty and staff of WSSU. * Opinions expressed in The News Argus are not necessarily those of the faculty or staff at WSSU. * For advertising information, please call (336) 750-2327, or e-mail newzargus@yahoo.com *Office hours 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday room 102, Hall Patterson WWW, thenewsargus. com
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