Saying goodbye

We all know the cliché “saying goodbye is the hardest thing to do,” but there is truth to that statement. I am at the end of my time here at North Lake. I graduate on the 12th and will be at Texas A&M Commerce in the fall. I have one piece of advice for you: Do not sell yourself short. — find a mentor while you are at North Lake!

I was forced to drop out of junior high school to take care of my terminally ill mother. Many years later I received my G.E.D. and started at North Lake College. I would never in my wildest dreams think that I would be graduating with a 4.0 or close to it. I could not have even thought I would be the president of a chapter of the largest international honor society in the world and a member of two others. I say again: Do not sell yourself short — find a mentor while you are at North Lake!

I did not start out as a leader. The wonderful faculty at North Lake mentored me. They helped me become the person I am. They can do the same for you! These people want you to succeed. They surely are not doing it for the money. The faculty do not get paid nearly enough. The advisors for all those student clubs do not get paid anything for the tireless hours they put in. They do it because they love what they do.

I want to say thank you to some of the people who have helped me along the way. Dr. Glasscock and Patricia Corbett, thank you for all those recommendation letters you wrote at the last minute. Dr. Alvin Barr, thank you for teaching me perseverance.

Thank you, Sonya Hopkins-Barnes, for equipping me to talk in front of hundreds of people. To Dr. Cherry for teaching me to write a works-cited page in my sleep. John Hitt, thank you for your ever-present smile. Virginia Jones, thank you for your eternal patience. Thank you to SPAR for your support of campus activities. Thank you to all the many other people who have aided me on my path to success.

To my fellow Phi Theta Kappa members, it has been my honor to serve with you as part of Alpha Zeta Eta. We may not have always gotten along, but we showed the world we are among the very best.

Dr. Yolanda Romero, words cannot describe what you mean to me. You are my advisor, mentor and, most of all, you are my friend. You saw in me what I could not see in myself. I consider myself blessed for having you come into my life.

— David Olmstead is president, Alpha Zeta Eta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa