Persistence

Being brought into a place as large as NMSU can be a culture shock to many incoming freshman. I remember my freshman year being a bad experience, mostly because I was not very involved in the organizations we offer here at New Mexico State. I would think back on the stories older people would tell me about how fun college was, and I simply thought it wasn't that great. I couldn't wait to get my degree and move on to other places and do other things, I simply was tired of the city and missed my small border town. I would call home every night and talk with my parents and they'd encourage me to keep going and not give up because its only 4 years that determine an entire lifetime. I picked up reading in my spare time, between the culture shock of cramming for midterms and completing major projects I learned a lot.

A man I learned a lot about and gained inspiration from was Abraham Lincoln. Many today believe he is one of the greatest presidents of our nation's history. How can anyone argue with that? During his presidency we were a nation torn apart, the Confederate States and the Union were divided on many issues however the best known issue is that of slavery. President Lincoln was able to reunite the union and not let what the founding fathers establish fade as a failure in history. Once the United States were pieced back together President Lincoln's approval ratings were in the teens, and unfortunately was shot on April 14, 1865 and would die the morning of the 15th. President Lincoln was not a prominent political figure in our nation until the rise to his presidency, he ran for the Illinois State Legislature twice to be defeated and finally ran for the House of Representatives where he won a single term but was not reelected. Then came his rise to the highest office a person can hold, he was elected to the Presidency in 1860 and reelected in 1864. What I drew from President Lincoln's story was to never give up.

Times can get hard for a student, stress, and frustration are a couple of feelings you will get during a semester, but the one thing you can do is keep your head up and put what you have into your schooling. As I have come to the conclusion, college is meant to direct you to a path of a successful life and you might as spend the energy you have in making it be worth your time in a lecture room. I was told once, "your first day of class sit in your desk and ask yourself what you want out of the institution you are attending and make sure you put everything you have into to gain that goal."

Keep striving to new achievements my fellow Aggies, it is a great life here at NM State!
Chuck