Ranger AMARILLO COLLEGE’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1930
‘Alpaca’ my bags VOLUME 89 | ISSUE 6
December 6, 2018
Presidential Scholars to peruse Peru By MEGHAN HOLLAND Staff Reporter
In January 2019, 13 students from the Amarillo College Presidential Scholars program will embark on a journey to Peru, where they will immerse themselves in the culture and participate in community-building activities. Thomas Bales, a music major, said he believes he will benefit the most from “just having the experience of going to another country and getting to see that there is more to the world than just the U.S.,” Bales said. This immersive experience will last 10 days. Not only will the scholars see historical sites, such as Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo, they will participate in an agriculture-related service project that will benefit the community. The Scholars will get to know local residents through this hands-on learning experience. “I’m looking forward
to just spending more time with the Presidential Scholars and helping build things to help out the people in the community there,” Cecilia Rizcallah, a dental hygiene major, said. Each year, 15 students are admitted to the application-only Scholars program, following a competitive process that includes an admissions essay and interview. Throughout the year, these students learn about leadership and build lifelong skills designed to propel them toward success. The highlight of the program is travel abroad. The travel destination varies. Past scholars have visited the Dominican Republic, Japan, Cambodia, China, Lithuania and India. Traveling abroad gives the students the opportunity to learn about different cultures and expand their worldview, according to Lesley Ingham, Honors/ Scholars co-coordinator and speech instructor. This intercultural connection helps students adapt more
quickly in a global economy and better prepares them for their future endeavors, she said. Many of the scholars said they believe this trip will be one of the most rewarding experiences of their time at AC, but they do have some feelings of uncertainty. Mirian Gutierrez, a business major, said she worries about accidentally offending people from other cultures. Despite this fear, Gutierrez said she looks forward to learning new customs and hopes to gain greater self-confidence and a broader global perspective from the trip. The Scholars depart for Peru Jan. 1, 2019. You can follow along with their adventures on the Amarillo College Honors/Scholars Facebook page, https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / achonors.
Illustration by STEVI BRESHEARS | The Ranger
Commencement speaker overcomes obstacles By STEVI BRESHEARS Editor-in-Chief
As the semester winds down, many students are struggling to find the motivation to keep working hard. For commencement speaker Alicia Morin, however, persistence is the only option. “I’ve got to keep going, even when I don’t want to,” she said. It is this drive and determination that set Morin apart from other students. “She was recommended by faculty who commended her hard work, collaborative spirit with her peers and her joyful approach to learning,” Amarillo College president Russell Lowery-Hart said. “When I spoke with her, I was struck by her journey, and the power and hope she found in education and, in particular, at Amarillo College.” Morin’s educational journey has not been an easy one. She finished high school in 1999, but
because she was unable to pass the math portion of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test, she didn’t get to walk the stage and get her diploma until 2003. It wasn’t until several years later when she had her son, Kingston, that she decided to continue to pursue an education by enrolling herself in cosmetology school. Morin graduated successfully from Wade Gordon and started working there, but quickly realized she wasn’t making it. “I just woke up one day and I was waiting tables, I was cutting hair, I didn’t have a 401K, I didn’t have insurance and I was tired of struggling,” she said. Morin made the decision that she wanted to move to Austin, with no plans of returning to her hometown of Amarillo. She knew that to do that, she needed to go to school. At the age of 35, she enrolled in classes at Amarillo College, unsure of what she wanted to do. That changed, however, after taking a few tests
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Alicia Morin
in her learning frameworks class. Soon, she discovered her passion for speech language pathology and caring for patients. “I want to be a part of the diagnosis, and if they want the cochlear implant I want to be a part of that and a part of them hearing for the first time,” she said. Morin said that she also dreams of being able to translate for bands at music festivals like Austin City Limits and South by Southwest, but that isn’t her www.acranger.com
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main career goal. After making this discovery, Morin had the opportunity to job-shadow with Amarillo College sign language interpreter Julie Seals. Morin sat with Seals Monday through Thursday, and Seals gave her extra assignments for practice. “She took me to the grocery store and taught me how to sign the names of vegetables, and bought me groceries,” Morin said. “She didn’t get paid to help me, but she did.”
Morin said this type of generosity and the many resources the college has to offer, particularly the Advising and Resource Center, are a big part of why she hasn’t given up. After graduation, Morin will transfer to West Texas A&M University in the spring and begin the speech language pathology program in the fall. “I want a lakehouse,” she said, adding that she wants space for her parents to be able to live with her so she can take care of them. “I want that, and I can’t get that with just an associate degree.” Morin said that despite her extremely driven nature, she sometimes struggles with her purpose. However, learning about things like cells in anatomy and physiology has helped put things into perspective. “If the lord created something so small to have a job, and to have a purpose, that if something in there failed it could be catastrophic for the cell, then who are we to question ours?” she said.
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