On March 10, the OU Board of Regents voted Dr. Shane Hunt as Cameron University’s 18th President.
After completing his MBA at the University of Oklahoma, where he met his wife Jenifer (of 25 years), Hunt began working for a Fortune 500 company in Tulsa before completing his Ph.D. at Oklahoma State University. Hunt has a strong marketing background and is deeply passionate about teaching students, with experience as a professor since 2007 at Arkansas State University.
Hunt is entering Cameron University at a time when fundraising and community outreach is especially necessary, so his expertise should be useful and beneficial to Aggies. His approach is hands-on and centered around engagement and attention.
“If you are in a Rotary Club, Lion’s Club, Chamber of Commerce, any organization in Southwest
Oklahoma, I want to come out and see you,” Hunt said. “I want to speak to your group, and I want to listen to what things you’re passionate about, and that can help your community and your businesses. That’s what we’re committed to.”
Hunt has increased the endowed scholarships and professorships at his previous institutions and has a plan to make education more affordable and accessible for students at CU. Hunt remembers the scholarships he received as a student changed his life, and he is excited to give back and focus on ways to better support the next generation of college students. Hunt is focused on finding ways to get more resources for more people to be able to afford college.
“[There are] a lot of macro factors we can’t control, but if we dramatically increase the number of permanently endowed scholarships, we’re going to be able to help a lot more students achieve their dreams,” Hunt said.
Hunt is committed to helping students go beyond the classroom
“ I believe in my soul that there is not anything that a young person in Southwest Oklahoma can do that is better to change the trajectory of your future in a positive way than to come to Cameron University and become part of the Aggie family.”
-Dr. Shane Hunt Cameron University President
and understands the importance of graduates finding employment and putting their degrees to use.
“It’s our responsibility to make sure that you all are prepared to hit the ground running the first day,” Hunt said.
He places a strong importance on networking opportunities and understands how valuable connections and recommendations can be. Hunt mentioned his desire to implement discipline-specific advisory committees which he has seen be successful at other institutions. Valuable insight is gained when recent graduates are engaged about their education and employment experiences.
Despite being a published author of textbooks and a multi-awardwinning educator, Hunt professes that his proudest moments and experiences are from teaching students. He also places high regard to being an authentic and honest person.
“It meant a lot to me when I won the National Inspired Integrity Award from the National Society
of Collegiate Scholars,” Hunt said.
“Because I think one of the things I try to teach, beyond just marketing, is what it means to be a professional, what it means to show up, and to be ethical and to treat people the right way, every second of every day.”
Another meaningful award is the Honors Professor of the Year, which he won as Dean. Hunt keeps the plaque on his desk as a reminder of how symbolic the homage is to him. Not many Deans choose to teach, and it was a deal-breaker for Hunt to take the position if he wasn’t permitted to still teach a course. For students to elect him as the Honors Professor of the Year for the entire university meant a lot to him.
The United Way and PBS honored him for his involvement in those organizations and the communities he was previously part of, but Hunt is excited to now be part of the Lawton and Cameron community.
“I think, as much as any of those things, we are so excited to see the great things that are happening here,” Hunt said, “and the opportunities that we have to be part of even better things going forward.”
Amanda Purser and Kaley Muse Managing Editors
Photo by Amanda Purser
IMPEACHMENT UNDERWAY
SGA TAKES ACTION
By Alyssa Martinez Student Life Editor
On Feb. 24 in the Ross Hall Auditorium, members of the Student Government Association (SGA) body called and seconded a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Nathan Weston. This motion came after petitions circulated and recieved signatures by active SGA members and the Executive Council, all in accordance with the SGA bylaws and Constitution. The motion passed with 16 members in favor and one against.
consulting other officers or members, blocking legislation that had already been passed from being presented, and disassociating himself from responsibility. The petition also outlines that Weston has created a hostile environment to work in and failed to fulfill duties expected and required of him as leader of the organization.
“There’s
an ongoing issue of leadership,” Howard said, “which the impeachment is designed to address.”
- Blake Howard Student Government Association Vice President
Vice President and chairman of the Legislative committee Blake Howard introduced the impeachment motion. The petition outlined alleged violations of the Constitution and failures of leadership, such as: neglecting to appoint mandatory officer positions, changing the attendance policy without
“There’s an ongoing issue of leadership,” Howard said, “which the impeachment is designed to address.”
Dean of Students, Director of Events and Activities and faculty advisor for SGA
Leslie Cothran said SGA is prepared to navigate the impeachment process at the next meeting, scheduled for March 10. She advises the
group on institutional policy and oversees the meetings herself.
“(At the next meeting) They are choosing a Chief Justice to oversee the impeachment,” Cothren said.
After a Chief Justice is appointed, Weston will be given the chance to defend himself in front of the SGA body, who will then vote whether or not to proceed with the impeachment.
The impeachment must have a three-fourths majority vote in order to pass. Should that happen, a new President will be selected via nomination from the current Senators.
Weston plans to defend himself during the impeachment. He encourages students to stay informed about what is happening in SGA through their representatives.
“Reach out to whatever
organizations you are involved with, whether they (the students) are for the impeachment or against the impeachment,” Weston said.
“The representatives should know what’s going on.”
SGA is responsible for representing the concerns and ideas of the Cameron student body. The organization consists of elected Senators (who can be appointed student organizations), the
Executive Council and Constitutional Committees. Currently, there are 18 Senators, with six from each College, six at-large members and the rest being representatives from each club.
For more information, students can reach out to SGA by emailing cusga@ cameron.edu, calling at (580) 581-2444 or contacting their organization’s representative.
Carolynne Worrell AN AGGIE ASSET
By Ciera Terry Voices Editor
At Cameron, all departments have an assigned Administrative Assistant who helps with correspondence and departmental issues. This assistant also helps with organization and advocacy for staff and student needs.
Admin Assistants are essential in the success of a department and a University–so it’s important to get to know the people behind the scenes.
Carolynne Worrell has been the Admin Assistant of the Communication, English, and Foreign Languages (CEFL) department for three years.
Worrell relocated from St. Louis, Ill. to Lawton at age 11 due to demands from the U.S. Military and has been a resident since.
Her position at Cameron is in addition to her many entrepreneurial endeavors and projects, including being the founder of an organization called “Queenin2gether (Q2G Foundation)” which helps to empower, educate and elevate teens and young girls to fulfill their full potential.
Worrell said she works hard to meet everyone’s needs.
“I couldn’t even name everything because every day is not the same,” Worrell said.
The CEFL department is Cameron’s largest, with over thirty faculty members. Worrell keeps in mind everyone’s differences when it comes to managing staff and making decisions.
“I’m always looking out for what works best for each person, not (the) whole,” Worrell said. Because if you’re doing it (for the) whole, you’re bound to drop the ball somewhere.”
Worrell has spent every day of her three years in this role learning things. The most valuable thing she has learned is the simple fact that you are not alone.
“It doesn’t matter what level you’re on or whose office that you admin in, they have some things that can help you,” Worrell said. “And that makes it worth coming and worth doing because we all work together.”
If given the opportunity to speak to her past self, Worrell would tell her to just breathe. Her advice is: not everyone’s emergency is your emergency; stay on track and do things your own way.
Worrell is a big advocate for crafts and creativity, often encouraging students in the CEFL department to explore the full, creative potential of their degrees. Her primary goal is to make her department the safest place it can be for students.
One of her own creative endeavors led Worrell to self-publish her first book in 2020, titled “Broken2Promise: Overcoming the Mother Wound,” currently available on Amazon.
The non-fiction book, published from Worrell’s Q2G Foundation is a memoir of sorts examining Worrell’s own experiences of overcoming issues of abandonment and a tumultuous childhood. It’s combined with a self-help guide showing readers how to process their pasts with unstable mothers, identify signs and symptoms of the lingering effects these issues can cause as well as inspiration to overcome the past.
Photo by Ciera Terry
Star Wars a cultured film
When I first sat down and started “Star Wars” on Dec 22, 2024, I had no idea what I was in for. The thing is every couple of months I sit down for a very long and excruciating time to install my braids.
To pass the time, I often put on some movies or binge a series just for some background noise. I usually want something casual that doesn’t really grab my attention.
I had already watched a movie when I saw “Star Wars” on Disney +. I just raised my eyebrow and tilted my head a bit. The movie was long, and it was about to take me a couple more hours to finish my hair so I thought, what’s the harm?
When the movie started, I felt out of place. This was a whole other world I was stepping into – at the time I didn’t understand excellence just yet – “Star Wars” had played for about five minutes before I slowly paused it. I just sat in silence for a second and quietly looked around my room thinking “Am I really gonna watch this?”
Unfortunately, I did not start it again because I was overwhelmed with anticipation; truthfully I only started again because it was my partner’s favorite. I hesitated even texting them because I didn’t want to get their hopes up. The thing is I had
nothing against “Star Wars,” I just simply had no interest in it.
The most I knew about it at the time was the iconic “Luke I am your father” scene, but ironically, the only reason why I knew it existed was because of “Toy Story.” I admit for a long time I was uncultured.
But with the courage of love and devoted loyalty. I continued the movie.
For the next 72 hours of my life nothing mattered but the TV and my remote. “Star Wars” was my air. It was my water, I lived it and breathed it.
I’m not sure I can explain the feelings that took over me but I’m sure anyone that’s a fan is aware of it. I was truly in shock and lowkey felt like I was possessed. I had to remind myself to go eat food because I was so determined to finish it all in one go and that was just for
the original series…I hadn’t started the prequels yet.
I began Anakin Skywalker’s journey.
There were tears, laughter, unimaginable horrors – There was a lot of that last one.
When I started the last movie, “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” my friends from Norman ended up face-timed in the midst of it. I desperately wanted to decline and explain I had other businesses to attend to but ultimately I didn’t have the heart to do so.
After the call ended, I simply just restated the whole movie and watched it again!
When I finally finished, I was in a pit of wonder and utter confusion on why I had never watched it before. I began this journey during Christmas break so when I went home, I told my uncle Daren (a “Star Wars” fanatic) that I had watched it, I don’t think I had ever shocked this man more in my whole lifetime.
He probably stared at me in
disbelief for like 10 whole minutes. He kept asking “did you really watch all of them?” By the end of the night he had asked me that five times in total. I don’t think he believed he had successfully spread the Star Wars agenda throughout the family.
Even though I had only been a fan for a couple of days, when I heard my aunt and mother had only watched the first one, I was in disbelief. I had the heart of someone who had been a fan for years at this point and no one could tell me differently.
This showed up in many ways. I visited my friend in Norman and immediately sat her down and told her we were watching “Star Wars.” I didn’t have to do much convincing myself, she had already planned to watch it a couple times but never got to it.. So there I began the journey of spreading the agenda myself, it was an honor to fulfill my duties.
My other duty as a newly established “Star Wars” fan was to correct my family on the whole “Baby Yoda” business.
Me and my aunt were in the party section in Walmart when my aunt inaccurately named Grogu as Baby Yoda. The smile I wore dropped so fast, I just shook my head at her and sighed in disappointment.
When I pressed play on that fateful day, I didn’t realize how serious watching the “Star Wars” franchise was going to become to me and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
The holy grail of film studies
What are your four favorite films?
If you happen to have a Letterboxd account, you might be able to pull up your phone and give your answer in a matter of seconds. It’s a seemingly innocuous question – an easy answer for some, a moment of careful consideration for others – but there’s more to it than that.
Letterboxd is a platform that allows the user to rate and review movies they’ve watched. The user has a “diary” with these entries listed by date, and a rating system starting from 0.5 stars to a full 5 stars. And, on the face of the user’s profile, the site allows one to list the infamous “Letterboxd Top Four” (otherwise known as the user’s favorite movies).
Letterboxd launched in October, 2011, but the platform didn’t gain significant traction until the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has become a popular social platform for cinephiles and casual watchers alike.
In the years since the pandemic, Letterboxd has amassed a number of celebrity account holders – Martin Scorsese, Ayo Edebiri and Charli XCX to name a few. The company now employs interviewers to meet celebs on the red carpet to ask the big question: What are your top four movies?
took inspiration. Goodreads promotes users to read and log their favorite books; you can write out reviews, your thoughts and considerations during your reading. It’s reading comprehension subtly at work!
Letterboxd, in this sense, serves a similar purpose. In an age where we have instant gratification, the whole world at our fingertips, and artificial intelligence taking over our lives, it’s important now more than ever to be capable of critical thinking. Letterboxd encourages the user to carefully consider the films they’re watching, the inspirations behind them, reviews by other users – it’s the holy grail of film studies.
Letterboxd isn’t perfect. It’s impossible to expect every user to give a full, honest review of every film they watch. The current trend is to leave a punchy oneliner or a cheeky comment instead of a real review. But is this not, in itself, an act of discussion? The platform encourages community and the act of commenting and liking reviews; it’s an opportunity to engage with other moviegoers in debate, to ask questions, to understand.
And now, I believe, is the time for understanding.
In future updates, Letterboxd plans to add TV shows to the review roster as well. Some users are iffy about this feature but I’m personally very excited for it.
operate on the weekly episode schedule, which is perfect for encouraging continuous discussion. The audience gets to savor the experience and theorize about the implications of what they’ve watched. They can even go back to prior episodes and analyze the puzzle pieces they might have missed.
But why are platforms like Letterboxd so important?
Well, think of it like this: Goodreads is a similar platform from which the creators behind Letterboxd
As I already mentioned, we’re used to instant gratification nowadays. Shows go straight to streaming with every episode released to the public, which is great if you want to go on a binge watch. But for the creators of these brilliant series, the public’s short-term memory gives out within a month (if even that).
Shows like Abbott Elementary or Severance still
If Letterboxd adds TV shows to their platform, I truly hope and believe that it will similarly encourage users to track their thoughts episode-by-episode. This would solve our current epidemic of short-term memory and our withering analytical skills. We might be able to get audiences to actually watch a show or movie without looking at their phone fifty times in ten minutes.
I know this might seem insignificant. I know this might seem like an overly hopeful rant. But everything in life is a domino effect – if Letterboxd of all things can start tipping the scales, we could improve reading comprehension throughout America, develop better media literacy skills, and spark real one-on-one conversations within our communities. Every step is worth taking. If this little cinephile website is the key that unlocks the doors to all our problems, I’m more than happy to welcome the results.
So I’ll ask again, and I really want you to think about it this time: what are your four favorite films?
Correction:
In Vol. 112, Issue 4, the “Cameron Collegian” incorrectly named Elizabeth Hanson as Katherine Hansen in a news story. The Collegian deeply regrets this error.
Ciera Terry Voices Editor
Amelia Lozano A&E Editor
Graphics by Ciera Terry
A&E Editor
The 97th Academy Awards have finally come to a close, leaving a questionable impression on the past season. The headlining winners this year included “Anora” for Best Picture, Mikey Madison for Best Actress, Adrien Brody for Best Actor, Zoe Saldana for Best Supporting Actress, and Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor.
After months of raving about “Anora,” it’s unsurprising that the film left with the most awards of the night. “Anora” swept across the categories for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best
Film Editing. It should be said that none of these wins are indicative of poor performances or bad craftsmanship from the films that lost. However, many of the other nominees were arguably underrecognized or poorly marketed.
Films like “Sing, Sing,” “Nickel Boys,” and “I’m Still Here” tell integral stories rich to the cultures and nations they represent; unfortunately, these films received few – if any – awards from the Academy.
On the bright side, “I’m Still Here” received a win for Best Foreign Film, making it the first Brazilian film to win at the Academy Awards.
were many other firsts for the Academy this year: Paul Tazwell made history as the first Black man to win Best Costume Design; the first Academy win for Palestine was awarded for the feature documentary “No Other Land;” Latvia’s first win came from the animated feature “Flow.”
audience’s displeasure with this year’s
“Challengers” went entirely unrecognized by the Academy this year.
“Dune: Part Two” received several nominations and a few awards at the Oscars this year. However, there were complaints over the film’s score getting disqualified from the
tension filled “Challengers,”
nominations from Despite having
off by the infamous Acadmeny orchestra at a swift 45 seconds; while big name actors and celebrities were given considerably more leeway.
Adrien Brody, who won Best Actor for his performance in “The Brutalist,”
Villenueve did not receive a nomination for Best Director. Awards speeches were a big point of conversation this year less for the actual content of them, but for the length.
Several award winners in smaller categories were cut
A startlingly obvious show of whom the Academy favors when it comes to sharing the spotlight.
Despite the controversy and disappointments, there were still plenty of worthwhile wins for the night.
Now we can all rest easy knowing the show has come to a close.
Lawrence of Arabia
The Greatest Film Ever Made
Amelia Lozano A&E Editor
It is difficult at times to accept when someone tells you that a film is truly worth watching.
For my first ever viewing of “Lawrence of Arabia,” this is the feeling I had to come to terms with.
My expectations for films have admittedly been set quite low nowadays due to all the less than stellar outcomes – on more than one occasion lately, I’ve found myself wanting more from the movies I’m watching.
For David Lean’s most acclaimed film, however, I could not say I felt even a shred of dissatisfaction.
“Lawrence of Arabia,” released in 1962, is loosely based on the real adventures of the British army officer T. E. Lawrence who actively participated in the Arab Revolt, as well
himself in conflicts of which he had no right to participate in.
The film stars Peter O’Toole as the titular Lawrence, with Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn in supporting roles.
“Lawrence of Arabia” itself follows the British officer Lawrence as he is tasked with aiding the Arabian Prince Feisal
(Guinness); Lawrence grows to appreciate Arabian culture and people, though he does not fit in with either the natives nor the British. The audience watches Lawrence struggle to find his identity whilst reckoning with the harm he has done.
I found the performances to be wonderful all around.
O’Toole captures Lawrence’s naivety and whimsy with
ease; the character’s turn towards blatantly ambiguous morals, and his mind which becomes riddled with the traumas of war, are effortlessly portrayed.
It would also be remiss not to speak of Sharif, who portrays Sherif Ali bin el Karish, the advisor to King Feisal. The character is a complex one; he has an edge to him coupled alongside a particular tenderness and strong, certain virtues that balance well with O’Toole’s Lawrence.
Lean’s film is a character study of Lawrence which seeks to make sense of his actions, his fascination with Arabia, and his involvement in the Arab Revolt.
Though the film has historical and biographical inaccuracies, it still prompts the necessary questions: Is Lawrence, a white Englishman, justified in his involvement in this foreign place? Are his intentions truly pure?
Lawrence begins to sober up to the reality of the situation. He cannot remain totally pacifist as he previously (and naively) believed; he must acclimate to the truth of the war and all that comes with it.
A four-hour-long runtime might seem intimidating, but
Lawrence’s character progression is incredibly well done. The film begins by showing his excitement and eagerness to participate in Arabian culture; when given traditional clothing, Lawrence ditches his officer uniform and prances around in his new set of garments, all-too-happy to blend in with his new companions.
After experiencing the war for the first time,
Given the wavering attention spans that define our generation, it is with great pride that I can say there is never a dull moment during the film. While many movies can struggle to keep a consistent pace for two hours – or sometimes even ninety minutes – “Lawrence of Arabia” is so rich and compelling that it is impossible to feel at all bored or unnerved by the runtime. I deeply enjoyed “Lawrence of Arabia,” and I would encourage everyone to entertain this classic, genredefining film. I give this film a full 5 out of 5 stars.
Amelia Lozano
Courtesy Graphics
Graphics by Amelia Lozano
Courtesy Photo
Make it Make $ense: The Loan Process
The Cameron Collegian would like to extend a special thanks to Cameron Financial Resource Specialist Jeremy Toombs for the following clarifications on the student loan process.
Direct Unsubsidized Loans
Direct Unsubsidized Loans offered by the U.S. Department of Education begin accruing interest as soon as they are disbursed; however, interest does not begin compounding until the borrower enters into repayment.
Direct Unsubsidized Loans do not need to be paid immediately; rather, like Direct Subsidized Loans, repayment does not begin until six months after the borrower has stopped attending a higher
with Financial Resource Specialist
education institution at least half-time enrollment.
Students (should) consider paying the interest on their Direct Unsubsidized Loans while in deferment, so that the accrued interest would not be capitalized once the borrower enters repayment.
Income-Driven Repayment Plans
Income-Driven Repayment Plans base a borrower’s monthly payment amount on their income and family size. The interest rate is not affected by the borrower’s income. In order to be on an Income-
Driven Plan, the borrower must consolidate all of their loans. Consolidation would be at the fixed interest rate for the year in which loans are consolidated. Therefore, a borrower might be consolidating loans at a higher interest rate than when they initially took out the loan.
Graduated Repayment Plans
A Graduated Repayment Plan starts off with a lower monthly payment and increases during the
life of the loan. However, it is not solely based on income. Borrowers can choose this repayment plan if their income is low when they enter repayment but expect it to increase steadily over time.
The increase in monthly payment is not based on an actual income increase. The plan is designed to increase payment amounts at regular intervals so that the loan will be paid off in 10 years.
I Love You Because...
Steven Utter Staff Writer
At 2 p.m. on Feb. 23 the Cameron University theatre presented their final showing of “I Love You Because,” a contemporary musical loosely adapted from “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austin.
The plot takes the theme of star-crossed lovers from “Pride and Prejudice” and gender swaps the roles that the characters play in developing their relationships.
Set in modern-day
New York City, the play follows an aspiring poet named Austin, a pragmatic scientist named Marcy, Austin’s brother Jeff, and Marcy’s friend Diana.
They navigate dating mishaps and miscommunications through humorous lyrics and physicality.
The story questions if love should be embraced with its flaws or if one should wait for the perfect person, encouraging the audience to love someone because of their quirks, not despite them. In Cameron’s production, Victoria
Spruill and Victor Rosario Quinones played the lead roles of Marcy and Austin respectively, while Shayson Lenee’ Hodges and Mvnte July played the supporting roles of lovers Diana and Jeff.
Grace Norbury and Ryan Kaye filled out the cast in various ensemble roles.
All the actors put on great performances and displayed strong chemistry between couples. I found the standouts to be Norbury and Kaye, who had flawless harmonies and elevated the minor roles into very memorable
moments.
The musical highlights included the title song “I Love You Because” and its counterpart “I Love You Anyway.” Both songs are lyrically and melodically beautiful pieces that Hodges clearly poured her soul into performing.
The film version of “Pride and Prejudice” inspired the costume designer Natalie Small’s clothing choices which blended elements from the Regency Era with modern American fashion. Their outfits featured built-in quick changes, ranging from minorly to entirely
different, that allowed for unnoticeably smooth costume changes.
The stage design was highly professional, more so than what might be expected from a production of this size. It featured the innovative use of two rolling jackknife sets to create bars, restaurants and apartments which provided seamless scene transitions with minimal crew and helped maintain the pacing and energy.
The props were creative too, including a rolling couch, wine bottles and a chalkboard with fake math formulas
used in one of the early songs. I was impressed by the painted foam Chinese food boxes with chopsticks handmade by the props master Tamia Johnson and props assistant Theo Cognet. I thought it was a great show all around, particularly for a college production in small town Oklahoma. Every aspect showed creativity and professionalism in its design and execution. I highly encourage all students to go see the next Cameron theatre production showing from April 17-20 in the University Theatre.
Soldier to Storyteller:
The Tale of Purser’s Perseverance
Army veteran Amanda Purser has developed a career on the backbone of volunteerism, communication and determination.
Originally from southern Florida, Purser found herself searching for direction after high school. After attending a trimester at Johnson and Wales University in Miami, Purser pivoted toward military service.
“I didn’t like Miami,” Puerser said. “It was a culture shock for me a little bit, and it was just a hard transition. I felt like I wasn’t doing anything with my life and I needed to go,
a lower NCO position, noncommissioned officer.”
Purser served in the Signal Corps originally trained on radios, specialized in Armed Forces communication, later transitioning to more advanced technology.
Purser used her training and skills in various environments, from ensuring secure communication during deployment to administrative leadership positions.
One of Purser’s most valuable experiences during her time in the Army was serving as President of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) program on Fort Sill in Lawton Oklahoma.
designed to provide opportunities and boost morale for single soldiers, served as an invaluable experience for Purser.
“That was really important for me because that was the first time in my life where I started doing blood drives and donating blood,” Purser said.
Purser said her experience with volunteerism in blood drives eventually came full circle.
“When I had my daughter, I ended up having an emergency situation, and I bled out. Had it not been for the blood donors, or the blood donations that I received and my surgeon being a combat medic, I would have
deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. There she served for 15 months.
Following her return in July 2012, Purser medically retired with health complications such as PTSD and physical disabilities. However, Purser persevered through her adjustment back to civilian life, ultimately finding the right path for herself.
“I had really good paying jobs,” Purser said, “and I just walked away from them because nothing was fulfilling or providing me any type of creative outlet that I think I was yearning for and needed.”
entertaining creative outlet to express herself, while also serving her campus community.
“I like the mission and what they were doing,” Purser said. “I think it helped me learn and it challenged me in a lot of ways.”
Cameron Collegian sports editor Ramona Villegas said that Purser manages her leadership role on the Collegian with confidence and ease.
Purser realized what she needed and channeled her passion into writing–a decision that would blossom into a career of creativity and diligence.
the community and stuff, it can come back and you never know
She started planning out her first novel in 2019, which developed into an entire series over time. Her crime fiction series, “The Cost,” has become a rite of passage for Purser, as it helped her find her creative outlet but also her passion for helping other authors get their works published as well.
This step into the publishing world with her own company, QueensBriar Press, ultimately led Purser to pursue a degree at Cameron University.
“I wanted some credentials to go along with that, and I saw that everything in the publishing world and in the writing world needed social media and then all that comes into the digital world of digital art,” Purser said. “So I found the Journalism and Media Production degree to be very fitting for what I was trying to do long term.”
Currently, Purser serves as Co-Managing Editor for the student-led newspaper, The Collegian at Cameron University.
Purser said that her experience on the paper is an
“She’s a very direct person, very clear, and I like how I know I’m never left guessing with her, and that’s something that I truly enjoy about her,” Villegas said. “If she says she’s gonna do something, she’s gonna do it and she’s gonna be there for you, even (if) it could be inconvenient for her.”
Though Purser’s books are a crime fiction series, Villegas said that she felt closer to Purser after reading her work.
“All of Amanda’s books are really good and they’re really unique to her experiences,” Villegas said. “Not only that but it was showing me a different version of her that I had never seen before, a more open and vulnerable side.”
Purser’s journey is a testament to the power of giving back. As she continues to evolve, she is hopeful for the future in moving away from the negative and securing a more positive narrative for veterans in the court of public opinion.
“I think people just need to be a little more empathetic in understanding,” Purser said. “We’ve done a really good job trying to transition and change that narrative, but there’s still work to do.”
Purser is in the process of writing the third book in “The Cost” series. While we wait, we can anticipate not only growth in the collection, but also the expansion of Purser’s career and literary achievements, reflecting her creative vision.
Tawny Vanover Staff Writer
Courtsey Photo
After a challenging season marked by setbacks and the departure of their head coach, the Lady Aggies volleyball team is looking forward to next season as a new coach takes on the task of rebuilding the team.
New Head Coach Melissa Avila is determined to change the program’s perception, instill confidence in her players and create a winning culture for the future of Cameron volleyball.
Avila believes her philosophy and vision for the team will have a lasting connection that goes beyond volleyball and Cameron.
“My coaching philosophy kind-of has been, since I started this thing, to develop young women who can possibly affect their lives and those around them,” Avila said. “Volleyball goes so much further than the four years they get to play. So, making sure we’re developing leaders who can be leaders both on and off the court.”
The Lady Aggies volleyball team has not had a winning
season since 2015, making the task set out for Avila a difficult one. Last season was tough for the team as they faced both a losing record and the toll of their head coach’s departure midseason.
Avila does not underestimate the challenge, emphasizing the importance of moving forward.
“I know there’s a lot of negative connotation surrounding the team since (the previous coach left), but we can’t use that as a crutch,” Avila said. “We’re a good volleyball team, and we’re focused on the future.”
Rebuilding the team’s confidence is a top priority.
“Getting them to understand that it wasn’t them, they were not the reason that the coach chose to depart the program, but understanding that, hey, we can
do this,” Avila said. “There’s a lot of talented kids on this team. They’re a great group of girls, so getting them to see that vision for themselves is key.”
To nurture that mindset, Avila is introducing new strategies, beginning with “Win-It Mondays” that set the tone for the week.
“Everything we do on Monday in practice will always be competitive, always have an ultimate goal,” Avila said. “It forces them to show up on
a Monday and go to work.That just kicks off the week really positively.”
Avila believes mental toughness is important and wants to create an environment where players feel comfortable making mistakes to learn from.
“We’re going to make some errors,” Avila said, “but we’re proving to ourselves that we can compete at this high level.”
With a roster of 12 dedicated players and new recruits joining in the fall, Avila is determined to make a
statement.
“I’m excited to change what Cameron volleyball is,” Avila said. “I want to get in here with these kids and prove everyone wrong.”
With the team preparing for the upcoming season, Avila has an end goal in sight: build a program that the players, the school and the community can be proud of.
Fans are encouraged to come support the team this fall as they begin a new season and a new journey.
