the odds:
a heroic delivery
Patriots,
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read our freshly printed issue this week! The longevity of the semester so far has worn and torn on all of us including: students, administrators, coaches, and professors. Since we are officially halfway through, I think itâs safe to say the light at the end of the tunnel is near. With a taste of early spring weather, we can only hope that we have survived winterâs fury. I can feel the anxiousness for blooming flowers, hiking trips, and a much-needed tan. I think we all deserve a break from one another to solely focus on rest! As for my fellow seniors out there, senioritis is a real diagnosis. My advice to lower its symptoms is: remember that you only have a short time left on campus. Try to enjoy your last moments here, create more memories, and take it in because time doesnât slow down. This week, the staff has provided articles on studentâs reflecting on self-growth, new beginnings, and willingness to help others out of pure love. While reading, I hope you also reflect on the obstacles youâve faced throughout the years. Remember, everything you have gone through has made you who you are today. To all of you that think you canât change your situation, it is never too late to be brand new. Every one of us have dealt with what you are feeling, so donât be afraid of change. Here at The Patriot, we are continuously striving to provide content that will inform students of societal and local events, entertain those who keep up with the latest trends in pop culture, and promote campusâ individuals who achieve excellence. Anna Naylor, what you have done for your mom is nothing short of incredible. You deserve recognition for your unconditional love and perseverance toward your family and sport. As always, The Patriot appreciates your support, feedback, and suggestions. Donât be shy to email us at thepatriot@ucumberlands.edu with any questions, comments, or concerns. We would love to have some new writers, photographers, and graphic designers around our office! Sincerely,
Megan Willoughby
Editor-In-Chief
Eric Ford Edwards
Managing Editor
Megan Willoughby
Faculty Adviser
Jeremiah Massengale
Staff
Emilee Agee
Taylor Duke
Leanne Gregory
Tyler Kohn
Megan Muggridge
Nichole Sharp
Zane Ross
Editorial Review Board
Lisa Bartram
Marianne Worthington
Email comments, concerns or tips to: thepatriot@ucumberlands.edu or call us at 606-539-4172
7000 College Station Drive Williamsburg, Kentucky 40769
The Patriot is the weekly student publication of the University of the Cumberlands. Our goal is to provide timely and original content by highlighting campus news and views.
Award-winning member of the Associated Collegiate Press and Kentucky Press Association.
Wrestling the Odds
UC wrestler becomes All-American after donating part of her liver
BY MORGAN HUFF
Guest Writer
UC student Anna Naylor took a semester off to save her motherâs life with a risky surgery, which involved donating 70 percent of her liver. Last spring, Naylor donated part of her liver to her mom. Less than a year later, she was announced an All American at the Womenâs College Wrestling Association Nationals with a sixth place finish.
Naylorâs mother, Josephine Naylor, had struggled with lupus for almost 20 years. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder that can target almost any organ but in this case it attacked Josephine Naylorâs liver. Josephine Naylor was in and out of the hospital every week, as her condition progressively got worse. She was put on a transplant list but the wait could be incredibly long.
Anna Naylor said that as soon as she heard about the partial liver transplant she knew she was going to do it. She hadnât even been tested to see if she was a match and had already told head womenâs wrestling coach, Donnie Stephens, that she would be gone the spring semester.
âI remember crying at practice a few times last winter because I didnât know if it would be my last time.â Anna Naylor said.
The Naylors traveled all the way to Singapore for the transplant because the surgical team there was better equipped to deal with the surgery and because the Naylors had family there to aid in their recovery. The surgery was very risky for Josephine Naylor because her hepatic portal vein was completely deteriorated. This led to the decision to use a cadaver vein for her surgery.
Anna Naylor recovered quickly due to how good of shape she was in. âThe first couple months back wrestling were tough because my
abs were so tight and sore.â Naylor sad.
Josephine Naylorâs recovery has been a longer process and she is still in Singapore, but is doing much better thanks to her daughterâs sacrifice. Anna Naylor said her mother should be back home in California soon.
The sacrifice of Naylor is commendable and deserving of a story all in itself but her feat doesnât end here. She upset the bracket at WCWA Nationals and became an Academic All-American.
Anna Naylor finished with a record of 4-3 at the tournament with three pins and a tech fall. She upset Morgan Becker of Campbellsville University whom was ranked eighth in the country. Anna Naylor was not picked to All-American but wrestled hard to make podium with a sixth place finish.
Josephine Naylor took to Facebook to congratulate her daughter since she couldnât attend. She said, âMy angel has trained hard and won sixth placeâŠabout one year ago, you gave me 70 percent of your liver and saved my life. Thank you for that and for being a winner!â
âHonestly, after finishing up Nationals I just started crying because I have never won something that big without my mom and sister in the gymâŠWrestling is a family affair for us,â Anna Naylor said. It is clear wrestling and family are things of the utmost importance to her.
Anna Naylor has even higher goals for next year where she plans to be a national champion and finish her degree to pursue a career in forensic entomology.
Photo submitted by Anna Naylor
Getting started
Itâs never too late in the year to make a resolution
BY GRAC E UEBEL Guest Writer
What does the word âresolutionâ mean to you? Does it conjure up ideas of optimism and a fresh start or new dreams and aspirations for a better tomorrow? Or perhaps, the opposite of that comes to mind. Feelings of dread and broken self-promises mixed with the guilt of weight gain and an inefficient lifestyle.
Regardless of if you have a strong opinion one way or another, you have made resolutions in life. Every single one of us has resolved to make a change or differ something in our lifestyle at some point. What I want to tell you is that your resolutions are worth keeping.
I feel as if so many of us have astounding and wonderful dreams for our lives, yet remained crippled by the ocean of work we must swim across before we arrive to our goal. Personally, I am often overwhelmed by how many steps in life it takes to achieve something that I want. Sometimes, I forget that there are tangible things that I can do to get to the place I wish to be in life.
Resolutions are the stepping-stones that we know will better our lives and help us meet
our goals. Resolutions are also the things that seem to feel so looming and unattainable. Start small with your goals and resolutions, but keep them. When you stay true, honest, and realistic with your goals, they will help you prosper in life. Do not just sit around wishing. Start doing. Set intentional goals and resolve to stick with them for longer than a week or a month. You will be amazed at just how much you can do, and just how much progress you can make when you apply yourself and accept that nothing in life will happen if you do not work and push for it.
Life, especially life in college, is a work in progress. Know that the goals you set will never be met with perfection, but do not let that keep you from trying. Whether you made a New Yearâs resolution a couple of months ago, or just made a new resolution today, work toward your goal to the best of your abilities and talents. You will surprise yourself! Also, you will feel as if you made a step in the right direction to your goals. Have goals working toward your future, and for the rest of your life.
Get to know Terry Bradshaw
BY LEANNE GREGORY Staff Writer
University of the Cumberlands presents the 13th Annual Excellence in Leadership Series on Tuesday, April 10, featuring legendary athlete and television personality Terry Bradshaw. With the spring Forcht Leadership Event just around the corner, we here at The Patriot wanted to give students a look into the facts that make up Terry Bradshawâs life. Here are ten interesting facts about Terry Bradshaw.
1. He was born in Shreveport Louisiana in 1948.
2. He has written several books, including one about his life titled âItâs Only a Game.â
3. He attended Louisiana Tech University.
4. He has won four Super Bowls rings.
5. He was diagnosed with ADHD.
6. He has two children, Erin and Rachel Bradshaw
7. He is a actor in several films, including âFailure to Launch,â âRobots,â and âThe Cannon Ball Run.â
8. His debut album came out in 1976 and was titled âIâm So Lonesome I Could Cry.â
9. Over the course of his football career with the Pittsburgh Steelers he achieved a passing yard total of 27,989 yards.
10. He is the co-owner of FitzBradshaw Racing, which owns the numberâs 12 and 14 dodge chargers in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Photo by Taylor Duke
Photo by Jim Greenhill
Dear 12-year-old Me
Hindsight is a beautiful thing. What advice would you give to your 12-year-old self? Two of our writers have chosen to share theirs with you. Theyâve chosen to remain anonymous because being a kid is hard.
Dear 12-year-old me,
"Youâre in sixth grade now, and you decided that when middle school began you would make new friends, and you did. You eventually decided these new friends, as âcoolâ as they were, were not kind to others and you ditched them, and I often think about how proud I am of you for that because not having a lot of friends at 12 can feel like a big deal, but trust me, quality is better than quantity, especially when I tell you that your doubles partner on the tennis team is now your college roommate. While you might feel like your shyness is an occasionally an issue, you mostly grow out that after middle school, although it appears youâre going to continue to be a nervous wreck. The biggest tip I have for this is to understand that the kids at school are just focused on themselves and not you, so just enjoy yourself while you can because as you get older, your responsibilities start multiplying, and whatâs cool now is going to be lame in a couple years. Basically, donât buy Silly Bandz or shop at Abercrombie and save that money for college (and save yourself embarrassment when you look at pictures later).
Also, cherish your time with your dad. Heâs going to take some travel jobs and you wonât be able to go with him. Itâs going to be different and sad, but you should let yourself feel sad, itâs good to experience emotions even when theyâre bad, and please call him more. I know this is quite a few years in the future, but unlike middle
Dear 12-year-old self,
I want to tell you made it, youâre in college, and you should be proud of your future self. Take a deep breath, you did it, so far. You can breathe again. You really should be proud; however, I wish I could say everything got better for you right off the bat. Youâve had your fair share of sorrow and terror to last a person a lifetime. But the fact of the matter is right now, youâre only 12 years old and thatâs the last thing on your mind. Youâre so hopeful and no one understands why and I hope you stay that way through life. Youâve regrettably already gone through some stuff no one should have ever went through. Especially not before the age of 12 where you still donât know what the words mean that the people in the courts keep saying. I know you want to read that itâll get better, that when they took your brother away everything would be okay again. That your dad wouldnât be the first guy to break your heart countless times and that he really meant it when he said he wouldnât hurt you again, in any way. Itâs funny how it all works out. But thatâs only the beginning.
My only advice is to toughen your shell up more for some hard hits in the next decade of your life. I want to go back and tell you that even though you keep getting knocked down and you think itâs the last time, itâs not. You will keep on and keep on and it will seem to never end. Sorrow is a word you will know the definition of, the taste of, and you will feel it on your skin. But youâre a fighter. Your battle will be tough and you will come out with scars but that doesnât mean you wonât fight. I wish more people could understand that. I donât even understand that now, nor did I at your age, just at the measly age of 12 years old.
I want to tell you that loss will forever linger and haunt you. I
school, your grades in high school are actually important. You are capable of doing better than you did and the more you care now, the more youâll benefit later. Something I want you to do is care. It sounds trivial, but rather than floating through every day doing the minimum, challenge yourself because youâre missing out on many life-changing opportunities. I am going to be honest, your middle school experience is better than your high school experience, but you dealt with your issues as best you could. Iâm going to save you some time and effort and tell you that you are not going to be a nurse, so instead of taking medical math and anatomy in the health science track, take humanities classes because you know in the back of your mind that nursing is not your passion. Speaking of which, you can in fact be successful and not be good at math and science, so stop crying while doing your stats homework, itâs going to be okay.
Lastly, youâre going to let some people into your life that donât care about you like you do for them, but donât let make you afraid to continue to create relationships with people. All things considered, you have led an easy life, and while you may see it as boring, itâs actually a blessing. Iâve found that as you learn more about yourself, you become more secure in what you want and are willing to try harder to achieve it, so donât be scared to do what you enjoy, just make sure you give it your all.
Love,
21-year-old me
wish I could better prepare you and I wish I could tell you to pick better friends at certain points in your life because your worst enemies will have been some of your closest friends. If you think you know what alone is, Iâm sad to say youâll feel the most alone when the love of your life, your soul mate, your sweet, sweet Jacob, leaves this world and then all your âfriendsâ leave too. I wish I could tell you not to party with them and to find more supportive friends and better influences. Then maybe losing Jacob wouldnât have happened because youâd have been a better girlfriend. Maybe if it really was Godâs will at least you wouldnât have been alone and had more friends by your side. But you donât and you give up. You barely make it. But you do. You somehow keep fighting, even after losing him.
I want to tell you God comes in clutch for you though. When youâre at your lowest, when youâre about to end it all. I want you to know God was there. He took the bullet. I want you to make sure Jacob knows you loved him regardless of everything going on and all the mistakes you both made. Hug him tight every chance you get. Without spoiling the rest of your life so far, I want you to know you wonât always be alone like you think after that. God takes care of you. He has since day one. He will take your sorrow and pain and every hit, beating, and inappropriate touch youâre ever to receive. You will not fail because you will persevere. Keep God close to your heart and follow His will.
Stay strong always, Future You
BY AVERY SEEGER Guest Writer
Springing on to Stage
Dr. Kim Miller, director of UC Theatre, recently held auditions for the upcoming play âParagon Springs.â Miller has been teaching on campus and directing theatre productions at UC since 2008. She also oversees the Improv Troupe at UC. Miller has chosen ten student actors and a stage manager to create her vision for this semesterâs play. UC students will perform âParagon Springsâ on April 12-15. One of these show dates will count as a convocation credit for students; though which performance has yet to be determined. Miller recently took time out of her busy schedule to sit down for an interview to speak about the play and its production.
AS: So, this semesterâs production is âParagon Springs,â what can you tell me about it?
Kim Miller: The author is Steven Dietz and itâs an updated version of a play by Henrik Ibsen that was called âAn Enemy of the People,â and itâs had one other update in the 1950s by American playwriter Arthur Miller. So, there is something about this story that seems to speak to people. Basically, what happens is thereâs a small town and their income comes from the therapeutic waters. They have advertised themselves as the place with hot springs that will help heal people and the local doctor has evidence to suspect that the maybe the water has been poisoned by the town tanneries and its actually going to make people sick. And so, it becomes a controversy of âDo we protect people when maybe the water wonât make them sick? Or do we have to invest more money, more money than the town can really afford to clean it up?â So, it becomes a moral issue, social issue, and an economic issue.
AS: So, what made you choose this play over the other plays you were considering? What were the other plays?
KM: The other choices wereâwe were looking at doing âDracula,â but if Iâm going to do âDracula,â I think Iâm going to do it in the fall semester,
just with Halloween. I had read this play a couple years ago and people have been talking about it for a long time but it requires ten people and I havenât had ten strong performers in a while. So, I just put it on the back burner and when we did auditions last fall for âThe MouseTrapâ I had so many really strong people come out that I started looking back through one of the plays that I had put back that had larger casts. So, I looked at who auditioned in the fall and who had auditioned in the fall and who I had a sense would be willing to come back and audition again and even if they didnât get a part in the fall that they would just bounce right back and come back and say, âHey Iâm ready to work,â and this seemed to be the play that fits. Also, this version of the play is set in the 1920s, which is the âRoaring Twentiesâ so radio is the big technology. Thereâs a question of âIs it more effective than print journalism?â
So, itâs looking at the role of media in culture as well as the role of what is right and what is wrong and who actually has to pay for us to be right or wrong. And so, I think there is a lot of things which are paralleling our society today in terms of where do you look to for your information, who has the right to arbitrate right and wrong and who is picking up the bill when it comes to something and affects all of us.
AS: If someone is considering doing theatre, what advice would you give them?
KM: I would say start with what you know and the be prepared to expand because right now, the people who are getting work out of their training programsâand weâve got a couple people, grads who have been doing thisâyou have to comfortable on stage but they also have to have a technical skill as well. Now we have started devising in the theatre because that is going to be the next thing that people do, which is creating a play really, out of nothing. So, strong collaboration skills and whatever they think about they know about stardom or fame, just to put that aside because itâs about showing up every day to do the work. Itâs like any other job, you come, you do the work, itâs not always glamorous. But if
An Interview with theatre director Dr. Kim Miller
Photos by Eric Ford Edwards
The cast of Paragon Springs practicing for the production.
Standing In The Shadows
A review of the Ps2 release of âShadow of the Colossusâ
BY LEANNE GREGORY Staff Writer
On October 18, 2005, the game developer Team Ico released a new and phenomenal experience to North America: an open world, boss rush game for the PlayStation 2 titled Shadow of the Colossus. The game was so heralded for its concept that it became an iconic legend, prompting two remakes for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.
Storyline
The player takes on the role of a warrior aptly christened Wander as he explores the uninhabited land in search of 16 beasts known as the Colossus. With an ancient sword sheathed against his waist and a beautiful tawny horse named Agro, Wander travels scorching deserts, dank ruins, and verdant lakes on an epic journey whose ultimate cost may outweigh its benefits.
Pros
Everywhere the player looked they could see miles of panoramic landscape that allowed every blade of grass to sway in the zephyrs and dappled sunlight, every lake to be covered in billowing waves, and every Colossus to actually live. The game offered players the chance to witness an old school role playing game that never explicitly told the player where their objective was or how to accomplish their set task, rather allowing the player to explore and come with their hard earned knowledge.With the linear progression of the story, players could explore whatever area of
the map they wished. This game had been coded with a physics and collision detection system that strove to provide players with the unique experience of seeing every in-game movement the player made, no matter how small, reacted to. Lastly, the gameâs resounding orchestral game track and character driven story was mysterious as it was invigorating and tear jerking.
Cons
The camera and character controls present in the original PlayStation 2 release are sometimes a hassle to slog through despite how responsive and realistic they can be. Occasionally, character models and environment pieces will glitch out, causing effects such as having Wanders or Agroâs character models slip through cliff faces or trees or even falling off the map entirely. Speaking of game lore, the overall story could be a bit difficult to follow at times, with the only lore being offered to players mainly through flashbacks or small tidbits of character dialogue. There are many aspects of the story that raise questions and plot holes that are left up to playersâ imagination to fill in. For players who want and desire concrete answers out of a gameâs lore, or who simply need a defined and well written storyline to be able to fully immerse themselves into a game to enjoy it, the lack of clarity on almost everything in the game can be a fair reason that to choose to never finish it.
As Spring Break becomes more of a reality rather than a day dream, here at The Patriot we curiated a playlist filled with songs to create new road trip memories with.
