Abby Castner – I think it’s a systemic sign of a larger problem within our society and how we deal with a lot of things from mental illness all the way down to isolation.Fasih Hashmi – It’s surprising and terrible because sometimes you never know how people can become dangerous about using guns at school. They can just shoot at each other. It’s not very safe to have guns at schools.Brooklyn Terlinde – There is always a possibility of something bad happening anywhere. People would be more secure if they were taught the behaviors of people that may do that.
Joshua Valdez – The name of the shooter should be kept private. They shouldn’t get the publicity for what they’ve done. We know what happened in the shootings, but putting their name out there is unnecessary.
Hien Li – I don’t think its appropriate to have gun with you in school someone can get angry and start shooting. Its not a need, because we have cops around to protect us.
Alec Rakoff – There’s been suggestions, arming teachers, lettings students carry (guns) although that can lead to more shootings. All of those can be good ideas, but they’re all have consequences of their own.
Emily Marazzo – It means sticking through with what you started to the end, even if you don’t like it. It’s important to me personally. I guess it’s the completionist trait that I have as a person. I try my best not to quit when I start something. If I don’t get something, I’ll always ask for help to get through it, even if I don’t want to.
Jordan Elcock – It’s the will to keep going, like getting through school when times are hard and all that. School, work, and balancing whatever else you do, so I guess that’s that.
Jasmin Dale – I’m the first generation in my family to actually go to college. My mom struggled a lot as a teen mom. She gave me the drive to go to school. I want for my little brother to be able to look up to me and say, ‘if my sister can do this, I can do this.’ I want to be a good influence for him.
Maleha Baset – It’s just fighting through. Basically it’s not giving up. I exhibit perseverance through my classes, and not changing my major. I’m taking basic classes. Everybody has to take basic classes. They’re not always easy and they’re not always fun, but I have to stick through it and remember that I need to get through this to actually take the classes that I want to take and actually enjoy.
Jasmine Scott – Perseverance to me is never giving up. No matter what your struggles are, whatever you believe in, no matter what people say, just do not give up on what you’re passionate about. I’m a single mother. I work and I go to school. That in it’s own is perseverance because I have to take care of my daughter, I have to do good in school, I have to work. All of that I have to do just to provide for my daughter and make a better future for me and her.
Shelby Kanpe – I have a learning disability, so I’ve struggled through school and I had to work really hard to get where I am. When I was in high school, our band was going through a really hard time because our band director was out. We had a really bad substitute and a lot of the band was quitting and so I was trying to keep the band going, telling them to stay in band.
Flor Villegas – Perseverance means a lot to me. It’s a main goal in my life. It’s very important. Whenever my family and I moved from Mexico to Georgetown, it was a big change. [My parents] were always there with me, always making everything easier for me and for my brothers too.Nicole Castro – No matter what the obstacles that come your way, you are always set on getting to your goal. Don’t let anybody’s opinion, or what they say about you, shift you away from getting to your goal. My grandmother wanted to go to college so she went out of her way, got a job, and paid her [own way].Adrian Rodrguez – Perseverance is like staying on topic and just continuing and following your path. Whenever my sister was having trouble at work, she was getting too emotional from the comments she received from her clients being negative. She knew it wasn’t her fault, so she just took it. [It] got her down, but she still continued working through it.
Daniel Woo – The will to keep going; maybe finding something in your life, on your own, with guidance. I want to get a job mainly because I want to help my parents since they’ve helped me through so much so far. I want to repay what they’ve done for me. I guess that’s what’s keeping me going. Also, coming across new people and new things. It gives me inspiration to want to learn new things with new people so I can put it forth to maybe helping other people like I’m trying to help my parents. I’m just trying to do what I can.
Erin Daniel – I feel like it means going for what you believe in. When I have to make decisions on things, I base it on what I believe in, what I think is going to work best for me, and what’s going to help me go further into my future.
David Clark – Life itself is about finding balance. Part of perseverance is you have to throw yourself into things that are uncomfortable. There’s an old proverb, a gem cannot be polished without friction, a human cannot be polished without trial. You have gotta throw yourself back into things. I’m older than most students. I took my first run at college.
Amber Galloway – Something along the lines of not giving up, continuing to keep going, keep trying. I would say school is persevering. Continuing to go through school regardless of hardships in your life, how hard your classes may be, or sometimes you just want to give up and do something else, but we continue to go to school and move forward.
Student “S.” – As a recovering alcoholic, [perseverance] is kind of everyday, just overcoming fear and daily obstacles. I’m quite a bit older than most of the people on campus. It was quite difficult to get back into, ya know, wanting to go back to school. I’ve been divorced, my kids are grown. Regarding my identity as mom or wife, I’ve had to figure out who I was as me, myself. With my struggles with addiction, it seemed appropriate to go get my license for counseling. It’s who I am now. I’m a recovering alcoholic that wants to help other alcoholics. Spirituality played a huge role in getting me where I am today. I believe in a higher power. I also believe you can’t do anything, any big huge struggle, on your own. You need a support group, people you can trust, talk to, not judge you, and help guide you through whatever your dilemmas are.
Alanah Patterson – You never give up, no matter what you do, at least attempt to do something. I went to a leadership academy for seven years. A big part of our mission statement was perseverance. Everyday, when I complete my homework, because it takes a lot for me to sit down and actually work. I always make myself do it, and I think that’s perseverance for myself.
Interviews by Ryan Fontenette-Mitchell and photos by Joseph Lee
Featured image courtesy of The Seattletimes newspaper
What are your thoughts on the 2016 presidential race?
Christian Padilla • Round Rock Campus: I feel like every race has gone through something. Being Hispanic, I’m more worried about Donald Trump. I feel like he is against us.Dylan Arocha • Graphic Design Major: Voting is important. Our future depends on what these people are going for. I would support Hillary Clinton because she’s a woman.Maria Harris • Criminal Justice Major: The top two candidates are Hillary Clinton — because of [her views on]women’s rights and equal rights for all, and Donald Trump — even though he’s saying some ridiculous things.Niyra Tealer • Advertising Major: I’m very passionate about the 2016 election. Bernie Sanders has very concrete answers when he touches base on issues and doesn’t tiptoe around taboo subjects.Ryan Lane • Business Management Major: Donald Trump is just running to just get his brand out there more. I don’t feel like he’s running for the president of the United States.Tatiana Johnson • History and Spanish: I think it will be cool for Hillary to win because her husband was our president and I feel she has insider knowledge.
