Written by Nathan Adam Spear
Connections were made and defining moments were shared last month at the Presentation Hall of the Highland Campus, after ACC’s new Chancellor and students of various backgrounds were gathered in meaningful group conversation. The occasion? a student event titled, “What Matters to You Matters! Finding the Authenticity That Shines Through In Applications,” hosted by The Scholarship Society on March 23.
Kristin Hummel, President of the recently-formed student organization, said the event was a product of the Scholarship Society’s founding mission to help students “build the strongest scholarship applications possible” and “organically connect with new interests that will help them have a richer academic life.” This mission brought other student groups like the Honors Student Organization, both the SEDS and SEKS clubs, and a few of us here at ACCENT Media out to table for the event.
Notably, the small expo’s guest list also included a presentation from ACC’s new Chancellor, Russell Lowery-Hart; Given the hour, he recalled a time in Waco when, simulating the life of a person experiencing homelessness, he realized fully: “what mattered [was] the communities that I was trying to support, more than it ever mattered what people called me or what my organizational title was.”
At the event, the ACC President then opened the floor by asking the audience for their own similar “moments of epiphany,” – and the room full of diverse student leaders did not come up short with their own inspiring and occasionally tear-jerking responses.
SGA Member Carey Cranor, who is running for Senator of the Rio Grande Campus, spoke up about a time he felt stuck in a well-paying but unfulfilling job that he said was, “so easy they could probably train a monkey to do it.” Fearing that he “might never achieve anything ever again” in the position, Cranor said his “moment” of change came after being laid off. “I felt relieved, because now my life could actually start.”
Theodore Courtois, a founder of the ACC group Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), shared his experience as a “non-traditional first-generation student” as well as his past struggles with “imposter syndrome”. Youthful and well-dressed, Courtouis remembered a validating moment after taking SEDS to Space Vision, “the largest space-related student conference in the country,” where a guest speaker reminded him that he too was one of “the future leaders of the aerospace industry.” The student leader included that ACC was critical for his confidence, saying, “I found myself in a room of people, [where] I didn’t have to act like I belonged.”
Hummel, the event’s host, also took the metaphorical stand to share her story. Learning her “abuser had been paroled in January of 2023”, she left school and “wandered the country, literally, for a month.” Many introspective questions later and Hummel made her decision to return to ACC – since then, the present-day IT employee and group president said she “got plugged into all the resources and figured out how to be a student here… how to be a leader here and how to put on events like this today.” Applause followed her words, likely fueled by both her inspiring story as well as the audience’s appreciation for her work on this impactful event.
After several more inspiring accounts were given by other brave students who shared their various journeys, the Chancellor concluded the conversation by wording the importance of hearing about these moments. Lowery-Hart defined good leadership as “walking in life knowing that every single person that comes in contact with you has their own story that’s worthy of acknowledgement.”
Beyond just this discussion, the “What Matters to You Matters!” event consisted of an afternoon full of event activities that all reflected the Scholarship Society’s goal of community building and career readiness, including: a workshop on using Linkedin, a photobooth for free professional headshots, as well as several relevant panels like, “All About Student Government ” led by SGA Members Edwin Escamilla and Elisha Macgregor, or “What Does Passion Have to do with scholarships?” presented by Hummel herself.
If you want to join in on any future events by the Scholarship Society, or if you just want to see the resources that their group has to offer: check out their page on MySL to contact them and keep track of their upcoming plans!