Ryan Gest

By Alex Urband

Ryan Gest, Kilgore sophomore, does a lot of unique and different things that there were so many to write about. He is a radio/ tv major and he works at a store called Farm and Ranch Store, and sells about eight pallets of deer corn a week, which is unique because he does that on his weekends.

Ryan collects guitars. He has been collecting for seven years now and he said, “ I just started with one and the collecting just kept going.” He has about five vintage guitars that are very important to him, and he said he paid for them all, and they are locked up safely in a closet at his house. Ryan said, “ My guitars are very important to me, I’ve had them for so long now, I work just to get a new one.” Not a lot of young adults will pay for their own things and collect things pretty often. Of course the guitars shows that he likes music.

Ryan loves music and was in a band named the Madhatters for a couple years. They were a small local band that consisted of him and two girls. He said, “We played a few gigs, but not enough to be known.”

At first, Ryan seemed really shy and timid, but once he started talking the information flowed right of of him.
Ryan is into photography and likes to travel and take pictures. He has a darkroom at his house and explained the type of photographs he likes to take, which is randomness. Ryan likes to do a lot of traveling and taking pictures of things that he sees. He had talked about this past summer, and how he went with his girlfriend to West Texas, and would work and built houses to help those in need.

Ryan’s three top favorite movies are classics such as “A Deer Hunter,” “A Clockwork Orange,” and “A Full Metal Jacket.” “Clockwork Orange” maybe considered as a scary and disturbing movie, and he said, “It’s about how society can change in a instant.” Ryan said it cleverly.

A first impression of Ryan was a withdrawn and reserved person, but he had a lot to say and was more than glad to talk about it. The information about him was told within a 50-minute period. He wears casual attire to class, a T-shirt and shorts with flip-flops, which is standard for all college students.

Ryan is a nice guy, and interesting to talk with, once he gets to talking.

Nyja Stevens

By Ashleigh Fontenot

Nyja Stevens, Dallas Junior, is knowledgeable about a lot things most people might not be aware of. For example “Margarine is one molecule away from being plastic,” Nyja explained at the beginning of her interview. Nyja says, “I’d rather eat butter because it seems healthier than eating something close to plastic.” She may be a good candidate for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire or Jeopardy, where people are often rewarded for knowing random facts. Nyja enjoys watching tv in her spare time. She watches anything from X-men to Batman or the history channel, so she is well informed.

Things that interest Nyja are the history of Greece, their ancient civilization and how advanced they were in technology. At the same time in studying marketing Nyja believes she could also pursue math and become a teacher. Nyjja said, “math is my favorite subject.”

Nyja can be described as keeping to herself but not shy. She doesn’t talk much but she’s thinking all the time. She is a great listener and is very in tuned with her surroundings. She is type of person who pays attention to the detail.
Nyja seems to dress for comfort most of the time, just an average SFA college junior taking care of business. She can be described as a down-to-earth mellow personality.

Nyja is the oldest of two children. Nyja’s mother is her best friend. Nyja can watch almost any movie and be entertained except musicals. She says they are a bit cheesy/ cliché. Nyja is tuned into the latest technology and electronics. She currently holds a job as the Communications lab monitor.

When watching cartoons Nyja says she likes to stick to the originals Batman and X-men.

She has a history of writing poetry. She wrote poems to express her feelings of curiosity about love. She also wrote for her high school newspaper. She wrote about the happening of her local high school.

When Nyja was asked Mac or PC she responded PC. She believes they are more accessible and everything is laid out more clearly. Macs are too confusing Nyja exclaimed!

Jordan Smith

By Ashley Taylor


People can always try to predict the future but never know what life will bring them. Jordan Smith just knew her life course was to be the next big Broadway actress. This 18-year-old freshman from Vanvleck, Texas, discovered that she would not be the next Broadway star at the beginning of her adulthood.
“I loved theatre!” she confessed. When it came to the real world she knew she had to choose a career that would involve a promising future. Jordan let go her love for theatre after she won her first performance role her senior year.
“ I had never won anything my entire life, but my senior year I won Best Actress in The Gut Girls,” she stated proudly. Although she won, she realized that the theatre world was very competitive.
College was a wake-up call for Jordan; she took in her love for baseball and football to decide that she wanted to pursue a career in public relations.
“ I am a performer,” she said. She figured she could put her love for performing into doing public relations for her favorite sports teams, the Astros and Cowboys.
Once Jordan became a college student she realized that there is more in life than she realized before. She is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) sorority and in the Freshman Leadership Academy. Jordan is the first person in her family to go Greek and she hopes to continue the legacy.
She hopes to be married someday with four children and maybe pursue another career in pre-law with politics. Jordan Smith is a well-dressed young lady with a bright future in front of her. Life is about finding yourself and Jordan is in the midst of making her path.

Sam Arnold

By Angela Bradley

Being able to write about something enjoyable is a dream that to most would never become a reality. Sam Arnold, a 20-year-old sophomore at Stephen F. Austin, from Liberty Texas, has made that dream a reality. Arnold often writes concert reviews for publication to an information website based out of Houston. Arnold has been writing reviews for the website for three months now. Each review is one to two pages and he has done five reviews for the website.
Arnold said he had been to at least 30 concerts since 2004. When asked what concerts he has been to Arnold replied, “ Mostly rock; Tool in Dallas, ZZ Top in Houston, Incubus and Mastodon (a heavy metal band).”
Arnold said that of all the concerts he has attended ZZ Top was the best. When asked how a college student could afford to go to so many concerts, Arnold replied, “ It’s hard, it costs a lot of money, but they reimburse me with their talent, the effort they put out and the show they put on.”
Arnold told about the first concert he attended in 2004. “ The first concert I attended was ZZ Top at Ford Park in Beaumont, Texas. I was 17-years-old and my seats were all right. I wanted to get closer so when I saw that the bouncers were tied up I slipped past them down to the front row” Arnold continued, “ I watched Hank Williams Junior from the front row and I even got a drumstick. ZZ Top was just about to take the stage and I couldn’t believe no one had come to claim the seat I was sitting in.” Arnold remained in the seat through out ZZ Top’s performance where he made conversation with the woman in the seat next to his. The woman Arnold had been talking to turned out to be one of the opening band member’s mothers. The woman gave Arnold a backstage pass where he was able to meet ZZ Top. “ I was only 17-years-old, so it was definitely a high point, don’t know if I ever came down from that one,” Arnold said.
Arnold is attending SFA as a double major. He is majoring in radio-television as well as political science. Maybe he has found his calling already. #

Ashley Taylor

By Jordan Lea Smith

Ashley Taylor has a pleasant smile and a keen sense of fashion. Her hair is short, but always styled in a cute way. Taylor, a Houston sophomore, is waiting for the right amount of hours to become a junior. When asked what her classification was Taylor said, “well, a junior really soon.” Taylor is a radio/television major, public relations minor. She currently works at Aramark as a store manager. Taylor was the only child born to her parents. “Yeah, I’m a loner,” she said, but only in the sibling’s sense. Taylor has a warm personality and is easy to talk to.
All throughout her high school career Taylor participated in her school’s volleyball program. She said that she loved playing volleyball. She moved from a college prep-type high school to another school before she graduated for academic reasons, so she ended up playing volleyball for two different schools. In her original school they took all advance placement classes that tested their academic abilities. Because of this all of the students were very close in rank which placed Taylor, although she had around a 3.8, in the bottom half of her class. After the move she maintained her GPA and became 19th out of around 300 students, placing her in the top 10 percent and able to be accepted into any state supported university. Her GPA also enabled her to be entered into the National Honor Society. Before she graduated Taylor applied for the Warren Moon Scholarship. Many thousands of people apply for this scholarship each year and only seven receive it in the whole United States. In order to apply for the scholarship students had to have participated in some sort of high school sport and been in need of financial support for furthering their education.
After graduation Taylor hadn’t heard from them, so figured she was not one of the seven. “They called me one day in June and said that I’d won the scholarship and they were sending me to Vegas.” Taylor, along with the other six scholarship winners, one other from Texas, one from California, and four from Las Vegas, received an all expenses paid trip to Vegas to meet with many different sport’s stars and to help in the fundraising for next year’s scholarship. Some of the stars included Ozzie Davis and boxer Winkie Wright. Taylor said that she wasn’t ready to leave when it was time to but on the last day there she got to meet Winkie and that completed the trip for her.
They were treated like celebrities themselves, getting the VIP treatment at Vegas’s Mandalay Bay. “They told me when I went to check in at the hotel that I had to go to the VIP check-in. I thought that I could handle that.”
Other than the trip to Vegas she received the actual scholarship for $2,000 each year she spends at college. Here at Stephen F. Austin Taylor is involved with many things on campus. She is a RHA social co-chair, an activities coordinator for Big Jacks, and a Supreme Court Justice. Majoring in radio/television Taylor hopes to one day become a radio personality and then be the number one radio personality out there with her own show. She also wants to delve into club promotion and thinks that she might lean more towards advertising minor than public relations one.
After college she plans on moving to Atlanta, which is where her mother lives. Taylor knows that she wants to get married sometime in her life, just not anytime soon. When asked about children she just laughed. “Kids aren’t for me. My momma’s going to want grandkids, but oh well.”

Caroline Riettini

By Federico Montemayor

It began at the age of six when a little girl saw the “Indian Princesses” perform majestically on their stallions and began her life long ambition of being around horses. This was developed into a desire to compete in dressage, the art of competitive horse training.
Caroline Riettini, Houston sophomore, has never been able to narrow her passions to one activity. Though her passion for horses was ignited when she was little, Riettini joined the choir while in middle school in the Memorial area of Houston, and Junior Teachers, newspaper and drama while in high school. While participating in all of these activities, Riettini was always able to find time for her favorite past time.
Thus far, Riettini’s dressage career has been a short but eventful one. She began training at the age of eight and has owned her current show horse, Snoopy, an Arabian Pinto, since it was 2 years old. During Riettini’s senior year in high school, she and Snoopy entered a championship competition with 22 other competitors in their class.
“We did really well and got third out of 23,” Riettini said.
After graduating from Stratford High School, Riettini went to Stephen F. Austin with aspirations of being a teacher until the course material proved to not be enough of a challenge for her.
“Everyone says SFA has the best education department, but the course I took was so simple and the professor spoke to the class as if we were the four year olds that I was just disillusioned and decided to not do education anymore,” Riettini said.
Inspired by Snoopy, Riettini decided to pursue zoology. This was before she encountered on little problem.
“I failed big time,” Riettini said.
It was at this time when she chose to switch her major to photojournalism with a possible minor in creative writing.
While an incoming freshman to the university, Riettini decided to abandon all of her extra curricular activities so she could focus on just school and her horse.
“I had Snoopy up in the university barn but I would always spend my free time there, even if I had a major exam the next day,” Riettini said.
This led to Riettini’s decision to leave Snoopy home this year and currently visits her horse on the weekends.
“Since I cannot train Snoopy one weekend and expect him to compete the next, I have pretty much taken a break from competing until school is over,” said Riettini.
Now with the rest of her college career ahead of her, the 20-year-old redhead has been able to find a stable balance between school and Snoopy and waits for the day she can once again trot onto the area to scores of fans.

Becky Richey

True Life
By: Kayla Babin

Becky Richey, a Stephen F. Austin graduate student, is from all over southern Texas. Sbe has known as life as a military wife, never living in one place for more than five years. She graduated from Louisiana College in 2005 in Pineville, Louisiana, with a degree in philosophy. While in college she started to dabbled a little bit in debate, but as she started going to competition she started winning octo-finalist and second place in national tournaments. Then after graduation she moved to Nacogdoches, Texas, to carry on her education to eventually get her doctorate in public speaking.
In 2002, married Pat Richey, who is a teacher of public speaking here at Stephen F. Austin State University. He is also a fellow debater and a part of the US Army. They have a six-month-old daughter named Abby Richey.
Why does Becky want to be a college professor? She said, “I love to teach.” “There is so much you can learn from your students.” She wants to continue to learn from teaching others. Another reason for her goal in life is to give her daughter a better life too. With her success comes a better life for Abby.
Becky was also a bra fit specialist at Dillard for five years. She mainly worked the breast cancer patients after they had mastectomies. Becky said that some of the patients were tough to not get emotional. “It was like a knife into the heart when I would hear some of their stories and see the emotions they were going through,” she said.
Throughout Becky’s life she has had to move from place to place while continuing her education. Now she is taking care of her little girl. Becky is short, brown haired, blue-eyed with a heart of gold

Fred Montemayor

A Tight Schedule
By: Caroline Riettini


Standing at 6 foot 3 inches tall, Houston sophomore Fred Montemayor is a very busy person. From religion to culture, Montemayor is involved in many groups here at SFA. He is a Community Assistant in Steen Hall and a member of the Organization of Latin Americans. He is also involved in the Pagan Alliance, the debate team and is a contributing writer for the University newspaper, the Pine Log.
“I don’t have any extra time for hobbies,” Montemayor laughed, “I’m always going from one meeting to another.” With wavy black hair and tan complexion, Montemayor has a few bonuses for keeping such a tight schedule. “Being a CA helps out with tuition a lot. It also pays my full housing bill,” he said. Montemayor also enjoys Steen Hall in particular, because it does not have community bathrooms and because it has elevators and a 24-hour visitation policy.
But why did Montemayor choose these organizations in particular? “Well, I was involved in newspaper since I was a senior in high school, and in debate since I was a sophomore. I decided to keep them up,” he said. His reason for being involved in the Pagan Alliance is because he was raised Catholic and wanted to see what Paganism is all about. “I’m very open minded when it comes to different religions,” Montemayor said, sitting back in his chair. “Pagan Alliance has taught me a lot.”
Montemayor also enjoys being a member of the Organization of Latin Americans. “I know it’s stereotypical group for me to be a part of,” he joked, “But my culture has always been important to me.” Montemayor has helped plan the Tone of Oppression event on November 6, which the Organization of Latin Americans will be hosting. Montemayor described this event as “kind of like a museum gallery of different types of racism. It will open people’s eyes when it comes to different cultures.” This event will take place in the education building.
Although he is already juggling these many organizations and events, Montemayor’s schedule is far from finished. He is taking 18 hours of classes this semester and double majoring in journalism and political science. Balancing his grades with his level of involvement in school organizations has not been an issue. “Grades have been pretty easy, now that I’m able to take classes that are more specific to my majors,” he said. Before Montemayor did not have such an easy time with political science. Because it is a requirement course for the major, Montemayor is taking the introduction to political science class. “The first five chapters were over statistics and numbers! I’m a Liberal Arts major for a reason. Math is not my strong point,” Montemayor pointed out. Now that his class has moved on from the math side of political science, he is not as stressed out.
With such a full calendar, most students would be in dire need of a massage. Montemayor, however, is a very easygoing person. “I like to take life one day at a time. If I tried to look at it all at once, I would probably freak out,” he said. Although he is balancing so many activities and classes, he does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Sherraud Boyd

SFA wrestles in a Top Student
By: Justin Spears

Sherraud Boyd, Dallas sophomore, wrestled his way into the college world by having success at Justin F. Kimball High School. He played football there, but he really enjoyed the sport of professional wrestling.
Growing up in Dallas, he fell in love with the famous wrestler, The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels. His favorite memory of the Heartbreak Kid was when Michaels won the first ever “First Elimination Chamber Match” after four years of being away from the sport. Boyd owns all “Wrestlemania” videos and is working on collecting the “Royal Rumble” videos as well. Besides his memories of the Heartbreak Kid, Boyd also grew up idolizing the World Championship Wrestling superstar, Sting. Boyd remembers how Sting beat the New World Order single-handedly and how he defeated Hulk Hogan for the championship.
“I really loved it when Sting joined the Wolfpack,” Boyd said. He still gets excited on Monday nights when he awaits the showing of “WWE Monday Night Raw.”
Boyd chose SFA because of the country environment. “I was born in the country, but moved away to the city shortly afterwards,” Boyd said. “I had family that lived in the country that I would visit and I fell in love with the atmosphere.” Although he grew up in the city, Boyd still loves to watch the show, “The Boondocks.”
Boyd flexes his muscle when he talks about his high school life. He has tons of memories of when he played on this high school football team, but only two seasons really stick out in his mind.
“I liked my sophomore (2003) season because we won district by having a nine-win season, “ Boyd said. “I also enjoyed my senior (2005) season for the same reason. The memories from that season can never be replaced.”
He began to lose his love for the game of football as a player, but he has never stepped away from the game as a fan. He loves to watch his childhood (and now adulthood) hero, Brett Farve (Green Bay Packers quarterback), on Sunday afternoons. He likes Farve because he gives his all on every play, no matter the game situation.
“That attitude is why he has recorded the most touchdown passes in NFL history,” Boyd added. He also likes to watch the outspoken wide receivers, Randy Moss (New England Patriots) and Chad Johnson (Cincinnati Bengals). He likes them because they bring their “A” game with them every Sunday afternoon and prove that they belong in the National Football League.
Boyd is a single bachelor here on campus, but admits he was a “lady’s man” in high school. He currently lives at Hall 20 where he loves the community there. He likes to “chill with friends” during his free time and watch some television. His favorite shows include the Bernie Mac Show, WWE Monday Night Raw, Flavor of Love, The Wire and South Park.
Boyd’s outlook on life is very positive. He does not allow simple things to bother him. He never looks to the past, but always looks to the future. His favorite group is The Jackson Five. He enjoys how they each play their own instrument and brought their unique factors to the band. His favorite “Jackson” is Jermaine because, “He had the biggest afro, plays the bass guitar, and was a great singer.” Boyd loves Jermaine because he didn’t need to be the lead singer in the group, but he made the biggest contribution to the band.
Boyd continues to be the greatest person he can be, while attempting to succeed here at SFA. Maybe you will see Sherraud Boyd around campus and listen to his stories of his childhood memories or maybe hear why he believes Brett Farve is better than Peyton Manning.

David "Doc" Smith

By Nicole Newby

David Smith, Dallas sophomore, differs from the typical college student as he plays the role of both full-time student and father.
“My job right now is being a father,” commented Smith. “My five-year-old daughter, Desiree, is unique in her own way.”
Smith considers his daughter a tomboy. She loves sports, especially basketball, softball, football and soccer.
“I first exposed her to basketball when she was three months old. We would sit there and watch it all day,” said Smith.
Desiree, however, lives in Mississippi with her mother while Smith attends school. The last time he saw his daughter was during the spring of 2006 and he hopes to see her again this December when she celebrates her sixth birthday.
“I talk to her on the phone every day. She has my number on speed dial, so either she calls me or either I call her,” added Smith. “She knows that I am in school, too, even though she doesn’t understand how college is different from her school. She asks me if I am going to class and if I am being good. She basically asks me the same things that I ask her.”
Smith added that his daughter’s personality is just like his. She acquired her love of sports through her father, who has met NFL players such as Tony Dorsett, Jerry Rice, Steve McNair, Walter Payton, Deuce McAllister and Eli Manning.
Smith also has a love for music. He was exposed to it for the first time when he was in the first grade and has since then played the French horn and the trumpet for his school bands. He became a member of the band fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi in 2000 at Jackson State University in Mississippi. Proof of his love of music is also seen when he wears his headphones everywhere he goes. Smith’s other trademark in the classroom is his headgear, whether it is a cap or a comb in his hair. He also always wears a smile on his face and possesses a sense of humor. When asked what was unique about him, Smith replied with a smile: “The most unique thing about me is that even though I am 27, I don’t look like I am 27.”
Smith has lived in four states and traveled to 788 cities throughout his time as an employee for Greyhound Transportation. He has resided in California, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, where he met his daughter’s mother. He graduated from Cedar Hill High School in 1997 and currently resides in Nacogdoches. He moved to East Texas in August 2005 to follow a relationship and now attends Stephen F. Austin State University. He is studying to become a history major with a minor in radio and television. Once he finishes with school, he hopes to return home to teach for a year and then move to Nashville, Tennessee.
Smith is the oldest sibling in his family. He has two younger sisters and a younger half-brother. Growing up he was protective of his sisters and anticipates being the same way with his daughter, Desiree. He is also an uncle to four nieces and a nephew.

Alex Urband

By Ryan Gest

Alex Urband, Houston sophomore, couldn’t be summed up as anything less than a unique individual. After her senior year of high school, Urband was given the opportunity to travel to Europe in what she describes as “the best time I ever had.” During her journey Urband witnessed the sights and the cultures of Spain, Italy, and France.
Back on campus, Urband collects designer purses that bear names such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci. “I started in the seventh grade and now I have eight,” said a relaxed Urband. She spends much of her time shopping with friends, but there is a size gap between massive Houston and tiny Nacogdoches.
“I really miss Houston,” said Urband. Coming to a small town has been hard for her and Nacogdoches lacks many of the restaurants and activities she is accustomed to. One in particular is Chipottle, a popular Mexican food restaurant only based in larger cities like Houston, Austin, and Dallas. Among other things the shopping opportunities is East Texas don’t quite meet her standards.
Like everyone in the world, Urband likes to be entertained. She listens to a lot of acoustic and classic rock music. She mentioned artists like Brand New and Bob Marley. Urband also enjoys watching movies on occasion. Her tastes range from “Dazed and Confused” to “Clueless”, which is an eclectic mix of comedy and what Urband calls “girl movies.” She also has a strong love for television listing “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Desperate House Wives”, and the “Real World”, three currently popular.
Even with all of this Urband makes time for school. She says that she enjoys school. She chose to major in public relations because she is social and approachable. Urband says the main reason she goes to SFA is because she enjoys her friends, in particular her roommate, who she says is her best friend.
Urband can be described as a laid back person who takes life one day at a time. Though she spends a lot of her time working hard, she takes a few moments out of life to spend time with her friends and simply enjoy herself. Urband is a person almost anyone could sit down and have a conversation with.

Justin Spears

"A Tale of a Blue Collar Country Boy"

By Sherraud Boyd

Justin Spears, Liberty sophomore, has taken the SFA world by storm. This man is a country boy to the fullest. Spears is a huge fan of country music and Blue Collar Comedy. His favorite country singer is Tim McGraw and the song that hits Spears the hardest by McGraw is “Live Like You Were Dying.” This song came out right about the time Spears lost his grandfather.
When asked his reason for loving country music, Spears’ said, “It always tells a story. Sometimes it’s depressing, but everyone goes through depression. It’s just good to know that you ain’t the only one going through it.”
Blue Collar Comedy is also a favorite of Spears. Jeff Foxworthy and Ron White are two of his favorite comedians. “I love it. The stories are true and hilarious. Some stuff just cannot be made up. You hear redneck jokes and say I know somebody like that. Just the way they tell their stories makes you want to laugh your butt off,” Spears said.
Spears came to SFA because a close friend came here and he figured he would follow him. Spears was a member of many athletic clubs during high school. He ran cross-country, track played baseball, basketball and played football his freshman year in high school. The team aspect is what Spears liked the most about cross-country: “You ran by yourself but were judged as a team. Love the team aspect”, he said.
Spears is a CA (Community Assistant) in Hall 14 at SFA. That has been his occupation for two months. “Love living on campus. It’s a good way to meet new people. It’s easier as a CA to do that”, he said.
Spears is an eligible bachelor. The things he looks for in a girl is a sense of humor, brains and beauty. Some of Spears’ hobbies are chilling friends, watching TV and listening to music. In his leisure time, Spears enjoys reading “How To Make Black America Better” by Tavis Smiley.
Spears is also a huge sports fan. His favorite baseball team is the Houston Astros He loves watching college football and the NFL. Two of Spears favorite quarterbacks are Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Spears could go on and on about how good Peyton Manning is. “Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the league. There is no one who could lace up his cleats”, he said.
Some of Spears favorite TV shows include: “House”, “Bernie Mac”, “George Lopez,” “Fresh Prince,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Sports Center” and “Survivor” “ My day is not complete without watching “Sports Center.” As far as “Survivor” goes, just to see people stranded on an island and not getting along is entertaining to me,” he said.
Spears is an upbeat and positive person. “I take everything in stride. I don’t little things bother me or get me down. Life is too short to let problems hinder me from having fun and just living. The world would be much better if more people would realize that,” he said. A motto that Spears has is “Live For Today and Hope For Tomorrow.”
Spears is a hard working country boy trying to maintain and live life. His personality speaks for itself. Spears is always smiling and always has something positive to say.
“Yeah you can refer to me as the life of the party. He said, I’m the one who starts the party and keep it going. People just live life and have fun because you never know when it’s your time to go.”

Angela Bradley

By Sam Arnold

Hard work is often personified with the large, burly tools of the common man. The hammer is a prime example of this, textile workers, and truck drivers. Sometimes, however, hard work is personified in a person who puts forth more effort than the person standing next to them, and goes on to achieve the goals many men and women lay in bed and dream about night after night. Angela Bradley is one such individual who best personifies hard work, charisma, and devotion to her family.
Bradley was born right outside of the Motor City up north, in Clarkston, Michigan, where she has spent the majority of her life, going to school and taking on various odd jobs in and around the city. Moving away from the North and sprawling downtown Detroit, Bradley has since relocated to the fabled Piney Woods of East Texas, in a small, out-of-the way town known as Carthage, with her husband of two years, and their step-child Lindsey, who is 13 years of age.
It was in Carthage, while going to school and working at a local Sonic Drive-In. She had a chance encounter with the President of Strong Services, a local oil and gas firm, Sam Strong who offered her an office job upon noticing the hard work she displayed while taking on the modest task of delivering food orders to patrons. She has since been with the company for two years now, grinding steadily away, taking care of the companies billing needs, filing papers, and a plethora of other office jobs.
Bradley said, “ I love my job, the environment, and people I am around. It keeps me on my toes, and one of the biggest fears this company has at the present is if I will be around in the future.” No doubt she has made quite the impact in the oil industry of East Texas.
Apart from working a steady 40-hour work week, she also attends school full time at Stephen F. Austin State University, double majoring in advertising, and ad Design, while maintaining a 3.0 grade point average. Bradley on her future career plan, “ I enjoy art, and the satisfaction of designing ads for firms of any kind.” Upon further inquiry into her majoring fields, Bradley admitted to jumping the gun, by developing an ad for a major Chevrolet car dealership in Detroit. They picked up and used her ad, which was seen by many in a city known the world over for it’s manufacturing of automobiles. She is 30 hours away from completing her goal.
Apart from her steady schoolwork and job hours, she is also happily married, which prompted her to move from the big city in the first place. She said, “I miss my friends, and family the most, but we all stay in regular contact. I must admit that I miss the shopping a great deal, however, you can not beat the traffic out here.”
The next time somebody mentions hard work, or the American Dream, your thoughts may wonder onto the hammers, the textile workers, and the men on the oil rigs. But you may also picture a slender, 5’6, bleached blonde woman who above all else, personifies hard work, and what it takes to get ahead in life.

Daria Ricks

By: Marie Leonard

The typical college student is usually concerned with what party to go to on the weekend or what events are going on around campus. Putting others before herself, Daria Ricks, Houston freshman, is concerned with worldly causes such as poverty and people who are suffering. While watching television one day, Ricks saw commercials about people around the world in extreme poverty, which made her want to do something to make a difference. Ricks wanted to find a way to let others know about the social issues and extreme poverty going on around the world. She began to post links and pictures on her Myspace profile describing causes and ways to fight poverty and help people who are suffering around the world. By posting these issues for all her friends to see, Ricks hopes to make an impact that will make others see what is going on in the world around us. Ricks would like to become what she calls a devoted humanitarian, which is someone who “helps those in need, gives back to the community, and does community service.” Ricks already does community service anywhere she can on campus and advertises worldly causes online.
After she graduates from college, Ricks “hopes to move to New York to become a television news anchor.” She also wants to have her own newspaper column to discuss world issues and make sure others are aware of social issues. By having her own column, Ricks could write about any social issue she believes people should know about. Ricks is also considering joining the Peace Corps, which would allow her to work with others in need. Ricks has many ideas about what her future will hold, and many ways to help others in need.
Ricks’ desire to become a devoted humanitarian is well on its way as she continues to do community service and educate her friends and the people around her on world causes. By giving back to the community, Ricks spends time thinking about other people and what she can do to help others. Ricks is a nice, friendly individual who is easy to talk to and wants to make a difference in the world. Back home in Houston, she has an older brother and a younger sister. Ricks loves to eat at Bennegin’s, her favorite restaurant and enjoys Starbucks, which she “had for the first time a couple weeks ago.” She enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending time with friends in her spare time. Ricks is also involved in a communications club and a sociology club on campus. Her determinations in wanting to let people know the problems in the world will help her go far in her quest for others to become more knowledgeable about world issues.

Marie Leonard

By: Daria Ricks


Marie Leonard, Sachse Freshman, is involved in SFA Young Democrats and Amnesty International. The SFA young democrats is an organization that encourages people to vote in national elections and do community service. Amnesty International is another organization that helps defend human rights for people and american citizens. The SFA Young Democrats and Amnesty International both have around 20 members and meet every week. Leonard discovered these two organizations at the freshman convocation. She grew very fond of the two organizations. She got involved and joined them both after the convocation. SFA Young Democrats and Amnesty are engaged with activities that are helping others. SFA Young Democrats are helping people to vote and make a choice on america’s next president and Amnesty International organization are sending clothes to the people of Afghanistan. She always liked politics and wants to be informed about issues. Her passion for politics started at a very young age in her life. She was really interested in american politics and the issues when she was 13 years old. “I want to be informed about politics and what’s going on in the world, because most kids don’t care or don’t know.” She believes that it is important to know about the politics and issues that are concerning the world today. Leonard was very passionate and open with her statements about her two organizations and the activities they are working on for this school year. Leonard is a sweet and interesting woman. She is 18 years old, lives in Griffith Hall and has one sister. She loves shopping and going to Starbucks. Leonard is a journalism major, but undecided on what she wants to do when she graduates from SFA.
She is involved in organizations such as Swingin Jacks and Dreambuilders. Swingin jacks is a club where they practice jazz dancing and Dreambuilders is a group of students who get together and build houses for citizens. Leonard also recognizes the needs of global improvements on her myspace page. She shows how america needs to improve on poverty and hunger globally. She is also very involved with volunteering around the campus. In the Dreambuilders organization, she volunteers on making houses for those who are without a home or homes that have been destroyed by hurricane disasters. She also loves reading books. She said, “Me and my boyfriend go to half-price books in Dallas, we go there all the time.”
She is also involved in collecting old license plates. She is very interested in license plates and started collecting them last summer. Leonard has four license plates and plans to collect a lot more in the future. She said, “ I like funky, unique stuff and I thought it would look cool in my dorm room.” She owns Montana, New Mexico, Colorado and California license plates. She started collecting them when her and a friend went to a store. “Me and my friend were in a store called Fiery Gems, and they had all these license plates on the walls and I said, ‘Hey that would be cool for my dorm room,” she said. Leonard likes to collect license plates because they are very cool and unique to have as decorations in her dorm room.

Ashleigh Fontenot

“The Big Step”

By Nyja Stephenson

Ashleigh Fontenot, Humble senior, has a subtle unique individuality. “I don’t conform,” she said. Although some people have blatant physical differences; Fontenot looks like the average girl on campus, but she is so much more.

“I don’t know what makes me different, I am just me.” Fontenot said with a smile at the beginning of the interview. “I love music, I love to shop, and I like football,” she said. Football and shopping are an interesting combination. Most girls are girly or tomboys, not both. She revealed that her interest in football was acquired since both of her brothers play football. She also likes to run. “I run almost every morning. It helps clear my head so I can think about one thing at a time,” she said. Not only does she get good exercise, she puts her hobby to good use for others. She will be participating in the breast cancer walk this coming weekend. “I am very excited and proud to be in that,” she said.
Tall and slender, she had on a t-shirt with a vivid graphic design and jeans. Her hair was pulled off of her face showing black-framed glasses. She didn’t look her age, but she is a college student. She had a quiet, shy aura about her that has led her to choose challenging goals. “I am quiet and keep to my self,” she claimed, “but I think that fuels my creativity.” Fontenot plans to leave Stephen F. Austin State University with two degrees in advertising and design.
Many students are nervous and unsure of their future by the time they reach their fourth year of college, but not Fontenot. She is anxious for the end of her college career. Some say experience is the best education. Fontenot agrees, “School is necessary but temporary, I am ready for the real world.” Although Houston, the nearest city to Humble, is a great city Fontenot feels that it is not the best place for an advertising design career. “I want to move to New York,” she said, “It is fast paced and so different from Texas but you can really find your niche.”
The move to New York is a long-term goal. Right now the 21-year-old is focusing on partying. She stated, “I wouldn’t say it is a goal to party, but is a strong desire.” Although she claims to not be the typical sloppy drunk party girl, she just wants to have a good time and live life. “One day I will have a family with kids and I don’t want to feel like I missed out on anything. My aunt said you haven’t partied until you have been around the world and partied, so that is something I would like to do,” she said.
Even though she has a very typical young adult desire to party, Fontenot also has some serious important aspirations. Besides the parties she would like to be more involved with her religion. “It is something I have to work on,” she stated, “I need to read more, study more, just do more.”
Many people think the step from high school to college is the biggest step a young adult will take. Students, however, know after college is the ultimate transition. Fontenot has personal and career goals that will lead her in the right direction.