Zach Meyerson

By Bill Blanchette

Zack Meyerson, Bellaire junior, is majoring in Radio/T.V. and is minoring in accounting. An interesting thing about Zack that he is able to tell on command the day it was on any specific calendar date. on April 28^th. Zack has one older half brother, who is five years older than he is. Zack enjoys to listening to his MP3 player and watching his favorite sports teams. Zack also enjoys the simple things like playing video games and having fun.

Zack is not real strong on any political position. Zack doesn’t like to classifyhimself with either liberal or conservative but, rather a moderate. He says, “ I know who the president is but, I’m not into the whole being very serious about it. “

Zack classifies himself as a reform Jew. He claims there are three types of Jews. He said, “The reform Jew is the most laid back of the three type of Jews."

During the summer, Zack worked in Minute Maid Park, and the Mojo Machine. He explained that the Mojo Machine is a place where people can come and see how fast their arm is and win prices. He also took Political Science during the summer at his community college, in which he passed with a good grade.

Zack is engaged to Ashley DeWoody, and he plans to marry her after he finishes school. He doesn’t like to say that he is a ladies’ man but, rather claims he is in love with his fiance. Zacksaid, “I love her very much and I wouldn’t trade her for anything but, I was never was that guy who dated 57 million girls, It’s just not me.”

Zack wants to have three kids after they marry. He plans to give them all Jewish names because he wants to keep it traditional within the Jewish religion. He wants all of his kids to be boys. Zack said, “I want to be able to throw around the baseball and do things with them that dads do with their sons.”

However, if he’s given a girl, he will love her and be a good father to her.

Zack aspires to be a sports anchor because he enjoys playing and watching sports. He feels that his major will help him get to his dream closer. He said, “Sports have always been a part of my life and I want to be like those announcers who tell the games.” His favorite sport to broadcast is football. He’s always enjoyed the game of football and finds it most interesting to be announcer.

When Zack was in 5^th grade he became a Boy Scout in Houston at a Jewish Temple. There he learned first aid, how to build a fire, and set up a tent. He says, “It was a good thing to be apart of because it helped me become more confident in dealing with nature.” He also met many of his friends here that would be a part of his life for many years.

Michael Sabrsula

By Cody Booth

Michael Sabrsula, Houston Junior, has been playing tennis since the age of four. He played for the West Side High School varsity team all through out high school career. One year he won a regional tournament in mix doubles.

Some of his tennis idols are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt, and Marat Saffin. He is currently in the tennis club, where last weekend he won a tournament, where he finished first in doubles.

His mom was born in Nebraska and his Dad’s family is from the Czech Republic.

Garrett Jones

By Cody Booth

Garrett Jones, Dallas Junior, is a self-described “fly guy,” which basically means he can sing and he can dress. He also said that getting him self-ready is a job itself.

One of the things he would like to do when he graduates is to have his own national syndicated radio show. Some of radio DJs he reference are Steve Harvey and Rick Smiley.

Jones also said he would like to do late night radio. Jones said, “I’ve got that good late night voice. I’m all about slow jams…” As far as the format he wants to do, he described his show is similar to Key Sway, where every hour there is something different. Also Key Sway has his own station I.D. Jones said “ He keeps it entertaining so listeners won’t get bored.”

Garrett comes from a family of six. He has two half sisters that are in their 40’s and a sister in her teens. He went to Lincoln High School where he played baritone in the band.

He also played football, baseball and golf. In football he was a defensive tackle on both sides. He played first base in baseball. He also sang in the choir.

He said that he gets his street smarts from his dad, and that his family is all about singing and style.

Brandy Ball

By Taylor Childress

Brandy Ball from Jefferson, a junior at Stephen F. Austin. She shared some interesting facts about herself. One of the interesting things about Brandy is that she commutes from two hours away every day. She began doing the commuting during this summer. This semester Brandy has classes at 9 and 9:30 a.m. which means she has to get up early to get to class on time. A typical day would be getting up at probably 6 a.m., driving to class, driving the two hours back home, then going to work.

Rest is not an option for Brandy. ”The hardest thing about the commute is the rest. Having to get up and drive the distance that early of a time and being tired isn’t an option,” said Brandy.

One of the biggest problems besides the rest with commuting is the gas. Brandy spends about $150 a week on gas when she commutes. But it doesn’t really bother her because she doesn’t want to live in Nacogdoches. She has already lived in a small town before, so moving to another small town would not be fun for her at all. She would rather live in a town a few hours a way than pay for a place to stay where she doesn’t really want to live.

After she graduates Brandy wants to move to Shreveport, Louisiana to get a steady job and get the feel of the work force with the major that she has chosen. She would rather live there where she can start her life then here where she can commute. She has also commuted to Louisiana this past summer for her internship. Commuting is not something new for Brandy, and she is very used to it.

Brandy is studying public relations and broadcasting at Stephen F. Austin. After school is all done with she wants to move to Atlanta to pursue her career. Living at home for Brandy is much more easier and sufficient for her life right now. She doesn’t see commuting as a really big issue because she has family and friends back home as well as her job. But when she comes straight from school she goes right back to work. That leaves Brandy no time for rest at all between school, school work, driving the two long hours back and fourth, and working right after that. Brandy said moving to Nacogdoches really isn’t an option for her. She has to deal with this transition because it is what she wants to do.

Most of her family has their master’s and bachelor’s degrees and she is the last person to get this. “Education is a number one priority in my family. So I don’t have time to complain about tiredness, I just have to get it done,” Brandy said. With the busy life she has, the education she wants is much more important than anything else.

Brandy no time to sleep but is still on top of her studies. It shows a lot of people that managing schoolwork, life, and a job all in a day is possible. It is very hard for her at sometimes because college itself can be hard and she doesn’t have time to sleep but she gets it done somehow, and she is still getting all the rest of her stuff done as well.

Ericka Gordon

By Bradley Hildreth

Standing at a whopping five foot five and three quarters, Ericka Gordon, Houston Sophomore, has loved the sport of volleyball for years and in 2008 her and fellow teammates took Clear Creek high school to the state finals. Gordon has played volleyball since the age of eight and it may come as a surprise that she quit volleyball and has gone to college to follow her life long dream of Journalism.

Upon arrival at SFA she made the bittersweet decision to give up volleyball and commit fully to academics. “I have always like to read and write…” Gordon said and she does enough to show it.

She is an active member of the NAACP and a strong supporter of the Women of Virtue organization. Every other Thursday through Saturday night students could possibly be getting picked up by her as she serves as a member of Driving Jacks, an on campus group that gives free rides to those who don’t want to drive drunk. Gordon said that she has experienced everything from passengers passing out to people mooning her as she drives the mooner’s friends’ to their home.

Gordon is optimistic about her future she said, “My true dream and aspiration is to be a world renown author.” Gordon plans on getting into the book writing industry by going after the teenage girl population and slowly but surely breaking away from that format. Gordon said “I kind of want to do the whole Harry Potter/Twilight thing but not with the whole mythical creatures topic.” Whether if it is fiction or non-fiction Gordon seems to be up for the challenge. Between Gordon’s active life and passion for writing one could say that her dreams are just a rough draft away.

Bill Blanchette

By Zack Meyerson

Bill Blanchette, Omaha, Neb. sophomore, is a radio/TV major and a kinesiology minor. With his degree Bill plans to go into news and become a news or sports anchor. He said, “I want my face on TV. I feel like that’s where it deserves.”

In his free time, Bill loves to make music, like making cds for his friends. He doesn’t have a favorite movie and said that they come and go as in he’ll like one movie and then might not like it the next time. Basically if it looks good, he’ll watch it.

Bill was a model for Abercrombie and Fitch for two months at the Galleria in Houston. His favorite part was representing the company and trying on all the clothes.

He also likes playing rugby and currently is on the Stephen F. Austin rugby team. The Texans are his favorite sports team.

Bill has a fraternal twin and a brother who is four years older than him. His older brother is in the master’s program for teaching at SFA. His twin brother goes to Baylor and is majoring in theater and does films.

Bill is a Christian and doesn’t have big plans for Christmas. Like he does every year, he is just going to spend it with his family. Bill classifies himself as a conservative and really gives no reason why. “That’s just the way I go,” he said.

Even though Bill is from Omaha, he grew up in Galveston. He doesn’t have a favorite part of Galveston, just likes the city in general. He attended Matthews Elementary School, Skaggs Middle School and Ball High School. Bill just did school and he worked at Office Depot. It was one of his favorite jobs and he worked there for five months. Even though he’s never been out of Texas, Bill hopes to go to China in the future.

Bill said that he likes all of his classes. He said, “We have a lot of smart people teach up here who know how to teach and get the message across to the students. The radio/TV program here is a good one and the students are very attentive and respect the teachers and their peers.”

He is just very satisfied with how it has helped him become more comfortable speaking in front of people and having more confidence.

Bill said that he works out about five times a week. He works out so much that he was able to get a six-pack and said that it took him about seven months to get it. Bill said, “I got my six-pack by eating lots of fruit, vegetables, protein, meat, and shakes. The gym here definitely gets the job done. Anybody that puts his or her mind to wanting to stay in shape and get a six-pack can do it. They just have to stick with it.”

Bill plans to graduate in May 2014.

Korbin Pate

By Ja’Leah Davis

Korbin Pate, a small town boy coming into a new world where he has to prepare for his future.

Growing up Korbin was in a family of six and he was the second child, he had an older sister and a younger brother and sister. Korbin went to Woodville High School where he played basketball and baseball.

He choose to attend Stephen.F.Austin because it was closer to home and he was able to get a job on the football team as the assistant. He said “ This was not is first choice “ but he is glad he chose it. Mr.Pate is a Radio Tv major with a focus in production.

Coming into SFA Korbin threw out that he did not really know what he wanted to be but then he spoke to Mrs.Williford and they talked about his major, and he told her he wanted to have sports in his background. He felt that the facilities in the SFA media department is great for students to work with and that it is probably one of the best studios in Nacogdoches and as he works more and more with the production he grows with his major.

Korbin said he was most inspired by his grandpa. He was a praise and worshiper and took Korbin to church and inspired Kobin in many ways. In five years Korbin plans to have a job maybe in the new station whether it’s reporting or in sports, or he might go into grad school, but he’s not sure where yet. But, for right now he just going to keep networking at SFA so his future can be bright.

Ashley McCoy

By Decherica King

Ashley McCoy Houston junior, revealed an interesting fact about herself.While conducting an interview of Ashley McCoy in MCM 103, I was told a surprising detail about her.

Ashley McCoy was born In Wurzburg, Germany, a very long way from the city where she is considered a citizen of, Houston. Her dad became apart of the military at the age of 18, then he married her mother when they were 19 and they have been married for 27 years.

She lived in Germany with her parents until she was four years old. They then returned to the United States and lived in Watertown, New York. From there, Ashley’s parents moved to Temple, Texas, and finally relocated to Houston, where most of her mother’s relatives are from. Her parents opted for dual citizenship once they arrived to the United States. Ashley and her family have obviously traveled quite far during that span of their lives.

Ashley said that she “has faint memories, very faint memories,” of her living experience in Germany, since she was only four years old. Yet, she does have a bit of knowledge of the German culture and language.

In Houston, Ashley attended North Shore Senior High School and graduated in 2009. She is now a junior at SFA majoring in Political Science with a minor in Journalism.

She is also the ambassador for People to People, an organization that allows children to travel to various places during their summer breaks. This organization persuaded Ashley to pursue journalism because she would have to write about her different experiences while traveling with the children.

Bradley Hildreth

By Ericka Gordon

Growing up having one aunt who suffers from alcoholism and another addicted to drugs could have easily kept Bradley Hildreth, 21, from becoming the influential man he is today. “I am a product of my environment, so it’s a good thing,” said Hildreth, “sometimes people can push you to be better, or you can choose to stay the same…my streets pushed me to be better.”

Hildreth is a prime example of someone who “made it out the hood.” He is currently enrolled at SFA and very active in his community. He volunteers with Gamma Sigma Sigma Sorority at The Boys Home. “We take their minds off of reality,” Hildreth explained while describing his purpose at The Boys Home.

He also volunteers at nursing homes around Nacogdoches and is an avid donator to his church, Nacogdoches Bible Fellowship.

Hildreth aspires to one day be a member of a brotherhood known as Men Of God, a fraternity that aims to honor Christ and everything they do in life is based around the word of God.

Unfortunately, Hildreth does not believe he is ready for such a commitment. He explained that, “Wearing those letters is making a very bold statement,” and he doesn’t want to make that statement and not live up to the expectations that come along with it. Hildreth also desires to be a revolutionary figure. Perhaps the Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X of our generation and he is well on his way to doing so if he continues to make statements like this, “Everything depends on you and your ambitions. You determine how you turn out, you can have the same start but not everybody has the same finish.”

Ashley Hutson

By Lydia Bellows

Ashley Hutson, SFA junior, moved from Eureka, California to small town Pittsburg Texas.

She moved from California to Texas because her family decided to live closer to her relatives. Ashley was starting her junior year in her high school in California and she had to make new friends and adapt to a whole different country.

First thing that Ashley noticed was the accent and how differently way people talk from California. She said “People drop the g’s off of everything, that I noticed…”. She also said that there is a lot of words that she didn’t know the meaning of, such as: fixen and winded. “I remember having to ask someone what did fixen mean…and what winded meant.” Ashley recalls being very confused after talking to people and having to figure out what they were trying to say. “I remember thinking that people have bad grammar here… they don’t finish all of their letters”.

Ashley described how in Eureka she could walk to the beach within five minutes and how local redwood trees surrounded her. She misses the smell of the ocean and all of the local coffee shops that were available to her almost an every corner in Eureka. She said that the closest body of water in Pittsburgh, Texas is a man-made lake, which was quite a long drive from the city. The main attraction in Pittsburg, Texas is the home factory of Pilgrim’s Pride, which is a well-known chicken factory. Her hometown is now surrounded by lots of land and ranches and livestock that would have been completely foreign to her in California. She still misses California and looks for any opportunity to revisit her old town in Eureka.

Hannah Kidwell

By Christie Sparrow

Hannah Kidwell, 19, sophomore, Dallas, went on a mission trip to Johannesburg, South Africa when she was 15 yrs old. She remembers very little from her two and a half weeklong trip, but a few things from her experience are unforgettable.

Kidwell explained what she learned during her time there, “I was pretty young so it just showed me how different the culture was from here and there and just how much we have here and how little they have there, little freedom and little everything.” She said.

Kidwell and nine other people stayed at a church and participated in a lot of charity work. She made many of visits to abused homes and orphanages. Kidwell spent much of her time talking to people in the area. She said she was too young to participate in much, so she spent a lot of time playing with the kids. She also ate local food. Kidwell said, “Every meal was porridge and it wasn’t that bad as far a food goes”. For fun she and the group went on safaris and saw the wild life. Kidwell said it was pretty cool to see all the animals roaming around after seeing pictures from her childhood.

Kidwell played with the kids at the orphanages and cooking meals for people in the shelters. Kidwell also remembers meeting an American family who took in 16 children. Kidwell and her group helped out this family by bringing in food and playing with the kids.

“I feel like 60 percent of people there have Aids.” She said. Kidwell explained how Johannesburg was a lot like Dallas, just more ghetto and sketchy, but as soon as she drove just 10 minutes out of the city it was all poverty.

Kidwell said she loved bonding with the children and if she could go back she would. She also enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. During her time there it was very eye-opening, but her favorite part was the time she spent with the people.

Regan Bates

By Savannah Fields

Located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula Dubai has one of the largest populations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With the cities many attractions and beautiful waterfronts this city used to be home to Regan Bates, Woodlands, sophomore here at Stephen F. Austin.

Coming from a family of five, Bates is the youngest of three, growing up with two older brothers. Spending most of her childhood moving around Southern California traveling is no new things for Bates since her family has moved from California to Indiana then back to California. After moving back to California for the final time her family moved to Dubai a year after Sept.11, 2001 when her dad was offered a job to fix up UAE’s International Business School.

Being only 11 yrs old when she moved over seas with her family Bates explained how moving to Dubai, “was really scary because of the way the people in Emirate felt about people from the United States.” Reagan joked about how her mother had to dye her hair color black even before moving to Dubai because of the danger that her family faced by moving overseas.

After only a year of living in Dubai Reagan and her family, with the exception of her dad, moved back to the United States because it was too dangerous for them live their anymore. Her dad stayed behind in Dubai for another two years because he had to finish fixing one of the schools programs in Dubai.

After moving back to the United States Regan and her family moved to Texas where she spent most of her high school years. Even though she simply lived in Dubai for only a year Bates said going over seas was an experience that she wont forget.

Savannah Fields

By Regan Bates

Savannah Fields, Missouri City sophomore, went into detail about her experience of being in the lime light. Savannah edited and starred in a documentary focusing on the preservation of the Wetlands in the Houston area. The film was sponsored and subsidized by the media department at Hightower High School, south of Houston.

Savannah was one of the chosen few to make it through the selective interview process conducted by the media department. She held her own with her many talents and contributions made during the filming and production of the documentary in her junior year of high school. Savannah hosted the documentary and had a lot of face time in the film but also played a large role in the editing process as well. She spent most of the spring semester of her junior year filming the documentary and almost her entire summer, every day from 8 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, editing with her teacher.

The Wetlands are swamp-like watering holes in the forest and along the roads in the Houston area. According to Savannah, Houstonians may not realize, but they are single handedly destroying these environmental treasures, without paying any attention to their importance. She further explained how people should pay closer attention to the preservation of the Wetlands and how they can help the environment. The documentary was approximately two hours long and was shown on television in Fall 2009. Previous to the television debut, though, it premiered at the historic Angelica Theatre in Downtown Houston.

When asked if she’s an advocate for the Go Green initiative that has become so popular in the United States and all around the world, she explained that she is not a Go Green radical but definitely supports the cause. She said that she tries to go green as much as possible and if she sees one she would throw her trash in the recycling bin if it was there.

Isaac Ramirez

By Kara Goodson

Isaac Ramirez, Henderson, sophomore, is a nineteen year old that is full of life and has been around animals since he was a baby. He not only tends to the animals, but actually obtains an income from the competitions and sales that he prepares the animals.

Ramirez raises steers, heifers, goats and chickens and began caring for them when he was in sixth grade. He began competing with the animals through FFA in ninth grade. While he is away at college, his parents tend to them but he still is involved in the sales.
“I have several heifers and several steers, and I raise them and then sell them and make money off of them for college,” Ramirez said. However, even though Isaac makes money from this hobby, he simply enjoys being around the animals. “I wash them, I give them baths, I walk them…they become like 1,000 pound pets! Even though they are 1,000 pounds, they are still babies, and you are like their parent,” Ramirez explained.

When Ramirez is not tending to his animals, he likes to read and keep up with current events. “When people are talking about current events, I like to be able to know what they’re talking about,” Ramirez said. He also likes to play Nascar games in his free time. Ramirez will still tend to his animals as he gets older, but would eventually like to become a news anchor or be involved in the news in some way and be able to use some of his extra revenue to help his parents retire.

Decherica King

By Ashley McCoy

Decherica King, Missouri City sophomore had a very interesting experience as a young girl. When Decherica was in the second grade she tried out for the elementary spelling bee at Briargate elementary school in Missouri city.

Decherica remembers being onstage for the first time during the spelling bee and misspelling cupid which was her first word. Unfortunately, Decherica did not make it to the National Spelling Bee championship. That did not stop her, she practiced her vocabulary and tried out a second time when she was in the third grade.

The second time Decherica did not make it again, but she continued a third and fourth time. “I was disappointed, but I was still going to try again, it got a tad bit frustrating,” Decherica added.

Finally, when Decherica was in the fifth grade, it was her fourth time trying out for the spelling bee, and she made it to the Nationals! Decherica said, “ I was nervous and excited at the same time, because I finally made it.” Decherica lost after her second round in the National Spelling Bee Tournament, but was still proud of herself and her parents were proud of her also. “I felt accomplished and my parents were very proud of me,” Decherica noted.

Now that Decherica is in college, she feels that she is still a good writer and is good at spelling. Decherica said that in the future when she has children she will encourage them to try out for the spelling bee at their school, because it’s fun and she would teach them how to spell very well.

Ja'Leah Davis

By Korbin Pate

Now that Oprah is retiring, she’s going to need a replacement, right? Oprah may need to look no further than Stephen F. Austin State University for the next great talk show host. Houston native Ja’Leah Davis has always wanted to be the next Oprah and is pursuing that dream here at SFA.

Houston, Texas played home to Ja’Leah Davis for 18 years. Before SFA, Ja’Leah attended Dulles High School. She then came to Nacogdoches in the fall of 2010. “I’m very friendly and goofy, I have an attitude sometimes, but that’s okay,” Davis said about herself.

Ja’Leah is currently a sophomore and a Radio/Television major. When asked why she chose to pursue broadcasting, Davis said, “Since I was little I wanted to be the next Oprah. I want to start out as a newscast person and then going into my own production and my own show.”

Since coming to school at SFA, Davis has gotten a lot of experience in the radio and television field. “I’ve gotten great experience as far as behind cameras, going to California and Hollywood productions,” she said. With all the experience, she still sees room for improvement. “Being in front of the camera I have to improve the way I talk because I tend to talk real fast.”

Despite only being at SFA for a year, Davis has found many ways to get involved on campus. She is a member of a Christian organization called Women of Virtue, and she currently serves as the Vice President of the National Broadcasting Society. The group went to California last spring for the National Broadcasting Convention and got to see the television world up close.

Davis is also the Secretary of Fashion and Motion here at SFA. Fashion and Motion is a fashion club that does a number of things but is most well known around campus for the fashion show put on every semester. Ja’Leah is an actress and stylist in the shows.

Something most people don’t know about Ja’Leah, according to her, is that she not only speaks English, but she knows sign language as well. She said she just wanted to be different. “I started learning it my freshman year in high school. The high school I was at there was German, French, Spanish and Chinese but everybody did that; not everybody did sign language. I wanted to be different.”

Davis knows what she wants in life and plans to reach her goals no matter what. “I’m very ambitious. I go for what I want,” she said.

After graduating from Stephen F. Austin State University, Davis wants to move to California and get an internship. “Hopefully it [the internship] will be in California and just start my life.”

Kara Goodson

By Kate Neal

Kara Goodson, Lufkin junior, has recently acquired a new hobby, baking. Goodson originally started baking to show her gratitude through food for the policeman she works with in the Parking and Traffic Office on SFA’s campus. Her specialty is a Paula Deen recipe for caramel apple cheesecake, which everyone she shares with seems to enjoy.

The baking environment in her apartment is very specific. Frank Sinatra is always playing to help Goodson relax as she bakes. Baking provides a solace for Goodson even though she doesn’t eat everything she bakes. Goodson said “I love to bake for other people, like I’ll eat some I guess but I’d rather bake for other people and have other people enjoy it.”

Sharing what her abilities have provided for her is important to Goodson. She is very kind-hearted and believes compassion is extremely important in everything. By sharing her newfound passion for baking, Goodson is doing her best to “make people feel good,” which is another of her passions.

Other than baking, Goodson enjoys reading, attending church and helping people. She loves being around people and baking provides her an opportunity to share with the people she loves.

Kate Neal

By Isaac Ramirez

Kate Neal, Austin sophomore, likes to dedicate part of her life to charity and other people in need. Recently, Neal traveled to the Bahamas on a mission trip where she cooperated with five different groups of teenagers to complete several volunteer construction projects.

“ We had one site where we built a roof for a person’s house,” Neal said. “We also worked on a church and added on a room to the building. They had started it but did not have enough funds to finish it.”

Neal also worked at an orphanage for the mentally handicapped where she helped build cabinets and a wheelchair ramp. She also took the opportunity to play games with the children while she was at the orphanage. Neal also visited with the elderly at a nursing home while also completing other tasks.

“We worked at a retirement facility and painted the exterior of the building and some interior as well,” Neal said.

Neal is now looking forward to another mission trip to Las Cruces, New Mexico the first week of January.

“The trip will mostly be construction like rebuilding roofs and adding on to buildings,” Neal said.

For right now, Neal will concentrate on her job as a copy editor for the Pine Log and on completing her major in public relations. She would like to work in pubic relations for a major company after leaving Stephen F. Austin State University, but she would still enjoy mission trips.

“My dream is to help people and be happy doing it,” Neal said.