Change Starts Here

Brian Smith Future Alumni Essay Contest - 2016 Winner Alumni is the plural of the Latin noun Alumnus (foster son, pupil) which is derived from the Latin verb Alere (to nourish).  In the ancient Roman legal system Alumnus was used to describe a child placed under the care of foster parents, wherein the child might be showered with love, simply treated as a servant or both.  Noted Yale alumni John Boswell held that in even earlier ancient times it referred to ‘exposed children’ taken in by foster parents; think Moses, Paris, Oedipus or Romulus & Remus.  These days and according to Merriam-Webster we get one commonly used definition and one perhaps not so common: Alumnus 1: a person who has attended or has graduated from a particular school, college, or university. 2: a person who is a former member, employee, contributor, or inmate. The first definition is familiar to me, but not the second. I also didn’t know of the word’s etymology until d...

Dawn R. Wells Future Alumni Essay Contest - Runner-up After being a stay at home mom for nearly two decades, I realized that my job as mom would eventually come to a close and I wanted to start something new. I was comfortable being in the shadows of my husband's accomplishments; therefore, I assumed I would get a part time job and do some volunteer work. Behind the safe thoughts of an entry level job, was a gnawing desire to get a degree and have a career that could support me if something happened to my husband. I was not sure of what I wanted to do as a career or where to start. I did not know much about Trident Technical College; I assumed it was for people that did not want a four-year degree. I applied at College of Charleston and was denied based on poor academic performance at a college twenty-five years prior. I applied to Trident with the idea that I would prove myself worthy of College of Charleston. When I registered, I was told to declare a major. At that time,...

Jessie L. Cox Future Alumni Essay Contest - 2016 Runner-up Nelson Mandela said, “education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” As a self-proclaimed dreamer and a firm believer that education is the light in the dark our world needs, I had planned to attend college ever since I can remember. My yearning to continue my education did not come from any sense of obligation nor from lectures by my parents, but by way of my everlasting love affair with knowledge. I have always been somewhat of a philomath. Having had a love of learning from a very young age, my family often speaks of my undying curiosity. I had always known that high school would not be the end of my journey with education. However, my big plans hit a massive bump. The harsh reality of paying to continue my education was a hard a pill to swallow. Sure, I knew college would not be free, but I had no idea just how costly it would turn out to be. At a time when I was sure I would have to abandon my ...

Brandon Murray Future Alumni Essay Contest - Runner-up When you think of salvation, you think of a church. A place where you go to religiously and perpetually. Whatever the reason one thing is a usually a given, it is a place of faith and worship. In my roller coaster adventure of life, it is ironic how one place I wrote off as “just a tech school” has become so critical and invaluable to me. I sit in the law lab on the second floor of the library every day before class. Every couple of hours I look outside the large square window and at that moment I am injected with peace, desire, passion and complete happiness. It is in this vast room stacked with books that I have found my sanctuary of salvation. To start my journey in college, I was enrolled at the University of South Carolina for three semesters. While studying computer information systems the plot that was my life took a major nose dive in August of 2014. My grandmother and guardian angel was diagnosed with stage...