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Isaac Lockman |
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As a Student Ambassador, Isaac Lockman often has the opportunity
to go back to his former high school, Lakeview - Fort Oglethorpe
High, and tell the students about his experience at Dalton
State.
“I get the chance to tell them how much I enjoy this college,”
says Lockman, 19, who plans to major in mathematics.
“One of the students there recently asked me, ‘What do you not
like about Dalton State?’ My answer is that the only thing I
don’t like is that I can’t take all of the classes for my major
here.”
Lockman admits that he was a reluctant enrollee in the fall of
2005, when he followed in the footsteps of his parents, who met
as students at what was then Dalton Junior College.
“They wanted me to spend my first two years here, but I really
didn’t want to come at first. But I made a deal with them that
if I didn’t have a specific major in mind by graduation, I would
come to Dalton for my first two years.”
Initially declaring a “general studies” major, Lockman switched
to physics/pre-engineering, but has since decided to pursue a
degree in what he has discovered to be his passion: mathematics. |
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“When I came here, I signed up for Calculus I, but I was not
really prepared for that level of study,” he recalls. “I
realized that I had bitten off more than I could chew with that
class. But I had a great professor, Dr. Nimmons, who worked with
me until I finally understood it. I struggled for a while, but
when I finally got it, it was such a good feeling.”
So good, in fact, that Lockman has continued to take challenging
math courses.
“After Calculus II with Dr. Griffus, I knew that I wanted to be
a teacher. I knew that I wanted to do what Dr. Griffus does. He
inspired me that much. He is one of those teachers who has the
ability to take an abstract concept and make it understandable
at the student’s level.”
Lockman plans to complete his associate degree here and then
transfer, possibly to Georgia Tech. His goal is to earn a
master’s and a Ph.D. in Mathematics and to eventually change
seats in the classroom: from student to teacher.
“I enjoy school. Some of my friends think I’m crazy because they
think I’ll be in school for the rest of my life. But that’s what
I want to do.”
With a 3.8 grade point average, Lockman was invited to join the
Honors program this fall. Currently taking the introductory
Honors Seminar and one Honors-designated course, English 1102,
he is just getting his feet wet in the program.
“I’m really enjoying Honors,” he says noting that he is working
on an extended research paper for his Honors-designated English
class, taught by Dr. Leslie Harrelson.
“I feel like I’ve been really blest by the professors I’ve had
at Dalton,” he says. “The reason that I’ve done well here is
because of these professors.”
As a math tutor in Sequoya’s Math Lab, he’s getting a taste of
teaching while an undergraduate. He’s averaged between 12 – 19
hours per week since he began tutoring last spring.
“Any time I work with students in the math lab, I tell them that
I’ve spent just as much time getting help in here as I have in
giving it,” he says, recalling those days during his first
semester when he would come to campus on his days off from
school just to get help in the Math Lab.
“Working in the Math Lab has made me a better student in my
other classes,” he says. “I think that you never understand
anything really well until you teach it to someone else.”
“Teaching is the best way to learn.”
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