| |
When Jarrod Brock
began thinking about coming to Dalton State, he assumed it would
be “just like high school.”
But the 18-year-old Dalton native has discovered that the
college has a “really fun atmosphere,” is very much “alive,” and
has provided him with a both a part-time job and a framework for
his academic future.
“Being here is kind of like having a full-time job,” says Brock,
who comes in each weekday morning around 7:30 am and leaves
around 5:00 pm. Nearly half of those hours, 19.5, are spent
working in a position he really loves: as a student aide in the
Student Activities Office.
“I love the atmosphere in my job. I like meeting new people, and
Jami Hall (Director of Student Activities) is really fun to work
with.”
In his job, Brock serves as an orientation leader, answers
telephone calls in the Student Activities Office, makes student
IDs, helps with the “Stall Wall” journals in campus restrooms,
and, he jokes, does “whatever other random things they tell us
to do.”
He has found his classes interesting, and he enjoys the fact
that college is absent the “busy work” of high school days. |
 |
“I like the fact that we
are on our own to study,” says Brock, noting that the Freshman
Year Experience class he’s taking with Teresa Weimann is one of
his favorites.
“She really makes the class fun, and makes you want to go to
class,” he says. “We focus on time management, how to study for
classes, and all of the things you’re supposed to do to be
successful in college. It helps us learn how to eliminate the
common freshman mistakes we could be making.”
Weimann makes the class fun, Brock says, by incorporating games
into class time, and showing the “You Tube” video of the day.
The class is also enjoying reading the book Wicked: The Life and
Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a novel about the world
of “Oz” before the character of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
arrived on the scene.
And because Weimann gives extra points for turning in
assignments early, Brock says he’s learned to deal with one of
his “bad habits” – procrastination – a habit shared by many
college freshmen whose schedules are no longer governed by the
ringing of a school bell.
Brock also enjoys his speech class taught by Clint Kinkead,
realizing that if he continues to pursue his dream of working in
the field of Worship Ministry, he’ll need to be comfortable
speaking in front of large groups of people.
“I hope to be a music minister one day,” says Brock, who is
currently pursuing an associate degree in Business Management.
“I love music. It’s been a main interest of mine for several
years.”
Brock enjoys going to concerts, and he likes playing sports,
particularly baseball and tennis. When he’s not at school
studying or working, he says he can be found at Rock Bridge
Church finessing his musical skills during youth worship
services.
“I hang out there almost every evening, singing and playing the
guitar. It’s a good opportunity for me to see what it’s like to
work in that atmosphere.
“Coming to Dalton State has been the best decision for me. I
wasn’t ready to live on my own yet, and I’m here with a lot of
my friends from high school and from church. I can continue to
live out my dreams here.”
|
|
