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But when circumstances altered his personal road map, Kyle found himself driving to Dalton State, attending orientation sessions and wondering why he was here.
“When I first came here, I hated it. I was angry. It was not the place I wanted to be.”
Soon, his entire perspective changed.
“After a few weeks, I fell in love with Dalton State. I knew this was where I was meant to go to school.”
Kyle believes that the key to academic success has a great deal to do with maintaining a positive attitude and having a strong belief in one’s ability to succeed.
“Sometimes we have students who come in to the Academic Advising Center almost in tears because they’re having trouble in a certain class,” says Kyle, who works up to 19 hours per week as a Peer Advisor. “We try to help them put the situation into perspective and offer them as much support and encouragement as we can. Sometimes they need to reframe the way they’re thinking about school and realize that they’re going to get through it, and it’s going to be ‘great.’”
In addition to his on-campus job, Kyle works part time for the Lighthouse Christian Bookstore and the Rose Lawn Museum, both near his hometown. His part time jobs help with the expenses of commuting to and from Adairsville and Dalton. A HOPE Scholar, Kyle is also a DSC Foundation Scholarship recipient. This spring, he was awarded the prestigious Ryan Allen Acree Memorial Scholarship named for the DSC honor student who was killed by a drunk driver in 2000.
“Receiving that scholarship was the best honor I could have received. I am so thankful.”
Kyle views his main job as that of a student preparing for a career in education. This fall, he expects to enter into the College’s Early Childhood Education program as a junior.
“In the past, I thought I might like to be a high school English teacher, but after doing observations in the schools this past year, I knew that I wanted to teach at the elementary school level,” says Kyle, who loves the enthusiasm and willingness to learn that he observed with elementary aged students.
“I’ll also be able to complete my education here,” he says. “I’ve had some really awesome teachers here, and I know that the education program really prepares its students really well.”
He also welcomes the chance to use his musical talents in the classroom. Along with his parents and aunt and uncle, Kyle sings in a musical group called Deliverance that performs Gospel music in area churches.
“Music is a bigger part of the education process than many people realize. You can put almost anything to music, and it makes it easier for children to learn. There are so many things you can do with music when you’re teaching kids the alphabet and math. I suppose even the Pythagorean Theory could even be put to music.”
One of his goals, he says, is to complete his bachelor’s degree within four years, a feat that’s been made possible, he says, by taking 12 – 13 hours per semester, including summers.
“It’s been a wonderful experience so far, and I’m looking forward to the next two years. I like the Dalton area so much that I may just make it home.”
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