Outstanding

Last Thursday I was honored as an outstanding alumna by the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Memphis. It was thrilling to say the least.

I was very nervous about putting on a dress and wearing high heels and making a speech in front of hundreds of people. Seriously, I was freaking out up until the minute I had to go on stage.



In addition to being crazy nervous, I was totally choked up. Chip, who nominated me, also introduced me. His speech--which he delivered like a calm, cool & collected professional--was SO flattering and sweet. I nearly died.

Luckily, with my mom, Warren, and some of my besties by my side, I survived.




My speech definitely fell under the "short and sweet" category. I have never had such an adrenaline rush in my life. Once I sat back down, I squeezed Warren's hand for about twenty minutes. And I still felt jittery the next day!



I hope that I let my professors know how much I enjoyed the Anthropology program and that I got across just how useful it was. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't put my education to use! Special shout out to Dr. Hyland, the world's most awesome mentor.



If you have an interest in working in Memphis as a community organizer, I highly recommend the U of M's Anthropology program. It's an applied program which means that everything you learn in the classroom is related to work going on in the community. The professors are highly engaged and top notch. They really care about the students and do an amazing job of getting them plugged into area agencies.