A look at 8 midstate scholars and their plans
Video: Midstate grads offer words of wisdom
Today and Saturday, most Middle Georgia colleges will celebrate a new class of graduates. With diplomas in hand, the graduates will embark on the next stage of their journey.
Some of them will continue their education, some will travel and some will begin jobs that lead to fulfilling careers.
But whatever the next step, they can all rest assured: They have made it.
This year, The Telegraph decided to spotlight students from eight Middle Georgia colleges. We asked college representatives to nominate students who they thought best represented their schools. The students did not have to have the highest grade point averages, be the most athletic or have the biggest closet of awards. They simply had to represent the type of graduate the college aims to produce.
Telegraph editors and a reporter took the nominations and selected one student from each college. Go to page 4A for a sampling of the best and brightest: Middle Georgia's Class of 2008.
Wendy Renee Wilson
For Wendy Renee Wilson, college at Fort Valley State University was sort of like her favorite TV show, "Survivor."
"You have to be strong physically and mentally to survive college," Wendy said. "It's sort of like a competition, too, whether you're competing with your peers in your classroom or students at other schools."
While Wendy, a presidential scholar, competed for scholarships and fellowships, she also valued teamwork, mentoring fellow students in her major.
In August, she will move to Washington, D.C., to attend pharmacy school at Howard University.
Wendy said she wanted to go into pharmacy after seeing how medicine has helped her own family members with their ailments.
To get this far, Wendy has learned several keys to the college game.
One is to be focused on the task at hand.
"You've got to work hard and be focused and stay focused," she said.
Two: Don't settle. Work harder and do better.
Three: Be involved. Wendy participated in Beta Kappa Chi (an honor society) and the National Honor Society.
The big prize from her education is yet to come.
"I'm going to look forward to actually working and starting a career and family," Wendy said.
Maria Guadalupe Trejo
When Maria Trejo's family moved from Mexico to the United States in 2001, Maria didn't speak a word of English.
Now she's a well-spoken graduate of Macon State College on her way to a career as a nursing home administrator.
"I've always loved elderly people. I just think they're so cute. I like to see them in Wal-Mart holding hands, and I want to help them."
Maria said she always has wanted to be in health care, but she didn't want to be a nurse because she doesn't like blood. Health-care administration seemed like a good alternative, she said.
Macon State was the right place for her to earn her degree because she wanted to live with her family, Maria said.
During college, Maria volunteered at the Houston Medical Center, working in the gift shop and as an escort for patients and visitors. She also volunteered at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, teaching basic English skills.
College and this country gave her an opportunity to work toward her dreams, she said.
"If you work hard for what you really, really want, you'll get it," Maria said. "In this country, you can have a dream and actually see it realized, and a college education is one of the ways you can get to your dream."
Eddie Lee Lovett Jr.
Eddie Lee Lovett Jr. will graduate from Middle Georgia College before he graduates from high school.
After his sophomore year of high school, Eddie enrolled at Middle Georgia through the Georgia Academy of Aviation, Mathematics, Engineering and Science. He spent the past two years at the academy, simultaneously earning an associate degree and a high school diploma.
Eddie graduates tonight from Middle Georgia College and will graduate from high school later this month.
"It was actually a great experience," Eddie said of his time at Middle Georgia College, although he admitted the transition from high school to college was a bit rough.
"I've actually learned what it's like being out on your own, not having Mom wake you up," he said. "In high school, I was known as a mature individual, (but) when I got here I realized how immature I actually was."
He said he missed Friday night football games, especially since he used to play on his high school's varsity team. But Eddie said his friends and family were supportive of his decision to leave high school early.
At Middle Georgia College, Eddie participated in several community service activities, including canned food drives, blood drives and registering people to vote.
Community service is "one of the most selfless things to do," Lovett said. "Donate your time. Time is so precious nowadays."
Daniel Ruy
Daniel Ruy never thought about going to college after high school. He just knew he was destined for the military.
So he joined the U.S. Marines and served as a crew chief and turret gunner, traveling to Iraq and Kenya to work on mostly humanitarian missions.
When he came back to the states in 2006, he remembered the motivating words from one of his officers and enrolled at Gordon College.
"I wasn't the perfect apple in high school, but it seems like when I started college after the military, I noticed in myself a different attitude," Daniel said. "I had a lot more motivation, drive if you will."
He quickly found himself succeeding, maintaining an A average and volunteering for campus activities, such as the Science Olympiad.
"Daniel Ruy exhibits all of the characteristics that an ideal Gordon College graduate should possess," Dan Jackson, professor of chemistry, wrote in his nomination. "He is a scholar, a patriot, an achiever and a gentleman. At the same time he possess(es) an outgoing and friendly personality that puts him at ease with his fellow students and faculty alike."
Daniel worked at a restaurant full time to pay for college until he won several scholarships that covered the costs. That left him free to volunteer at a thrift store and work in the chemistry lab at Gordon.
"In the Marines, they always preach (that) if there is a mission, you've got to accomplish that mission," Daniel said. "I had to become a part of that value that if you have a mission, you've got to get it done. ... It's just a life characteristic that hasn't left me."
John Dortch
When most people think of economics majors, future physicians don't usually come to mind. But for John Dortch, an economics major and a chemistry minor was just what he needed to be admitted to the University of Florida for medical school.
"I felt like economics would probably be a smart major because there are a lot of health-care issues right now related to economics," said John, who has had a lifelong dream to become a doctor.
John spent a lot of time in college working toward that goal. He volunteered with Coliseum Medical Centers in the surgery department, helping to transport patients and clean operating rooms. He also has spent three years doing research in chemistry and has presented his work at American Chemical Society conferences.
When he wasn't in the library or the lab, John could be found in the weight room or on the baseball field, where he plays right field for the Mercer Bears.
Juggling all of his responsibilities has taught John how to multitask and prioritize, he said.
"It's definitely just overwhelming when you first come to college playing a Division I sport. Time management is just a huge issue," he said.
John also hopes to work with sports in his future profession.
"Sports have always been such a huge part of my life, I want to continue to be involved with them some way," John said. "Sports medicine helps me combine two of my interests."
Erik Chambers
Erik Chambers said he's always shocked when parents and prospective students ask him if someone else cleans the bathrooms in Georgia College & State University's suite-style dorms.
"I'm like, 'No, your child will have to grow up at some point,' " Erik said, recalling the conversations he's had as a campus tour guide.
Growing up is what college is for, and Erik knows that from first-hand experience.
"When I first got here, I had a very hard time adjusting. Going from big fish to little fish again was much harder than I envisioned it to be," he said.
His years in college helped him shed his earlier shyness, making him more outgoing and more comfortable approaching people he doesn't know.
"Take a risk. Go out there, (and) try something new," he said of what he's learned. "You're only in college for four years. ... After this, the real world really hits."
For Erik, the real world means law school at the University of Georgia and practicing family law. He said his interest comes from seeing his cousin's adoption into his family.
"I saw the whole process of doing that (and) how great the judge and the attorney were," he said.
Erik said he lives by the thought that he should be his own competition.
"I don't care what grades the person next to me makes," he said. "I want to be my own competition."
Chelcey Berryhill
As early as kindergarten, Chelcey was recognized for being a talented artist. Her class was drawing two fellow students, and Chelcey's teacher noticed that she drew particularly well. The teacher told Chelcey's parents, and soon she was taking art classes to hone her skills.
For Chelcey, art is an outlet that allows her to be "creative without words," she said.
There is no definition of art. "Anyone can look at it, and interpret it how they want," she said.
Chelcey transferred to Wesleyan College from the Savannah College of Art and Design after she moved home for family reasons following her freshman year.
Two years ago, she participated in a study-abroad program through the University of Georgia in Cortona, Italy. The experience affected her artistically and personally.
"The air in Italy is completely different," Chelcey said. "There's art all around you there. You can paint a stop sign and it's beautiful."
The trip also gave her the confidence to make major changes in her life that she would not have made had she not gone to Italy. She said she learned that she could make decisions without listening to anybody else and could hold her own traveling in a country, where she didn't speak the language.
College taught Chelcey to "always go with my gut and my heart," she said.
Helen Porter
Next month, Helen Porter will become a first-generation college graduate.
Although she occasionally took college classes after high school, it wasn't until she attended training for her job at Robins Air Force Base that her interest sparked about getting a degree. She enrolled full time at Georgia Military College in Warner Robins, while continuing her full-time work at the base and at home as a wife and mother.
Helen took classes at night and during her lunch break. She used leave time from work when she needed a class that was offered during the day.
"It required a lot of late-night studying," Helen said. "I made very good use of my time by carrying my schoolbook with me. When I had an idle moment, I utilized it by reading or using my flashcards. ... (I did) whatever little thing I could do to help me retain the information."
Helen also took the lead in caring for her ailing mother. She took one quarter off from school, during which her mother died.
After mourning, Helen threw herself back into her schoolwork.
"I didn't need all the extra time on my hands to wonder what I was going to do with myself," she said.
Throughout the struggle, Helen has remained positive and upbeat, staying on top of her class obligations and club duties, Laura Lee, the Phi Theta Kappa adviser at GMC-Warner Robins, wrote of Helen in her nomination.
Helen said her success in college has driven her to be a high achiever.
"When I was I was in high school, I was a B student and was just happy being a B student," she said. "I realize now I'm capable of being an honors student."
