graduation issue

Supplement to the NT Daily

GRADUATIONMAY 2008 2

Accepting

New

Patients!Accepting

New

Patients!

Cruz CruzFashion MerchandisingEnnis, TXJunior

“I was in a Professor Bayes’ promotions class for fall 2006, and my group was working on our final project of t he semester, when one of our g roup m ate s dropped out. So, it just left me and three other group mates to pick up the slack for our project. We were about a week behind in our project, so we basically had to finish in one night. We had to write a paper, take pictures, and print out direct mail pieces; we were all emailing each other information trying to get it all together. We met up the morning it was due and finished it; we then had to wait until the end of the day to turn it in. I had stayed up for 24 hours working on it, so after we turned it in, I passed out in my car and slept for two hours before I drove home to Frisco.”

Lezlie ValekBusinessEnnis, TXJunior

“T he snow day in March was a lot of fun. I had gone to the doctor’s office t hat Tuesday

though, so I actually had bron-chitis the Thursday it snowed. I was lying in bed, I hadn’t eaten a lot in a couple days, and I had been taking medicine. My room-mate and our friend were coming in and out of our apartment from playing in the snow, and on one of their breaks they convinced me to go back outside with them. I put on my huge snow jacket that I used in Colorado when I went skiing, and like 3 layers of socks along with a pocketful of Kleenex, and then went outside with them. We made a couple little snowmen, and snow angels. The best part of being sick though was that I would throw all the snowballs at my roommate and our friend, but then they wouldn’t throw any back at me because they felt bad that I was sick.”

Nick JohnsonMarketingEuless, TXSenior

“I have so ma ny memo-rable moments; t here’s be en a lot, like tail-gating at football games and being an Eagle Camp counselor. But the most recent one would have to be that I hosted a pool party at Uptown University last weekend, it was a really good time. About a thousand people came out; the weather was great and tons of my friends were there. It was really

killer; there were two hot body contests, a dj, a keg, and a volley-ball tournament. I was able to get a lot of endorsements and help from local businesses like R-bar and Rockin’ Rodeo. Another thing that has been memorable was that this semester I was recognized as being a top marketing student, which was pretty cool. But I’m going to have to say that the most memo-rable moment for me is going to come in 11 days when I’m done with school.”

Matt StewartPsychology St. Joseph, MOSenior

“I used to live in a run-down house on Locust Street; living in that house is an experience that I’ll never forget. It was a very social and fun time, I also learned a lot about living on my own. I gained quite a bit of respon-sibility from living there, as well as meeting a lot of new people, and making good friends. Living closer to campus was beneficial too, as I went to classes more often. But the funniest part about living in that house was that we actually got a ticket from the city, they called it a public eyesore. I guess that was because of the keg that was perma-nently there in the yard, along with the grass being about thirty-six inches tall. One time, we even

found a guy who had passed out on the slip-n-slide and had spent the whole night out there. But, I grew a lot from having lived in that house and straightened up.”

Jamie ParkerMusic EducationCorpus Christi, TX

“Joining the sorority Sigma Alpha Iota was the best deci-sion of my college experience. It’s

really nice because it’s not like a social sorority; it’s based more on service. It’s actually the Women’s Music sorority, which is cool because I don’t really get to go to parties or anything because I’m so booked up by the College of Music. Through Sigma Alpha Iota, I’ve gotten to go do a lot of different projects, especially with kids. We went to a children’s hospital in Dallas, it was a lot of fun playing and doing projects with the kids. I also met my boyfriend through the brother fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha. We all went Christmas caroling to retirement homes this past December, it was really nice.”

Graduates: moments they will never forget

GRADUATION MAY 20083

BY JESSICA LARRIVIEREContributing writer

Trevor Shockley, a NT master’s student, does not hold regret nor grudges despite an accident which left him with a traumatic brain injury.

Shockley was training to race in the MS 150, a 182-mile, two-day cycling tour from Houston to Austin, organized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, when an acci-dent happened.

On Feb. 1, 1995 Shockley, a senior at Texas A&M University, was hit by a bus while riding his bike on the west side of the College Station campus.

“I went underneath the 18-ton bus and it ran over both my legs, crushed my right rib cage, broke my jaw and smashed my helmet,” Shockley said.

He went into a 10-week coma and doctors gave his father no hope that he would ever regain consciousness or even live.

“The first few days were critical with him having so much pressure on his brain,” said Joe Shockley, his father. “If the doctors couldn’t relieve the pressure, he would go brain dead.”

Joe Shockley stayed by his side everyday he was in the coma. He joined the Dramatic Brain Injury Advisory Council to learn about and advocate for individuals who had the same injury as his son.

“Everything I read while he was in a coma pointed to things not being good for him once he woke up,” he said. “But with each step of recovery, he did better than expected.”

He said the recovery process was emotional for the first six weeks. It was one life-threatening scare after another that kept Trevor Shockley in and out of intensive care.

“I would get down but I had to get back up and fight for Trevor’s sake,” Joe Shockley said. “I had to try even harder, but it was anything special on my part--he’s my son.”

Trevor Shockley spent more than five months at The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research in Houston, and nine months at the Transitional Learning Community in Galveston. Later he began working with a physical therapist at Access Physical Therapy in Conroe who helped him go from a wheelchair, to forearm canes, to a single point cane, to finally walking independently.

At first, he said he was in such bad shape that he didn’t even give the MS 150 any thought, but in 1999 he began training with his therapist Anne Campbell. In 2000, he and Campbell finished the race.

Campbell said when Trevor Shockley first came to therapy he couldn’t even talk. Then after four years of slowly progressing, he asked her to begin training for the MS 150.

“I knew I could not tell him no. No is not a part of his vocabulary,” Campbell said. “I’ve never met anyone with such dogged motivation.”

For the next year, Campbell spent every moment of spare time training with Trevor Shockley. She said when he crossed the finish line she had never seen anyone more excited in his life.

“It was the first time I ever thought lactic acid burn was a blessing,” Trevor Shockley said referring to the pain athletes feel during exhaustive exercising. “Finishing that race was such an accomplishment just by seeing the pride and joy on my dad’s face when I finished.”

Joe Shockley followed his son in his truck the entire way because he was terrified of him getting hurt. His father said what he admires most about him is that he never gives up and doesn’t let anything get the best of him.

“I watched him cross that finish line with a huge grin on his face,” Joe Shockley said. “His therapist was 45 minutes

behind him and she was in good shape.” In 2002, Trevor Shockley decided to go back to A&M and

finish his degree. Before the accident, he was a pre-veteri-narian major and wanted to become an exotic veterinarian. After returning to school he changed his major to agricul-tural development and graduated cum laude in 2003. In fall 2004, he came to NT to begin his master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and he said he wants to become a counselor.

“I could have my own exotic veterinarian clinic by now, but that was then and this is now,” he said. “Now I’m going to be a rehabilitation counselor and I’m going to be the best I can be, just as I would have tried to be the best veterinarian I could be.”

Trevor Shockley said he holds no regrets for what has happened in his life. He said his life is much richer.

“Things are different now, I was a good student before but now I have to study even harder and longer to prepare myself,” he said. “It’s not easy now, but it’s so worth what I’m accom-plishing in my work.”

He said the NT faculty, along with the Office of Disability Accommodation has worked well to assist him in understanding and accommodating for his disabilities.

“I don’t expect to be given anything,” he said. “But my teachers have allowed me to work hard within my means and abilities to carry out projects, tests, etc.”

Trevor Shockley said he uses many strategies in order to keep up with his studies. The greatest difficulty he has expe-rienced since the accident has been his short-term memory loss and this makes it difficult to remember information for class. He said he uses note cards and repetition as his main strategies.

“It is a lot of realizing what the difficulties will be and try to head them off before I experience them,” he said. “I also have to keep distraction down in order to do well.”

Randy Batiste, associate director of the Office of Disability Accommodation said its mission is to make sure NT provides equal access to the classroom in any way a disability might hinder the student.

“Our accommodations go well beyond physical disabili-ties,” Batiste said. “Most students who use our offices have hidden disabilities. The No. 1 disability is with reading and writing, followed by ADHD and ADD.”

As technologies continue to advance and improve across the board for all disabilities, Trevor Shockley said it is most likely going to get easier for the students, as long as they are willing to do their part of the work.

“You could have all the assisted technology in the world, but if they don’t want to do the work, what’s it going to amount to?” he said.

He said one of the reasons he has succeeded in his studies is because he has been given a strong will to strive at doing well.

“Yes, I am very fortunate and blessed and everything has been there to accommodate me, but if I don’t do my part, what’s the point?” he said.

This fall, Trevor Shockley will receive his master’s degree in counseling and plans on using his experience to help enhance the lives of others. He said he has been blessed to do exceptionally well considering his injuries and this gives him an advantage that many people do not have going into the field.

“People with disabilities and family members can appre-

PHOTO BY JIMMY ALFORDTrevor Shockley, a NT master’s student, has overcome obstacles and succeeded. He is schedule to receive his master’s degree in counseling in the Fall.

Pushing limits, overcoming tragedy

See Abilities Pg.10


BY GEOFFREY BROWNContributing writer

As graduation approaches, NT seniors are forced to think of the future, in particular the financial aspect of it.

With the repayment of loans and the search for a job looming, the need for money can certainly make this most exciting time in a students life equally as nerve-racking.

“It’s definitely overwhelming,” said Plano senior and family studies major Rivae B a l k i n - K l i m a n . “It’s like I feel to old to be in college but way too young to be in the working world. I just want to f ind a job as quickly as possible to start paying back loans.”

NT Money Management Center Director Paul Goebel advises graduating seniors as well as undergraduate students to use the end of the school year to assess their money management skills for the future.

“It’s important that graduating students refine their financial organization skills before entering the work force,” said Goebel. Students who are still undergraduates should use the end of semester to review and ref lect on their money management skills in preparation for upcoming semes-ters.”

Goebel stressed that students orga-nize financial goals and budgeting prior-ities to experience g reater econom ic success.

He also encouraged all students to remain in close contact with lenders to stay informed in regards to loan amounts owed. “It’s another example of how knowledge is power. Being more knowledgeable about your specific situation always puts you in a better position and gives you more leverage to work with.”

Dr. Perinkolam Chandrasekaran, NT Professor of finance, recommends that students evaluate their lifestyle, and cut unnecessary spending.

“I would challenge students to be more conser-vative in their spending,” said Chandrasekaran, “For example instead of buying a seventy-five dollar Polo shirt, buy the fifteen dollar shirt.”

Dr. Chandrasekaran says students can best cut expenses by being smarter consumers and

closely monitoring their spending habits. “Saving on items here and there will be beneficial in the long run.”

Chandrasekaran also addressed the perils of student credit card debt advising students to avoid spending maximums on credit cards and paying the minimum allowed on balances.

NT senior Searcy Redd IV, who is set to grad-uate in May, admitted to struggling occasion-ally with unnecessary spending.

“Overall I’m not bad,” said Redd, “but some-times you get into a situation where you’ll buy something and a later realize that you didn’t really need it.”

Redd, a political science major believes that establishing solid financial skills now will pay large dividends in the future.

“I think it really comes down to distinguishing between the things you really want, and what it is that you actually need.”

W h i l e m a n y students attempt to improve f inancial sk i l ls, others l ike NT senior Ronald Jean-Baptiste take a different approach to money manage-ment.

A l t h o u g h t h e s o c iolo g y m a j or does maintain a savings account as well as a well balanced credit card, his overall view f inancial management dif fers slightly from those of Goebel and Chandrasekaran.

“My thought is that you only live once,” said Baptiste. “If I see something I want, I’ll most likely buy it. My philos-ophy is to live for now as well as plan for tomorrow.”

Though the spend f i r s t m e n t a l i t y b y a l l i n d i c a -t ion s w or k s for Jean-Baptiste, NT Associate Professor of f i n a nc e, D r. James McDonald advises students to act and handle money with future responsibilities and opportunities in mind.

“Learn to utilize good sound financial prin-ciples like budgeting and exercising discipline in spending,” said McDonald. “Have a little less now, have a lot more later.”

Life after graduation: Financial tips on how to succeed

S e p a r a t e actual needs and personal wants

TIP

Avoid care-less credit c a r d u s e . Make it a goal to pay credit card bills entirely, monthly

TIP

Search for investment oppor tuni -ties, i.e. low cost mutual funds

TIP

Learn to live off of 60 -70% of income, save the rest.

TIP

BY KIJAFA DAVISContributing writer

A trip down memory lane or even the Daily archives and one will find that the cost of everyday items has changed drastically over time. Gas, food, housing, you name it, and chances are its more expen-sive today than it was ten or twenty years ago.

Perhaps the most notable commodity of increasing cost is gas. According to the Energy Information Administration, the national average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in May 1986 was 92 cents. As recently as 2004, that same gallon of gas cost $1.89. As of April 28, 2008 the national average cost of gas is $3.60 per gallon according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.

Cori Wooten, Crockett senior, says she has felt the impact of rising gas prices.

“Gas impacts me the most because it affects how I plan my life, where I go, and what I do,” says Wooten. “I want to travel, I want to visit family, I want to drive around and look for jobs, and I can’t go and do that. I have to use my online resources.”

Dr. Steven Cobb, chair of the Economics Department, says that there are things graduating seniors can do to offset the cost of gas.

“One of the things that typically happen when you get that first job is you look into moving,” says Cobb. “Find a place that is closer to work or has access to mass transit.”

Cobb also says that more and more employers are offering incentives to employees who take public transportation. Cobb warns students to beware of the cost of parking because paying to park everyday can significantly add to the cost of getting to work.

Gas is not the only thing costing more as years go by. Students in search of housing may also find it more expensive than ever before.

An ad in the September 11 edition of the Daily advertises effi-ciency style housing at Campus Square Apartments for just $219 per month with all bills paid. That same style apartment today at Campus Square is advertised online for at least $400 per month with basic utilities included.

Campus Square Apartments aren’t the only ones to see a cost increase over time. A similar ad for the Gazebo Apartments lists apart-ments at $273 per month. The least expensive apartment at the Gazebo today is $550 per month.

Wooten says she tries her best to offset the cost of housing.

“I am environmentally friendly,” says Wooten. “I cut off my lights and unplug things in my apartment as much as possible to save money.”

In response to the rising cost of living, Cobb advises students to get used to budgeting and saving money.

“The key is to never get used to spending it,” says Cobb. “If you never get used to having it, you can never miss spending it.”

Price increases for everyday items

“I wanna go to NTDaily.com!”

GRADUATION MAY 20085

Jonathan UnderwoodContributing Writer

Masters Hall destruction Destruction of Masters Hall be-gan in January to make way for the new Life Sciences Complex. The completed destruction date was pushed back from March to July when asbestos was found in the building. Construction of the Life Sciences Complex will begin shortly after the demolition of Masters Hall is complete. Local fi res spread Winds gusted up to 50 mph and fueled grass fi res in Denton Coun-ty January 30. Northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 35E were shut down as fi refi ghters worked to put out the blazes. Some buildings on campus lost power for up to 30 minutes when the winds knocked over power lines and telephone poles. No classes were cancelled.

Student runs for mayor In February, Darac Favre, a Rich-ardson junior, announced his run for mayoral offi ce. Favre based his platform on infrastructure such as Interstate 35 and Loop 288 as well as environmental concerns. Mayor Perry McNeill welcomed and even encouraged Favre’s challenge in the race. McNeill said that students need to be aware of their citizen-ship responsibilities and hopes to see more of that kind of activities from students.

Board increases tuition In February the Board of Regents approved a budget that included a 7.9 percent tuition increase for the fall semester. $300,000 of the new budget will be dedicated to ath-letic scholarships.

Primary comes to Texas Texas played an important role in the national primaries this year.

In February Congressman and Re-publican presidential candidate, Ron Paul, came to NT to discuss the topics such as the constitution and the War in Iraq. Also former fi rst daughter, Chelsea Clinton, held a discussion in the student union behalf of her mother and Democrat presidential candidate, Hilary Clinton. She answered ques-tions about her mother’s stance on the issues such as fi nancial aid for students and the economy. Many students stayed in line for hours to participate in voting and the cau-cus March 4. Texas had record turn outs for voting.

Snow day closes campus School was cancelled for a day and a half when a snow storm dropped up to nine inches of snow on North Texas. Some students still remained on campus to take full advantage of the unseasonable weather building snowmen and having snowball fi ghts.

Fry Street destruction continues Development of Fry Street Village still hadn’t made any progress. In mid December the Denton City Council voted 4-3 against a permit to allow a drive through at the Fry Street Village development. Jack Thomson, city council member for District 3, said it was due to traffi c concerns. In April, a spokesperson for United Equities, the owners of Fry Street land, said they had no intention of redoing the plans for the development.

TAMS shirts cause controversy Earlier in the year, Texas Acad-emy of Mathematics and Science t-shirts stirred up controversy this semester because it was believed that the two different shirts caused isolation among the groups. One was ‚Äúnaturally selected‚Äù themed while the other was ‚Äúin-telligently designed‚Äù themed.

SGA calls for a redo In March the Student Govern-ment Association Election Board called for a redo of the presiden-tial and vice-presidential elec-tion citing misconduct by both sets of candidates. Jeff Kline’s use of the Pit Crew Facebook.com group to promote his campaign along with Thomas Holman’s fl y-ers being posted too close to the buildings with general access labs caused the fi rst election results to be scrapped. Kline won both the original vote and the re-vote.

Radisson Hotel to closeNT Board of Regents voted to close down the Radisson Hotel on May 31. NT decided to allow the hotel to remain open until the end of May to honor as many reservations as possible for graduation said Buddy Price, NT’s news promotion man-ager. 25 people will lose their jobs as a result of the closing.

Past year’s headlines cover community, campus

GRADUATIONMAY 2008 6 GRADUATION MAY 20087

Monica MonteroContributing Writer

This past March the unemployment rate rose from 4.8 to 5.1 percent and the number of unemployed persons reached 7.8 million. Government programs, such as health insur-ance, are suffering because of the lack of funds. Also lenders are either shutting their doors or cutting back on student loans. With economist talking about a recession and the government saying that it will not happen, the future may seem a bit uncertain to this year’s college graduates. Their decision in this year’s presidential

election could very well determine what jobs they get, how they will deal with student loans, what kind of health care they will receive, and what their lives will be like in the next five to ten years. Ashley Hamer, from Eureka California, is graduating this May with a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies and hopes to attend graduate school next fall. Hamer said that she origi-nally had her sights set on Barack Obama, but after much consideration and research she finally decided that she would support Hilary Clinton in the 2008 presidential elec-tions. “I did some research on both of the

Democratic candidates’ websites,” Hamer said. “I found that while the candidates are almost equal on their stances on the issues, Hillary has a much more clear and specific plan for her days in office.” Hamer said that like most college students, she feels that she has a very shallow amount of knowledge when it comes to the candi-date’s economic policy. Hamer does know that Hilary Clinton plans to get rid of the FASFA and instead place a box in income tax forms where financial aid for school can be requested. She said that she approved this idea. Still Hamer said that this did not effect her decision since both Obama and Clinton

had the same idea. To Hamer, social programs were a deciding factor when it came to choosing a candi-date. “I think a lot about the fact that the future choice of president will affect me very dif-ferently this time because I’m graduating,” Hamer said. “That makes me a lot more con-cerned with the candidates’ social programs -- for example, universal health care would take a lot of worry off of my shoulders.” Hamer said she worries about finding a job once she graduates from graduate school. Hamer will graduate with a master’s in music and worries that finding a job in that field

will prove to be even harder now then it did in the past. “Its a hard enough field in which to make a decent income anyway, much less now that the economy is going the way it is,” Hamer said. On the other side if the democratic race, Laura Patschke, from Austin, has chosen Barack Obama as her presidential candi-date. Patschke, who will graduate with a bache-lor’s degree in music education, said that her choice depended on a multitude of things. “I like his ideas about building US economy and lessening foreign necessity by support-

ing US businesses,” Patsckke said. “I like his health care plan and that he wants to bring our troops home as soon as possible.” Patschke said she was not worried about finding a job once she graduates and that she did not believe that the fact that she was graduating affected her decision at all. What worries her is that fact that teacher’s salaries are so low. “I think that having a democrat in office will increase teacher salaries,” Patschke said. To Rhonda Dinwiddie, Houston native, whom ever becomes president of the United States, will have a big impact in her life. She did not say whom she would vote for, but she

knows that she would vote in the elections even if she as not graduating this year. Dinwiddie said that the fact that she is graduating and becoming a teacher did not impact her decision. “Who ever is elected will hands down affect my future,” Dinwiddie said. “I just hope who ever does become the new president under-stands the impact he or she has on the lives of every American.” Dinwiddie is not worried about getting a job since she said that this country will always need teachers. All three of these graduates have a clear view of whom they will vote for and why they

have chosen that specific candidate. Some are worried for health care and others on salaries and the fact that who ever becomes president needs to realize that they will have the future of this country in their hands. They seem optimistic about the future of the United States. Some even hoping that the country’s economy will soon get over this hump and that the people will begin to have confidence in their government. “I think positive things will happen in America for a while,” Patschke said. “I think support and trust in our elected government will be reinstated.”

Graduates evaluate presidential nominee’s plans for country’s future

6/11

2008


ARON PHILLIPSContributing writer

As graduation nears for NTseniors, those closest to them look for gifts to celebrate the occasion. Graduation gifts can be both pragmatic and fun. Here are some of the gadgets and other gifts that seniors might want.

Will Patterson, a Keller junior, knew exactly what would be at the top of his list when he gradu-ates, money or a vacation.

“A vacation would be nice because I ju st f i n i shed t went y years of school,” Patterson said.

Money is versa-tile. With money, there is no hassle of taking a gift back

or having to spend it at a partic-ular location. Patterson pointed out other reasons as well.

“The typical college grad is desperately in need of money. Especially me because I’m prob-ably going into teaching,” Patterson said.

For those with students who loved their experience at NT, tying the gifts back to the school might be a good idea.

B u y i n g s e a s o n t i c k e t s t o n e x t

y e a r ’s f o ot b a l l o r b a s k e t b a l l games would give students who love the school a way to stay connected, provided they live

close enough to use the tickets.

For students who are moving away, buying a f lag or blanket from the bookstore would remind them of NT well

after they leave.Seniors that are techni-

cally adept and like using electronics would appre-

ciate receiving new hard-ware.

Laptops can be used for games, work, and with

an internet connection, allow people to stay connected to the world. A customized Alienware Area-51 m15x high performance gaming notebook computer with nearly every upgrade, warranty and accessor y costs just over $7,500.

The basic package starts at $1,500. Gift buyers can choose the best laptop for their student,

or for their wallets, using on l i ne feat u res at any major computer manufacturer’s Web site to custom i ze

many features of the laptop.

Brian Inscho, a Keller senior, mentioned laptops among his top picks for a g i f t . He wou ld prefer a Mac to a PC, he said.

“ I h a d a P C for a while,” Inscho said, “I’ve just hea rd a lot of good things about Macs.”

Basic MacBooks start as low as $1,100 and go as high

as $3,800 or higher. The rela-tively new MacBook Air is more expensive, costing $1,800 to over $5,000.

Camcorders make great gifts as well, allowing graduates to make memories and save them.

“Camcorders are just cool,” Patterson said.

Ca mcorders cost sta r t at around $250 and go up to $1,500 and higher.

For seniors mov ing out on their own, furniture or gift-

cards would be appre-ciated.

“Giftcards to Ikea and furniture, whether

it’s new or used, would be prett y nice,” Ischo

said.Ikea sofas and bedframes run

anywhere from $50 to a couple hundred.

Money, gadgets make great gifts for graduates


BY KIJAFA DAVIS Contributing writer

A trip to the American Airlines Museum in the fifth grade first sparked Tabish Khan’s interest in f lying. Years later Khan’s dreams have become more of a reality, as he prepares to enter the U.S. Air Force as an active duty officer.

“I always wanted to f ly,” Khan said. “I just wasn’t sure how to go about it.”

T h r e e y e a r s a g o t h e Richardson, TX senior wasn’t even sure what ROTC was, but in two weeks, Khan will leave the Air Force ROTC program at NT as a commissioned 2nd Lt. in the Air Force.

It w a s at Col l i n Cou nt y Community College that Khan saw a flyer for the Air Force ROTC program. A month later Khan enrolled in the program at NT, where according to his instruc-tors, he has excelled.

“Over Cadet Khan’s time in ROTC he has demonstrated the qualities and leadership skills required of an Air Force officer,” says Captain Steve Drotos of the NT AFROTC. “Cadet Khan will

receive his commission as a 2d Lt. in just a few weeks, and I have no doubt he will bring credit not only to himself but represent detachment 835 well on active duty.”

K han’s journey to t he A ir Force was not without tria ls, however. In December of 2006, K han under went eye surger y to improve his poor eyesight, a necessity if he were going to become a pilot.

A month after the surger y, Khan had near perfect vision, but the painful recovery process lasted about a year, says Khan.

Despite this hurdle, K han went on to excel in the ROTC program at NT. According to Drotos, K ha n was dea lt t he responsibility of inspecting the “uniforms, knowledge level, and compliance” of junior cadets. Khan has also juggled school and a part-time job in addition to his duties within ROTC.

“ROTC is definitely a full-time job,” says Khan. “If you want to be a good cadet you have to devote a lot of time to it.”

Khan says that he has gained much from his experience with

ROTC including a close circle of friends who are positive and like-minded, as well as motivation for excelling academically.

“My GPA went up a lot when I joined because it gave me a goal to look toward,” says Khan.

Captain Myers of the ROTC faculty also noted the impact the ROTC program has had on Khan.

“He is energet ic, f r iendly, mot ivated, a nd a rea l good communicator,” says Myers. “I can definitely see the growth in his communication skills over the years.”

The war in Iraq seems to have no effect on Khan, who could be deployed after about two years of training.

“I’m not worr ied about it because honest ly we have to do what we have to do,” says Khan.

As Khan prepares to leave NT, he recommends the ROTC program to anyone considering the military.

“UNT would not have been the same for me had I not been in the program,” says Khan. “I have absolutely no regrets.”

Grad follows dream skywardAbilities continued from pg.3

ciate the comfort and security I give by seeing someone who is accomplished and doing well and maybe that will motivate them to do the same,” he said.

As he has watched his son progress in ways all his medical tests said he should not have, Joe Shockley said he has no doubt that whatever his son ends up doing in life he will have a full and happy life. The greatest advice he could give to family members who have a child with disabilities is to never give up.

“Family’s involvement deter-mines the child’s outcome,” he said. “You must support them

t h roug h a l l the good and all the bad.”

T r e v o r Shockley said t h e r e a r e many reasons for grief but it accomplishes

nothing, so he does not dwell on it. Instead, he said he dwells on how much God has blessed him and how he is going to help others.

“I might as well work my butt off to make the best of where I am because I can’t change it,” he said. “I have to live within my means and abilities and make the best of it. I am the only person who can do that.”

graduation issue

Documents

lot of fun

lot of new people

lot of endorsements

new patients

snow angels

final project of t

locust street living

rundown house