MORAL OF THE STORY: 1ST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE

12/24/17

Aight so BOOM!

As you can tell from the title, my first semester at Texas Southern has come to an end. By the grace of God, I survived! A lot has happened since I got on campus and it’s been an eye-opening experience; I met some great people and got into fun shenanigans. I didn't want to get into the nitty-gritty of the semester since it's too much to mention, so I decided to just answer some questions that I've gotten for the past few months and give some smooth advice!

Frequently asked questions:

What’s your major?

My major is radio, television, and film (RTF) and it’s a part of the School of Communications.

Why did you choose RTF?

At first, I wanted to be a music major, but I ended up feeling like getting a degree in it was pointless considering the fact that I wanted to become a singer. I wanted to earn a degree in a field that was broad enough for me to explore and pursue all of my interests and wouldn’t make me feel stuck. Besides, I think I was always meant to be a communications major; I love to talk to people and entertain them.

What made you choose TSU?

It’s an HBCU!

I’ve had all kinds of experiences in public school. I’ve been to a predominately black school,

a predominately white school,

a predominately Hispanic school,

and my high school was a “melting pot”.

I loved the diversity at my high school. It was basically like a little model of the real world and just like the real world, there was a lot of ignorance. After that spray-tanned travesty got elected, I felt like I needed to build connections and be around the black community.

It’s not too far and not too close!

I wasn’t ready to leave Texas, but I had to get the heck out of the nest. If I stayed in the DFW area or close by, I wouldn’t be able to spread my wings as much.

My major

Communications is pretty broad, so I wanted my major to specifically cater to radio. Prairie View was one of my choices; I have a cousin that is a professor in communications and he basically explained to me how the university’s communications program wouldn’t really benefit me because it’s not going to get into the nitty gritty of RTF like I need since PV’s curriculum is broader. TSU is a lot more in depth when it comes to communications.

Family

It’s pretty self-explanatory and it corresponds with #2. I wanted to be close to family in case of an emergency and I have a good amount of family in Houston.

The atmosphere

A lot of the TSU students that I came across during my campus tour were really chill and friendly. My tour guides let me see what I wanted to see on the campus (even if I wasn’t allowed to see it). It was the only campus where I felt like the faculty actually cared about me and my success. Texas Southern be servin looks too. I didn’t see a lot of people dressed down when I visited for the first time; most students were really put together.

The Knowles

During my campus tour, my guides told me that Matthew Knowles taught in the School of Communications...I was immediately sold. Just the idea of furthering my education in the city where Beyoncé and Solange grew up into the mega superstars they are now AND taking most of my classes in a place that their dad teaches? The man that went half on two beings of greatness??? that’s just magical.

I’ve actually seen him in the School of Communications building once and I almost cried.

The Radio Station

KTSU is the radio station on our campus. I got to see it on my campus tour and I fell in love with it. I remember walking in and just being in awe. It made me realize JUST how bad I wanted to become a radio personality. The smooth jazz, the coffee sipping in between songs...the whole vibe was just so laid back. Now, it’s a symbol of where I want to be in the future.

How was your roommate? Did y’all have any issues?

My roommate was and still is fantastic. At first I thought we were gonna have issues and that we wouldn’t have much in common, but she’s really cool and her family is nice. We don’t talk very much or hang out, but what I DID learn is that we have similar living habits. We nap at the same time and we like to stay to ourselves. We’re both homebodies; we just like to be in the comfort of our room. Our only real roommate issue is the bathroom floor. I honestly got lucky and I hope to get to know her better and that things run this smooth next semester.

How did you feel about your dorm room?

I didn’t have a problem with the room size; it’s actually bigger than my room back home. The only real living adjustment was sharing a room. I’ve always been the only child in my home, so I’ve never shared a room. I also don’t like company or being around the same person for a long time and I talk to myself 24/7. Since our living habits are similar, it didn’t turn out as bad as I thought. My roommate lives in Houston and left every weekend, so I still got to have some me-time. Another problem was my clothes...my heart still stings when I think about how much clothing had to be sent back home.

Were you homesick? Did you miss your mom?

Nah, not really. I didn’t really get to do as much back home; I got to Houston and spread my wings, honey! I got to be more involved with my school because I didn’t have to worry about transportation or a curfew. I talked to my mom every single day, so I was okay.

What have you been up to? What did you accomplish this semester?

- MOVING IN (a struggle that needed to be recognized)

- Performing at the talent show during Freshman Week (everyone called me SZA for a month)

- Modeling in the Freshman Week fashion show (something slight but fun!)

- Performing at Intervarsity Worship Night

- Joining Intervarsity

- Going to the Encounter Retreat

- Joining Intervarsity Core Team

- Joining the University Choir

- Starting this lovely blog!

- Joining the TSU Gospel Choir

- Joining the Entertainers and Entrepreneurs of Today

- Performing at the Entertainers and Entrepreneurs of Today Listening/Viewing Party and Panel

- Doing my first interview as an artist

- Being a part of the girls life group (bible study!)

- Starting my own campus organization, ME-lationship!

- Facing my fear of roller-skating (I skated at the rink that Beyonce filmed "Blow" in..y'all know I was living my BEST life!)

- Ending the semester with a 3.0 GPA