August 15, 2009 • 4:37 pm
The following is the transcript of the speech I gave to the Lee University student body in April 2009 at Senior Reflections Chapel:
Who knew that when I got my acceptance letter from Lee University I would end up writing front page stories for a daily metropolitan newspaper, climbing Mount Sinai, and perhaps most importantly of all, getting my hands on a Paul Conn bobble-head.
So when I was asked to speak tonight, my initial reaction was one of thrilled excitement. And then I read what we were supposed to speak about: our story. The story of our experience at Lee University – what we learned, how we changed, etcetera.
And this slightly scared me. I was prepared to make three points and give a speech that you might hopefully remember years down the line.
But… instead, it’s my story. I don’t know how to talk about myself. In fact, I feel like I’m equipped to talk about anything but myself. And so I’ve labored for days trying to pinpoint those key memories that might provide just a five-minute glimpse into the last four years.
So here it is, the most concise graduation speech you’ll ever hear:
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: In Retrospect
The following is the transcript of the speech I gave to the Lee University student body in April 2009 at Senior Reflections Chapel:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
When you’re searching for something, anything, to talk about at chapel and all that comes to mind is the college benediction, you might feel at a loss.
But in fact, I think our benediction, shorter than a Twitter message at 123 characters, deserves a message all its own.
Let the words of my mouth… be acceptable in thy sight.
As a journalism major, I’ve found that the words we speak: in print, on camera, and especially online, have tremendous impact across continents, and decades.
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: In Retrospect
I walked into my Spanish class at Lee University last week and was the last person to sit down and grab a copy of the second test in the course from the professor, Dr. Carmen Guerrero.
It’s never quite natural that every eye in the room is focused on you when you sit down to take a test, and that’s exactly how I felt.
And then I saw why.
Every student received a test that was about a student at Lee named Harrison:
“Harrison is a student at Lee,” read the first box on the test. “He is taking Spanish classes and now he is learning about love relationships, people personalities, and finances. Help him solve all the situations he has to go through.”
How flattered I was!
All eight word questions included Harrison in some new predicament needing help from other classmates in the class.
It was a test I’ll not soon forget. It’s quite an honor, you know, when everyone else’s grade depends on you 
Filed under: All in good fun
I’m always flattered by the various renderings of me produced by various artists I’ve come across.
Here are my favorites from throughout the years:
1. This was a comic produced of me and my friend Rachel for our high school newspaper. Unfortunately, because the full comic was so big, it was never printed. See the full strip here.
2. This skillfully-mastered image of my head was produced by graphic designer Chris Sirico for use as an illustrated headshot in my college newspaper.
3. This colorful comic was made by Jordan Holt as part of his Blackfox Comics series. See the full strip here.
4. This door decoration of my head and antennas was created by a mysterious Lee Clarion editor. When I returned to my office I found it etched on the glass with magic marker.
5. This illustration was crafted by Kevin Puett, a high school friend. It shows me in the classic “Mud & Guts” shirt given to every runner on our cross country team by our late coach, Buck Carney.
6. This spud’s for me. Lee Clarion designer Daniel Diffenderfer drew this Mr. Potato Head image that looks strangely like me.
Filed under: All in good fun
February 13, 2009 • 11:57 pm
I left the Student Media Lab in the student union slightly before 2 a.m., ensuring the doors were locked before climbing onto my bike with three copies of the newest Lee Clarion along for the ride.
What would happen, I wondered, if for some odd reason I was abducted on my way home and all I had left was the three Lee Clarion newspapers? Perhaps, as I was sailing along the highway, I would throw pages of the papers out the car window, hints of my trail left behind for police to one day find.
As I turned off of Church Street, how little did I know that my fears would soon seem truer than I could ever believe.
While I passed the public library on my bike, I noticed a white car slowly pulling toward me, and as I came nearer, a window rolled down and a man gestured toward me. Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: Sudden Scenario
February 6, 2009 • 11:56 pm
Isn’t it nice to walk into a room and see a picture you took hanging on the wall?
I just spotted one such framed photograph on a quick excursion to the Lee University Office of Publications on the third floor of the Higginbotham Administration Building.
Granted, it’s not a thirty-inch gold frame displaying my shot exclusively, but it is an honor to have a piece of history up on that wall.
The picture, as you can see below, was a shot I took of my roommate in October 2007.
Filed under: Observation
January 2, 2009 • 11:55 pm
Lee University’s spring theater production is about me.
I just found that out a few days ago, when I was peering at the upcoming schedule.
Now, before you begin ranting about how egotistical I am, let me tell you, I didn’t ask for this; it surprised me just as much as it has you.
There it was on the college calendar, premiering on April 3 at the Dixon Center: “An Ideal Husband.”
What am I supposed to do now? If Lee’s going to reveal my secret to the whole campus, I might as well audition for the one-man-show.
After all, how could I not be chosen? That would be like refusing to cast Elvis if he tried out for a biographical flick about his career.
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: Humor
December 14, 2008 • 11:54 pm
Curiosity tightly bound by distance can be a dangerous thing.
I remember leaving Lee’s campus this time last year for holiday break, just recently having witnessed the razing of three structures on the southern tip of campus.
After the rubble was swept away a makeshift fence was erected and preparations began for the foundation of a new religion building.
Oh, how the jealousy rose up within me.
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: Sudden Scenario
December 13, 2008 • 11:53 pm
Pranks. Freshman year of college. The two are inseparable.
In fact, it seems institutions of higher education only seem to magnify the prank probability percentage by placing people (specifically guys) in residence halls together.
I spent my freshman year in O’Bannon Hall where, three weeks into the semester, a rash of pranks between O’Bannon and rival Bowdle Hall broke out.
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: In Retrospect
If you don’t know Amy Beth Bullard, you need to know her.
