Candace Chambers
Staff Writer
The Tigers are a’ roaring. The tailgating wheels are a’ turning. “Get Ready” is a’ blaring. The cheerleaders are a’ cheering. The crowd is a’ laughing. The campus is ready! It’s Homecoming 2013 at Jackson State University!
With the excitement of a week filled with fun, JSU Tigers are reflecting on this year’s theme: The Legacy! The Experience! The Dream! These six words celebrate 136 years of educating the future. How will you honor the legacy, create your experience, and mold the dream?
As Tigers, we often express great pride in our institution. Even Twitter hashtags, #theeilove and #jacksonstate, show the deep pride embedded within Tiger nation. To embrace the culture of love at JSU, we must be grateful of the progress and work of the giants whom shoulders we stand. The legacy follows the ambition of the first 20 students at Natchez Seminary in 1877, to the innocent lives of James Earl Green and Phillip Gibbs taken by senseless violence in 1970, to the triumph of reaching record enrollment of 9,134 students in 2013!
In order to have the Tiger pride in Tiger nation, JSU students must take advantage of the Tiger experience. At JSU, academics are the main priority. From the School of Business, to the School of Education, to the School of Liberal Arts, all students have the opportunity to succeed to great heights. Not only with academics can students soar, but also through extracurricular activities. MADDRAMA and OutSpoken give students a chance to show their artsy side. Honor Society’s such as Alpha Lambda Delta, society for freshman and sophomore students, and Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, reward students for their scholarship. The sports of football, women’s Soccer, and volleyball, to name just a few, give Tigers a chance to show their athletic abilities. Students can also gain leadership experience in the Student Government Association.
Collegeparents.org states that, “students who seek those ‘value added’ opportunities, who push themselves beyond the minimum, will carry away richer, more broad experiences.”
What more is there to this JSU experience?
Of course, along with experiences, the preparation for the real world is the ultimate goal! JSU Tigers have to be equipped with the right tools to be successful in the workforce. Whether in the classroom, the research lab, or in a government office, JSU is preparing the next leaders of America. The Career Fair, the Etiquette Dinner, and various seminars on financial management are such events to achieve the goal of prosperity.
The Dream encompasses all aspects of the homecoming theme. Each legacy makes a special difference. Each experience is uniquely different. Each dream creates different realities. It is the charge for ALL Tigers to uphold homecoming as a motivator of fulfilling the JSU experience.
We are the future legacy of JSU. We all have a different outlook on our experiences here at JSU. What will be yours?
The views expressed in the commentary are those of the writer(s) and in no way represent the views of The Blue & White Flash.
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