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Interactions
with others in college shapes life College is not about finding yourself. College is about cultivating your spirit so you better understand who you are. What I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that I am a people person. Granted, some who know me well might say this fact was never in question. They might be right. But one of the best lessons I have learned at TCU is how I define “people person.” Very simply, a people person is a human interaction sponge. I am what William Shakespeare would call “a passionate player with a keen eye for observation.” Translated into modern day vernacular this means I would not be afraid to talk to a tree stump if I thought the conversation would be stimulating. Friends will confirm I have been known to carry on conversations at grocery stores, in restaurants or elevators and even from time to time in stop-and-go traffic. I am notorious for meeting people at the gas station. This ability to develop an easy rapport with strangers makes interviews go more smoothly. It also serves me well in my personal life. It also means I live life with the gusto one might consider worthy of the stage. I often chastise friends who joke that my life is drama filled. I see things differently. Their interpretation of drama suggests my experiences are riddled with a fascinating complexity that, despite its occasional entertainment value, often presents insurmountable challenges. Not so. The life and times of Jaime Walker are surely unique, but they are not monumentally different from anyone else. Life for all of us is a wacky series of human interactions — an often bizarre combination of meetings and separations. Every interaction we have with another person is an opportunity. Whether you chose to believe people come and go from your life by God’s will, chance, luck, mistake, destiny or some combination is up to you. The important thing to understand is that each meeting makes a difference, even if it may seem unrecognizable. College is full of such encounters. Life is shaped by the sum total of them. I have honed some of my academic skills at TCU, but most of the time I trained my eye and maybe my heart to recognize the treasures that can be uncovered in relationships. Author and journalist Anna Quindlen once said, “Being a reporter is as much a diagnosis as a job description.” She was right. My chaotic, adventure-filled experiences as a reporter/student have taught me that this writing bug is in my blood. Call it a blessing or a curse, I won’t be satisfied in career or life unless I feel what I’m doing or saying matters in a small way. I always try, whether in personal relationships or professional interviews, to get to the heart of the matter — the humanness if you will. It’s where the real beauty of this life can be discovered. I have witnessed extraordinary beauty in my 21 years — particularly over the past four years. On May 11, 2002, I will receive a diploma from TCU that’ll show I earned the proper credits for a bachelor’s degree in journalism. It won’t indicate to future employers whether or not I will be a good or even mediocre journalist. And, it certainly will not give anyone an indication if I am good person or not. It will serve as a reminder of all the lessons this people person learned — about people and passions, dedication and desire, matters of the mind and the ways of the heart. Jaime
Walker is a senior news-editorial major from Roswell, Ga. |
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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002 |
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