Fernando Verver

By: Brooke Maser

For Fernando Verver, Fort Worth senior, music has always held a close place to his heart. His journey with music began as a seventh grader in his junior high band. Finding an instrument to suite him was somewhat of a struggle. He eventually found a mouthpiece on an instrument that fit him, the trumpet.

Hard practice paid off as Verver went on to make the high school concert and marching band. He won many awards throughout his high school career. Award winning was not unusual for Verver. His senior year he received a first place medal at state for his solo and ensemble. He also won a gold medal and the title of best musician/performer in his high school.

Nothing was out of reach for Verver as he made it to SFA to play in the jazz band. Still playing his trumpet, he was a member of the SFA jazz band his freshman through junior year. Verver recently quit the jazz band. He said, “ Practices and stuff really got to me and my time was done, I just needed to concentrate on my fraternity and school.” He said that band is more of a hobby now and not a priority.

Instead of attending practices Verver has more free time. There is more time to study, hang out with the fraternity, play sports, and participate in outdoor activities, says Verver. He enjoys spending his time playing softball, football, golf, and fishing. Just because he is not in the band anymore he still remembers every aspect of it and it will always be a part of him and something that he loves.

Austin Beesley

By: Michael Garcia

Life brought Austin Beesley talent in the game of baseball, but through life’s struggles, he learned life is more than just sports.

Austin Beesley, Lancaster senior, moved to Weatherford, Texas around the age of 10 or 11 because his parents, who were also teachers, did not want him to go to the rough high school. Beesley played every sport in high school but stayed with baseball and tennis. He is passionate about baseball, and is a right- handed pitcher with side arm, and hand-over-hand styles. In High School he loved to hit but kept working on his pitching to hopefully play collegiately.

After high school Beesley was able to go to junior college for tennis and baseball but chose to pitch at Howard Junior College in Big Spring instead. He transferred to Weatherford Junior College and pitched there as well. His Weatherford team made it to Regionals but the team was disqualified for a brawl against New Mexico Junior College. Beesley and the team were involved in the nation’s first team brawl in a junior college and regional game.

When summer came around Beesley played select/collegiate summer ball against professional baseball and collegiate players. After his sophomore year at Weatherford he decided to transfer to a SFA to enjoy the last two years of college. While at junior college there was only baseball and school, and he wanted to experience the full college lifestyle. Beesley’s father played basketball and football collegiately and his sister that played tennis and softball collegiately as well. During his experience of playing baseball Beesley has been able to become friends with professional and collegiate players. With all his experience in baseball, he would make a great coach. With all the pitching Beesley has done over his lifetime his shoulder has been stressed so he has been taking time off baseball to enjoy life’s many opportunities.

Life is full of pain and let downs, and most people find it hard to bounce back up and continue where they left off. Athletes go through the struggle of injuries in their sport careers, but some see that life is full of other outlets. Usually many athletes consider their sport their life, but for athletes like Austin Beesley, they realize life is more than just sports; it’s a chapter in life.

Nikki Barajas

By: Cameron Mebane

Angela "Nikki" Barajas, Humble sophomore, described herself as a hypochondriac. She said that she wakes up nightly thinking that she is going die and that when most people get a pain, they just assume they hurt themselves somehow. Nikki’s “mind immediately goes to the worst possible situations like “Oh, God, I’m going to have a heart attack…”

Nikki thinks that being a hypochondriac started during an incident when she was 13 years old. She said that one night she couldn’t breathe and started having panic attacks weekly. She went to the doctor and they prescribed some anti-anxiety medicine that didn’t seem to help. Nikki never went to therapy for being a hypochondriac and has tried to keep it a secret.

She reads the labels on all medicines and worries about all of the side effects. She is worried that some medicines that she has taken will have latent side effects. One of her past medications has a side effect of a stroke before the age of 20 and Nikki turns 20 in two months. She goes to the doctor “quite frequently, usually up to 5 to 10 times a year.”

She said that being a hypochondriac has “plagued” her for about six years. She has a fear in the back of her mind that one day, something will really be wrong and people will assume that she is just a hypochondriac.

Angela Bradley

By: Tiffany Occhiogrosso

Angela Bradley, Clarkston, MI senior, is a non-traditional student who knows more about life than the majority of SFASU students.

Bradley is a wife, a mother and a full time employee as well as student at SFA. She moved to Gary, TX with husband David Dziesinski Jr. Four years ago, and had son Calix Alva in February 2009.

With a one-hour one-way commute time from home to SFA, Bradley can only take classes Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester. With a husband, a baby, and a house to take care of, extra time is sparse.

To Bradley, school now is not much more difficult than it was as a traditional student. Due to work now and then, “It was always a class here, a class there,” said Bradley. “When you’ve got bills, work is more important.”

In this economy, Bradley’s priority doesn’t look so bad. In Michigan, husband David was laid-off from GM, which filed for bankruptcy and was bailed out by the federal government in late 2008.

This year, Bradley was laid off from her job at an oil field company due to 10 percent pay cuts and a slow environment. In the expert words of Bradley, “The economy sucks right now.”

As a wife, mother, worker and student, Bradley has much to juggle. However, Bradley still appears in classes every Tuesday and Thursday. Perhaps traditional SFASU students may learn a thing or two about priorities and time management from Angela Bradley.

Daphne Taylor

By: Paige Beasley

Daphne Taylor, LaMarque sophomore, has always had a passion for the Lord. This passion, mixed with her passion for singing, makes her a perfect member of the on-campus gospel ministry, Soul II Soul.

Soul II Soul is a group of musically talented students who are interested in sharing God’s Word through music. Taylor, a journalism major, got involved in the group in the fall of 2008, when she was a freshman on campus and was looking for a group that would incorporate her hobbies and interests. “I saw a flyer for the group,” she said, “and I love to sing, so I joined!”

And she has loved it. Not only does she get to sing, but all of her friends are in the group as well. “All of my best friends are in Soul II Soul, and it’s just a really neat environment,” Taylor said. She also loves that the group helps in her spiritual growth. “The group helps me because I am around a lot of people, and I see their faith and it makes me want to be like them,” she said. Taylor believes that being surrounded by strong Christian people makes her strive to live the Christian lifestyle.

If anyone is interested in joining Soul II Soul, the group is always open to new members. “There are not any requirements to joining,” Taylor said, “anyone can come to the meetings and get involved.” Soul II Soul meetings are held at the Baptist Student Ministry on East College from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday nights.

Shelbe Blacklock

By: Taylor Hannum

Shelbe Blacklock, Villeplate, La., freshman, has been playing musical instruments for five years. She first learned how to play during the summer of her freshman year of high school. She was in her school band for four years. “I’ve been playing the flute for five years, piccolo for five years, piano for five years,” said Blacklock. She has played many types of music such as classical, jazz and improvisation. She has also tried many other instruments including the trombone, guitar and trumpet. She is always open to trying new instruments.

Blacklock has also been in three jazz bands, Jazz 1, Jazz 2 and Jazz 3. She has also auditioned for many bands. She advanced to area band when she auditioned for it. Blacklock has shared her musical talents with other people as well. “I’ve taught a friend how to play before,” she said. “She played clarinet and she was transitioning to flute, so I taught her how to play.” Blacklock looks up to Herman Mann, a flute player, as a professional role model. She also enjoys watching YouTube videos online of flute players.
Blacklock was not the only musically inclined member in her family. Her brother also played the trombone and a couple other family members played the flute. They don’t compare to her musicals feats though. She’s “just different”, as she puts it. Blacklock plans to continue her musical career next semester as she tries out for SFA’s band.

Ashley Land

By: Megan Kelley

Ashley Land, Kenefick sophomore, left her hometown to attend Applied Life Christian College in Hot Springs Village, AK where she received more than an education but also a love for radio production.

Land left her hometown for Hot Springs Village in August of 2005. When she got to college she became involved in Christian services. Students could commit a few hours a week to a program on campus. Through the program Land found the college radio station, KALR.

When she was promoted to promotions, director Land became involved in the behind-the-scenes of the radio station. She helped organize activities, write promos and create advertisements. After a month of being behind the scenes Land was given the opportunity to have a radio show with her best friend, Christiana Urban.

For two hours every weekday listeners could tune into Drive at 5 with Chris and Danie. Callers could request songs, give input to subjects brought up or just call in for shot-outs. Land and Urban decided to change the name to Chris for Christiana and Danie for Danielle, Land’s middle name.

After a year of working for the station Land moved back to Kenefick and then decided to start back to school at Stephen F. Austin. she had a hard time finding what she wanted to do for a career.

“I started out in nuclear science, but then found out I’d be in school for too long so changed my major to criminal justice,” she said.

After realizing criminal justice wasn’t what she wanted to do Land was stumped. A friend is reminded her how much she loved the radio business. Land has been in the radio/TV Broadcasting program at SFA for two years and feels right at home there.

“I’m kind of ahead of the game since I’ve already worked for a radio station,” she said.

Land plans to graduate in December, 2011. After graduation she wants to work for a country music station. Having worked behind the scenes in production and in front of the microphone, Land wants to host her own radio program like she did at KALR.