For Sarah Perry Hazelwood, Tyler Junior College was an easy decision.
“I chose TJC mainly for the personal testimonies that my older sisters gave me,” she said. “They would come home and talk about what they had done or were doing with the school, and it inspired me.”
On Friday, Hazelwood, of Yantis, will graduate magna cum laude from TJC with a history degree.
“TJC helped me to be more disciplined with deadlines and simply getting things done,” she said. “Before college, I had a teacher and my mom to tell me to get my schoolwork done. When I came to college, it was all up to me. Most importantly, TJC taught me how to enjoy my time not only in college, but in stressful seasons of life.”
She is currently considering her next steps but being an educator will be part of the plan.
“Careerwise, my dream/goal is to be a stay-at-home mom and homeschool my kids while teaching part time,” she said. “I have wanted to do that for as long as I can remember, and I was just waiting for the opportunity to arise.”
A recent newlywed, Hazelwood is now one step closer to that goal.
“I will always remember TJC for meeting my future husband on campus and getting to grow in our friendship by talking about anything and everything while walking each other to class,” she said.
In addition to her studies, Hazelwood was active in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, History Club and the TJC Honors program, where she worked as an intern for three semesters.
When asked about her biggest influences on campus, she singles out Dave Funk, Honors program director, and Dr. Keith Eppich, archaeology professor.
“Before I even met Dave Funk, I felt like I knew him because my sisters would rave about how great he was. Then I met him and he also played an inspirational role in my college life,” she said. “A professor that I admire is Keith Eppich. I came to college initially to work on becoming an archaeologist, so I took his Intro to Archaeology class and then his General Anthropology class, both of which were wonderful. By far, his method of teaching has been the most helpful and understandable, not to mention that he is just a really cool guy.”
She offers this advice to anyone starting their college journey, she said, “Do not be afraid to embrace change, even if it means changing the direction of your life, your major or both. If something challenging or new comes up and it terrifies you, just dive in head-first and don’t look back.
“I used to be such an introvert — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in itself — and had horrible social anxiety to where I wouldn’t go anywhere if there were more than five people. But then, I came to college and was encouraged to go to events and be involved and it changed my whole demeanor. Now, I love to go out and meet new people, even if it means just asking a person how their day was and never seeing them again. Don’t be afraid to get out there.”