TheDrumBeat.com

By Colton Hollis

Multimedia Journalist

With the school year winding down and summer break right around the corner, sophomores at Tyler Junior College are planning the move to a four-year university. With how rocky the transition from high school to college can be, three graduating TJC students would like to impart wisdom on future freshmen and returning sophomores.

Advice for incoming freshmen

○ Find a friend group or join an organization ○

One thing that can ease the transition from high school to college is to find a group or organization you get along with. This is something echoed by TJC graduates Tanner Smith and Myia Davis.

“It can be extremely nerve-racking coming into a new place with a completely different group of people from what you’re used to seeing every day,” Smith said. “Find that group of people that you can relax and be yourself with. It’ll make college life a lot more fun.”

Once you are attending classes, don’t be afraid to talk with your classmates about what they do around campus, maybe one of them will be with a club or organization that piques your interest. 

“Being involved on campus is one of the best decisions I ever made, and I wish I would’ve done it earlier,” Davis said. No matter what you are interested in, there will probably be a TJC organization related to it. If you like theatre, there is Las Mascaras. For people interested in game design or just playing video games with friends, there’s the International Game Developers Association.  TJC also has several religious-based organizations such as the Baptist Student Ministry, Overflow and the Baha’i Club. 

One way to learn more about organizations is to attend Student Senate meetings, as many organizations announce events they will be holding. 

○ Figure out a balanced schedule ○

 The prospect of being in a new city and surrounded by new people can be a bit distracting for new freshmen, but it is important to keep a balance between classwork, studying and taking time for yourself. 

“A majority of the professors make attendance a grade. If you miss class a lot without a reasonable excuse than your average is pretty much screwed and you’ll probably have to take the class again,” Smith said. 

Simone Griffith, graduating resident assistant,  expressed the need for balance in college life.

“The advice I would give to a freshman would be knowing yourself and your limits. Being in college, you will be independent and free to do anything you want. You can skip class, go to parties, even have an off day and no one will care,” Griffith said. “However, I will tell them to not take this for granted. Know your limits to certain things like parties and stay focused on your degree.”

○ Be the best version of yourself and find time to focus on you ○

The change in workload from high school to college is something some students need to adjust for. This can be a burden on one’s mental health. 

“Don’t get stressed out, which sounds easy to say, but it’s true. Putting yourself and your mental health first is so important,” Davis said. 

It is also important to remember you shouldn’t worry too much about what others think of you, instead focus on getting through college and bettering yourself for the future. 

“I wished I learned that when you’re in college, no one really cares. What I mean by that is no one cares if you’re the best dressed or was the popular one at your high school. It starts all over when you’re in college,” Griffith said. “You shouldn’t worry what anyone thinks about you because everyone there is just trying to gain their degree. None of that matters in college to be honest. This is not a fashion show or a social contest.” 

Advice for returning sophomores

○ Don’t get distracted ○

Burnout can be a serious issue for students with the feelings of procrastination creeping in. That is why it’s important for returning sophomores to stay focused on the end goal of graduation. 

“If it’s your last semester then keep up with your work. It can be very easy to procrastinate and take things a little too easy,” Smith said. “Stay on top of everything and push until graduation day.”

○ Don’t be afraid to hit the reset button ○

Junior college is a time for experimentation and finding yourself, and sometimes that means learning the career you chose in high school isn’t what you want to be doing for the rest of your life or the major you chose just doesn’t match up with your interests.

“Do not feel like you’re a failure or behind in any way if you change your major. Those feelings hit me hard each time I changed mine, but I realized that everyone moves at their own pace and that I am not the same as anyone else,” Davis said. 

A reset doesn’t have to involve your major or future career either. Students can find themselves falling behind in their studies while still wanting to follow through with their original major. That’s when they need to just take a step back and look at what are the best changes to make to their habits. 

“If your grades were high, while still balancing school, work or even social life, keep doing what you’re doing,” Griffith said. “If you are struggling to balance your social life and school, change your mindset and focus on your grades.”

By Landon Reid

Contributing Writer

The room is a tan color, with three bright lights above where the students sit. On the left side of the room, a long wall is seen with a standard chalkboard on it, with the word “morning” written surrounded by scribbles. On the other side of the room, posters are hung promoting the Tyler Junior College Cultural Arts program, and in the front of the room, stands a podium for students to speak from. A man walks in before the scheduled start time, wearing a magenta suit jacket and a pair of pressed khaki pants. His appearance assured his students he is not a professor just going through the motions, but a dedicated educator. He sits in a chair beside the computer, pulling out his ID to reveal the name Alfonso Ippolito. “Good morning class, let’s get started for today,” Ippolito said.

Alfonso Ippolito, better known to his students as Mr. I, is the son of immigrant parents who always championed for education in his life. He grew up loving to draw and was fascinated with the idea of becoming an architect for a career, leading him down the line to pursue his first degree in civil engineering. 

It was from there where he began an internship with Carrier Air Conditioning, taking him all over the world to places like London, Paris and Rome. He began working with General Electric after leaving Carrier. 

Getting into communications was a byproduct of his engineering work, not an intentional career shift by Ippolito. 

“Most engineers were very bright and could come up with great ideas but had difficulty in explaining their ideas so earning a communication degree could be a big help, professionally,” Ippolito said, “So I did.” 

GE offered Ippolito a  full scholarship, and he used that to earn his undergraduate degree in communications. He then went on to also receive his master’s degree for communications. During this time, he received an outstanding teaching assistant award.

According to iaeconsulting.org, Ippolito was granted the Rick Diamond Excellence in Education Award 2016-2017, The Thomas H. Shelby Jr. Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence 2017-2018 and STAR Professor Fall 2011 while teaching at TJC.

In regard to the Endowed Chair award, Ippolito said it was “the most humbling experience” in his life and nothing has been able to come close to receiving that honor. Ippolito said it is important to him because it allowed him to see how he is touching the lives of not just students but the faculty of TJC, as well.

One of the most important lessons he teaches his students on day one is, “In order to be an effective communicator, you have to have compassion, empathy, humility and respect.” These are the four values he makes all his students recite before anyone speaks in front of the class. He believes it’s that kind of environment that produces quality learning and if he shows these four values for the students, they will show those values back to him. He also believes teaching at TJC is his way of giving back. He says many people in his life helped get him to where he is today, and he feels it is only right that he passes it on.

Braden Wilson, engineering major and former student of Ippolito, explains why his class was so beneficial to him.

“I always loved how his class was the kind of place where you never knew what to expect,” Wilson said. “He taught me how to truly be myself and speak to others on a level that I never thought was possible for myself. Since taking his class, not only have I noticed a difference in my professional life but also my personal life. I am more open to others now and not afraid to be myself around them, allowing others to see a side of me that one would never have known if it wasn’t for Mr. I.”

In the future, Ippolito said he has plans to possibly pursue his doctoral degree in communications. He has no plans to retire anytime soon, and expects that he will always have his “finger in the education pie.” He believes education is exciting and sees the rewards it has for not just him but the lives of students that he impacts. 

“We are all lifelong learners, and we never really stop learning,” Ippolito said.