Hey guys. I’m Quanae and I’m the new Student Life Editor for the DrumBeat! This is the DrumBeat’s 90th Anniversary. I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce the editors of the newspaper and give our readers a little background on us.
I was raised on a farm deep in the boonies of Scurry, Texas. We had chickens, pigs, ducks, rabbits, turkeys, cows, you name it. We had it. Growing up, I spent a great amount of time with my grandparents. My papaw and I would go out in the field and tend the gardens- or rather he’d tend while I ate vegetables off the stem. With all of the fresh produce coming in my granny had to can continuously. Canning is a natural preservation method used to keep food fresh for extended periods of time. So I spent a lot of time with her in the kitchen singing songs and having out-of-this world conversations.
Growing up, I always wanted to be a doctor. I would beg my mom to watch surgeries on the Discovery Channel with me and I often researched subjects concerning the medical field. My high school offered a CNA program for juniors and seniors. When I was a senior I jumped at the chance of getting experience under my belt.
Halfway through the program I was completely done. I couldn’t handle blood, weird smells, or bodily fluids of any kind. I also found out I was a hypochondriac, so whenever we learned about a new disease I got sick and found some way to convince myself that I had that specific disease. In school they make you think that you have to know exactly what you want to be when you start applying for colleges. You can imagine how freaked I was when 4 months were left of senior year and my “lifelong dream” of becoming a doctor fell through. There were many a times I balled my eyes out to my mom ‘I’m going to be a bum, I don’t know what I want to do with my life’, at 17. But still she pushed me to go look at colleges and apply.
When I visited TJC I fell in love with the campus, it was beautiful. Especially considering it was a junior college and if I’m being honest it looked better than some universities I visited. At orientation my mom made me sign-up to be a Radio/TV Broadcast major. And I am glad she did.
The main thing I wanted out of a career was to help people and real journalism is just that. As a journalist, you’re given the power to make a difference, whether it be big or small, everyday. I’m able to bring to light corruption in areas the ‘average joe’ may not have known to look. And I’m also able to report on great things happening in the community. If I posted the weather cast online I helped an old lady somewhere remember to bring her umbrella to stay dry. Working for The DrumBeat has been a life changing experience.
Well guys I hope you enjoyed meeting me and getting to know a little bit about my background. If you have any story tips or a story you feel is newsworthy please don’t hesitate to email me directly at qmiller2@email.tjc.edu.
