Following my recent lecture at Tennessee Tech University, there were precious few minutes before the next class was to begin in the same lecture amphitheater. So I didn’t really get time to speak to many students following my talk. However, one student made a special effort to speak to me. She was a non-traditional student, perhaps in her early thirties and introduced herself as Natalie.
She explained that she had experienced significant financial hardship, but had always dreamed of going to and graduating from college. She made a specific reference to how the staff at Tennessee Tech. had gone out of their way to assist her in making her college dream a reality. She was particularly moved by my encouraging the students to not be Grounded By a lack of courage, lack of initiative, or lack of perseverance. She said that while it has been and still is hard, she is committed to make graduating from Tennessee Tech. a reality, and she definitely wanted to honor the efforts of those that had helped her get into and pay for college. I gave her my card and encouraged her to contact me anytime I might be able to assist her.
Later at a faculty lunch, I relayed that story, and the mood in the room immediately went to a higher level. I didn’t initially remember her name, but they all knew immediately that I was talking about Natalie. They all talked fondly of her and how hard she worked. Later, they brought in another staff member that had been instrumental in getting her into Tennessee Tech and asked me to relay the story again to her. I also learned that local businesses and alumni had pitched in to offset her tuition. Amazing!
Many of the students in that lecture are having their college tuition and expenses paid by mom and dad. Most don’t know true financial hardship. So it is especially awesome to hear about a student like Natalie, who decided that regardless of her situation, she would not let anything anchor her down and miss an opportunity to complete a college ed
ucation. And double kudos to Tennessee Tech. and the fine people at the college of business. They truly are Grounded, and I can’t help but feel that Natalie and all of the other business students at Tennessee Tech. will turn out to be outstanding future business leaders and entrepreneurs under their leadership.