Kangaroos in Texas!?! Whatever do you mean? Yes, you can find tons of kangaroos in the Texoma area. It's a bit of a drive from Houston, but with a good playlist on your iPhone, a Route 44 Cherry Limeade from Sonic, and about 4 hours to kill, you can find these kangaroos in Sherman, Texas at Austin College.
(Disclaimer: We have been mistaken for other institutions for higher education in Texas like Austin Community College in Austin and Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches. Just like the city and the university, our school was named after the legendary Texas hero Stephen F. Austin. When you are awesome tons of things will be named after you, that's just human nature. And, no, the "real" Austin College is not the University of Texas. Austin College is a 150 year old, small, private liberal arts college in Sherman, TX. And, no, a private liberal arts college is not a youth camp for aspiring liberals. Austin College Kangaroos is a peaceful and collaborative community representing a variety of political leanings, social causes, etc. I digress.)
1. How do I find a kangaroo? That's easy. Drive to Sherman, TX.
If you drive up 45/75 North, drive past the inner loop of Houston (I know that some of you will have to brace yourselves. There is no passport required.) , drive past Anthropologie in The Woodlands, drive past the statue of Sam Houston, grab a good slice of pie at Sam's in Fairfield, and keep driving. You will see the Dallas skyline. If you have a companion who has never been to Sherman, they will get their hopes up and think you are in Sherman. Tell them to patient. 45 North turns into 75 . Drive past Chanel and Hermes. Go to the bathroom and eat an ice cream cone at a classy joint like Braum's or DQ in Plano. And, keep driving. The road gets narrower and you will be entering Grayson County eventually. It gets simpler and more laid back. You'll see the signs for Sherman. Hooray! Take any of the exits and get to Grand Avenue. And, give yourself a pat on the back because you made it.
2. Why would anyone go to school here?
Why wouldn't you go to school here?!? Austin College is a beautiful place. And, I agree with Loren Pope, this is a place that changes lives. If I had a son or a daughter or ever adopted, I would without reservation send them here. Austin College and Sherman is not everyone's cup of tea. Essentially,if you know someone who wants to be an agent of change and enact positive change, this school can be the launching pad for any young, talented, creative, inquisitive person.
3. You honestly think this school changes lives? (rolling your eyes in sarcasm and doubt and pessimism) Yes, I honestly think my experience at this school did. Ask anyone I went to high school with and have a conversation with me now. There is a significant transformation. And, I know there are people vomiting and rolling their eyes. Those are the critics and the skeptics. But yes, looking back right now as a young woman, my Austin College experience did change me - and hopefully change me for the good.
4. How did this school change your life? Austin College is a dream facilitator. Austin College Kangaroos are taught at a very young age to learn about yourself and follow your passion. There were so many amazing professors who knew me by my name, knew if I didn't show up to class, and knew to call me if I was not feeling well, homesick, or having a tough time. My C/I mentor Jane White would lovingly call me during my first semester at AC and ask me if I was doing okay, and she would host us in her home with a big pot of chili and brownies. I was a very intellectually shy person in the classroom coming from a large high school in the suburbs of Houston. I wanted to stay in the crowd and not stand out.
5. When you say small, how small is Austin College?
At Austin College, you can't hide. Back in the mid 90s, this school had 1200 students. It was half the size of my high school. You can't disappear magically when your upper level English class has four people in it or when you have to explain to Dr. Imhoff why you spilled hydrochloric acid on your lab bench or when you try to sneak out of a required Heritage film viewing when you rather watch the movie "Friday" for the hundredth time in your friend's dorm room.
Dr. Roger Platizky will ask you a question about the assignment if you do not speak up. Dr. Light Cummins will try and wake you up when he is trying to lecture on the Civil War. Conductor Daniel Dominick will run into you and boldly ask you to be the solo bass clarinetist for the Sherman Symphony when you want to pretend you're not a music geek. Dr. Jim Gray will tell you that you earned a B on your paper and ask you when will you give up your dream of becoming a doctor and be a writer.
If your mom is in the hospital, you had a fight with your friend or you leave your wallet in a classroom, people will know about it and want to help you and talk to you. Lovingly screaming at you across the quad saying, "Nicole! Nicole! I found your wallet... again." The janitor will see you walking by yourself in the rain and will want to loan you his umbrella and tell you about his kid's football game. There are generous people everywhere in the Austin College and Sherman community. It was because a group of kind strangers at a church in Bellaire that helped me make a big decision. The church gave me some scholarship money to attend this school. This made the difficult decision to turn down a full music scholarship from a fancy school in Houston much easier for me and my family.
6. What is Austin College like?
This is a place for creative, optimistic, and generous people. This is NOT a school for people who do not speak up in class, slackers, or the faint-hearted who want to coast. Eventually people will know you - your true authentic self/ the good and bad stuff. People will want to encourage you to continue being your true self even when you don't even know what that really means. This is a school where people will teach you how to think in so many different ways. You will take so many random classes - html coding, logic and computer programming, Mozart, philosophy class, weight lifting, biochemistry, writing, ornithology, Elizabethan British literature, and painting. Students who are passionate about learning, having a lot of fun, being quirky, and wanting to serve others will blossom here and anywhere they end up after spending four years in Sherman.
7. What is the Service Station? And why is it so awesome?
The Service Station is the school's clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities. The organization connects the Austin College community to the greater needs of the community at large. They organize the Great Day of Service and Alternative Spring Break. When I was asked to serve as the Chairman of the Service Station Board, it was with the encouragement of Kristin Troegle '99 and Service Station adviser Jeanie Graber. I was the perpetual procrastinator who turned in her Service Station application late, and somehow a year later they wanted me to be the chair. I was called to be a servant leader at a very young age. I didn't event want to be a leader or even know how to be a leader. I just had a passion to serve others. It was ingrained in me from church, family, and even Girl Scouts. Simply said, I wanted to serve others. So, I agreed to be the chair, and just pretended I knew what I was doing. (shhh! don't tell anyone.)
Through my volunteer work the Service Station, I have met so many fascinating people, fellow students who wanted to help others, a nun who taught me social justice, orphans in New Orleans who have never seen a Filipino before, an Americorps volunteer who taught me how to put a roof on a Habitat house, and a very brief conversation with General Colin Powell. And while I was able to serve and meet so many people, my experience as a chair for the Service Station ironically ended up serving me and teaching me skills.
I learned how to lead with vulnerability, authenticity, and compassion. I still use a lot of these skills today as a nonprofit management professional many years later at places I have worked along the way -- small businesses, hospitals and schools.
I'm in my thirties now, but I will always be thankful for the opportunity I had at Austin College. There are countless experiences I shared with so many friends (Lori, Lily, Jill, Sarah, Sandy, Yinka, and Sunny to name just a few), professors, and people I met in the Sherman community. I am who I am because of what Austin College did for me and for what Austin College will continue to do for me. While we are a small community in a place nobody has ever heard of, I will always be proud and grateful to be an Austin College Kangaroo.
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