As a new semester begins, we here at the Prairie want to take a moment to officially welcome back all returning students and any students beginning for the first time.  With the fall semester in the bag, we are all one semester closer to graduation, one semester closer to that hard earned degree, one step closer to our future.

On the campus of WTAMU, spring brings with it new opportunities and events that allow us all to expand our social and academic horizons.  From the Black & Gold Scholarship Pageant, to University SING, to Shack-A-Thon, various events are being held in our front yard, each of which allows students, faculty and staff to take a few small steps out of their comfort zone and experience campus life that is unique to WTAMU many of which set us apart from universities across the country.

For many of us, WT is home.  Within the walls and borders of campus we have gained knowledge, been forced to think like never before, and for some, husbands and wives met for the first time in the places we pass by everyday.  While not a home in the traditional sense, WT has been the place where lifelong friendships first began, the place where students felt like they belonged for the firs time in their lives, a home simply for the fact that it has allowed us to be who we are without fear of ridicule or shame.

So, as this new semester begins, remember the people and places that have brought you here.  Remember them because, like it or not, you carry a little bit of them with you as you go down this path.  Remember them as you look toward your future.  While your past does not define you, it has made you into who you are today.  But it is up to you to decide what your tomorrow will be.

Best of luck this semester!  And always remember, someone out there is hoping you succeed!