NSHSS Member Event
University of Texas at Austin
October 6, 2007
Britney Cooks
NSHSS Student Council
University of Texas Class of 2010
Good Morning,
My name is Britney Cooks, and I am a sophomore student at The University of Texas at Austin. I am from Houston, Texas and the youngest in my family. I am also a second year member on the Student Council of the NSHSS, National Society of High School Scholars. I could utilize this time to explain more of who I am and what I have accomplished, but I wish to perform my duty as a member of the Council, which is to instill confidence within you and to help you formulate a successful college career.
College is an experience unlike any other. I believe that it is at college that you find out who you really are. I recommend that you take advantage of your first year of college and step outside the box. Destroy all the boundaries that surround your comfort zone and strive to achieve a multi-dimensional personality by absorbing every interaction with different students. Remember, someone that you may meet today may be your best friend tomorrow.
During my college career, I have come to realize that there is no division between imagination and reality. Actually, imagination constructs reality. Albert Einstein envisioned himself as a scientific innovator. Now, he is labeled as the man who reinvented physics, as we knew it. Rigoberta Menchu was a Mayan Indian in Guatemala who saw herself as an aide for her community. But she is now known as a Nobel Peace Prize winner for her work of social justice and ethno-cultural reconciliation of Indigenous people. All successful leaders begin with a mystical thought, one that transformed into a motivation that fueled their stride. I challenge you to dream, dream a dream that seems impossible to achieve. Then, with all your might, pursue it. If you reach for the moon, if you slip, you will fall beneath the stars. Follow your heart. Shadow reality with a dream that spells the purpose for your living.
I would like to congratulate the members of NSHSS for their deserved recognition. I would like to thank the parents of the students who support all of their child’s endeavors. I would also like to thank my familiy, who have always told me that I could accomplish anything.
Now I dare you to surpass all doubts and conquer your first year as a college student.
Read Britney’s account of her freshman year at college with some tips for success in our March 2007 Monthly Update.