New ETBU Students Attend Spring Orientation

MARSHALL NEWS MESSENGER (1/4/13)- East Texas Baptist University held its orientation for transfer students and freshman starting in the spring semester in the Ornelas Student Center on Thursday afternoon.

After the new students spent the morning moving into the residence halls, ETBU President Dr. Samuel "Dub” Oliver welcomed them to campus and Director of Student Activities Blair Prevost showed them a campus highlight reel, talked about ways the students could be involved on campus, and let them get to know one another.

While most students start ETBU when the fall semester starts in August, the approximately 25 students assembled upstairs in the student center had different reasons for the spring semester start.

"I’m a non-traditional student,” said 38-year-old Shawn Nabors, who transferred from Panola College in Carthage because it was closer to her home in Harleton and because she liked ETBU’s community atmosphere. "I was also looking at Stephen F. Austin University, but ETBU was closer.”

Ms. Nabors had a career as a nurse before deciding to return to college to pursue sociology.

"I just wasn’t passionate about medicine anymore,” she said, adding that she hoped to start a new career in social work after graduating.

She said she waited until the last minute possible before making the final decision to go to ETBU.

"I went to Tiger Day in November,” she said, referencing ETBU’s preview event it holds every semester for prospective students. "I waited until t he last minute and then just though ‘ok, I’m going to do it.’”

The wife and mother said her family gives her some much-needed support as she goes back to school.

"My husband is my biggest supporter and my oldest daughter is my biggest cheerleader,” she said. "We’ll both sit down and do our homework together.”

Ms. Nabors recalled when she had to take a college algebra class years after last taking a math course.

"I was having trouble with some of it and my oldest was like ‘here let me show you how to do this,’” she said. "I was like ‘you know I used to have to help you with your homework and now you’re helping me.’

"It’s all come full circle.”

Philip Thomas is a freshman who’s starting ETBU for the first time since graduating from Taylor High School in Alief ISD outside of Houston in May 2012.

"I waited a semester just to get my finances right before I started,” he said. "But I knew it was where I wanted to go.”

Thomas said he wanted to attend ETBU because of its nursing program.

"I’ve always wanted to be a nurse since I was like 12 years old,” he said. "ETBU has one of the best nursing programs in Texas so I thought it would be a good place for me.”

(Used by permission www.marshallnewsmessenger.com)