1. What is your name and where are you from?
My name is Thomas and I’m from Bossier City, Louisiana.
2. What is a little bit of your background story?
I was born in Washington and moved to Missouri where I spent most of my childhood. I have an older brother who is 3 years older than me. My parents divorced when I was around 10 and my family began to fall apart. When I was growing up I bounced around between living in Hawaii with my mom and in Missouri with my dad. I dropped out of high school and ran away to Hawaii to make it on my own with my brother. I joined the Air Force when I was 18 and served for 6 years. I couldn’t see myself fixing airplanes for the rest of my life so I got out and began to pursue a career where I could be creative and happy.
3. When you were a teenager what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a professional football player or be in a rock band.
4. What were you most afraid of as a child?
I was most afraid of the dark.
5. Do you have any close encounters with death? If so could you share with the audience?
When I was 15 years old I did a hike in a jungle in the Philippines that I will never forget. There was a narrow ledge where we had to hug the cliffside to get across or else we would have risked falling hundreds of feet down to a river. As I was getting across the ledge, I stepped on a spot of vegetation that had no cliff under it. I began to fall through the hole, but as I was reaching out for anything to hold, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
6. What are your long term and short-term career goals?
My short-term goals are to find an internship position for the Fall, graduate in December, and to get a good job right after. My long-term goals are to hold a top position at my work place and eventually get a master’s degree.
7. What made you want to come back to school?
I discovered Photoshop towards the end of my military career and fell in love with it. I found a multimedia program at HPU where I know I would doing all sorts of creative stuff, so here I am!
8. What are you studying and why?
I’m studying in the Integrated Multimedia program because I think it’s the best degree that lets me express myself through creative work. It’s like you’re a kid making crayon drawings for the fridge, but the fridge is a portfolio to show to the world.
9. What motivates you to keep going towards your goals and in life?
I think what motivates me the most is my wife. My roles as a husband are to provide and to take care of her so I think being a good husband is a goal to keep striving for.
10. How did you and your wife meet? How did you propose?
We met online when I was on a deployed in Qatar. It was love at first jpeg. I eventually went to the Philippines to visit her and the family. I asked her mother if I could marry her daughter and then we lived happily ever after. Going on 6 happy years now.
11. What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?
I think I’m good at being proactive. I set goals and deadlines for things. Front loading as much work you can do at the beginning of the semester really helps out in the long run and allows more time for you to polish your final projects. Being too nice to people is my weakness. And Krispy Kreme donuts.
12. What made you want to go into the military?
Since 9/11, I’ve always thought of joining the military to fight against terrorists.
13. What is one of your fondest memories while in the military?
I’d say when I made the rank of Staff Sergeant and graduated military leadership school. It was memorable for me because I made my family proud.
14. What was a difficult time or decision you had to make while in?
Every deployment was a difficult time for me because I was away from my wife a lot. The hardest decision I had to make was deciding if I wanted to stay in the military or get out.
15. What is something you learned from the military and you’ve kept with you to this day?
I’ve learned to be at least 15 minutes early for everything.
16. What’s the happiest memory you have?
Our wedding day on the beach.
17. What’s your greatest fear?
My greatest fear is being in the ocean and not being able to see what’s under me.
18. What’s your greatest hope?
That all my hard work with schooling will pay off with a great job.
19. What’s something you regret?
I regret nothing! Every single thing I’ve done has made
My name is Thomas and I’m from Bossier City, Louisiana.
2. What is a little bit of your background story?
I was born in Washington and moved to Missouri where I spent most of my childhood. I have an older brother who is 3 years older than me. My parents divorced when I was around 10 and my family began to fall apart. When I was growing up I bounced around between living in Hawaii with my mom and in Missouri with my dad. I dropped out of high school and ran away to Hawaii to make it on my own with my brother. I joined the Air Force when I was 18 and served for 6 years. I couldn’t see myself fixing airplanes for the rest of my life so I got out and began to pursue a career where I could be creative and happy.
3. When you were a teenager what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a professional football player or be in a rock band.
4. What were you most afraid of as a child?
I was most afraid of the dark.
5. Do you have any close encounters with death? If so could you share with the audience?
When I was 15 years old I did a hike in a jungle in the Philippines that I will never forget. There was a narrow ledge where we had to hug the cliffside to get across or else we would have risked falling hundreds of feet down to a river. As I was getting across the ledge, I stepped on a spot of vegetation that had no cliff under it. I began to fall through the hole, but as I was reaching out for anything to hold, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
6. What are your long term and short-term career goals?
My short-term goals are to find an internship position for the Fall, graduate in December, and to get a good job right after. My long-term goals are to hold a top position at my work place and eventually get a master’s degree.
7. What made you want to come back to school?
I discovered Photoshop towards the end of my military career and fell in love with it. I found a multimedia program at HPU where I know I would doing all sorts of creative stuff, so here I am!
8. What are you studying and why?
I’m studying in the Integrated Multimedia program because I think it’s the best degree that lets me express myself through creative work. It’s like you’re a kid making crayon drawings for the fridge, but the fridge is a portfolio to show to the world.
9. What motivates you to keep going towards your goals and in life?
I think what motivates me the most is my wife. My roles as a husband are to provide and to take care of her so I think being a good husband is a goal to keep striving for.
10. How did you and your wife meet? How did you propose?
We met online when I was on a deployed in Qatar. It was love at first jpeg. I eventually went to the Philippines to visit her and the family. I asked her mother if I could marry her daughter and then we lived happily ever after. Going on 6 happy years now.
11. What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?
I think I’m good at being proactive. I set goals and deadlines for things. Front loading as much work you can do at the beginning of the semester really helps out in the long run and allows more time for you to polish your final projects. Being too nice to people is my weakness. And Krispy Kreme donuts.
12. What made you want to go into the military?
Since 9/11, I’ve always thought of joining the military to fight against terrorists.
13. What is one of your fondest memories while in the military?
I’d say when I made the rank of Staff Sergeant and graduated military leadership school. It was memorable for me because I made my family proud.
14. What was a difficult time or decision you had to make while in?
Every deployment was a difficult time for me because I was away from my wife a lot. The hardest decision I had to make was deciding if I wanted to stay in the military or get out.
15. What is something you learned from the military and you’ve kept with you to this day?
I’ve learned to be at least 15 minutes early for everything.
16. What’s the happiest memory you have?
Our wedding day on the beach.
17. What’s your greatest fear?
My greatest fear is being in the ocean and not being able to see what’s under me.
18. What’s your greatest hope?
That all my hard work with schooling will pay off with a great job.
19. What’s something you regret?
I regret nothing! Every single thing I’ve done has made