For all departments at Lamar, some graduation ceremonies have already taken place while others are set for the next few days. Every graduating senior this year has their own story while they attended Lamar and plans for what they will do after finishing school.
Communication major and graduating senior Alexis Doub from Vidor, Texas is one of the seniors set to graduate on May 12. For the majority of her time at LU, she has taken mostly online courses but still had her fair share of in-person courses. She chose to come to Lamar because it was close to home.
“My overall experience at LU was pretty good,” Doub said. “The highlight I loved during the semesters here were all my coffee shop study sessions.”
Doub’s coffee shop study sessions were formed with close friends and together they would study, work on assignments together, and hang out. Although some of her study partners were from different degree plans, they were still invaluable in helping her with her study goals.
“One of my study partners was in a dentist program at LSCO and another was a business major here at LU,” she said. “The company, help, and accountability from other students with a mutual goal to graduate are extremely beneficial.”
Prior to attending college, she was torn between several ideas of what she wanted to do for her career. At one point, she was interested in being a veterinarian but was later glad that she decided against that pursuit.
Eventually, she decided to major in communication because of the potential careers her major could help her in, such as human resources, public relations, journalism, management, and broadcasting.
“I do think that my degree will be useful for the career I hope to get,” she said. “I want to work in radio, social media management, or television.”
During her sophomore year, Doub faced one of the biggest challenges for her as a college student.
“(Around that time) I struggled heavily with my mental state and I lacked the energy and motivation to keep up with my courses,” the senior said.
Her grades suffered, so she decided that she would have to take at least one semester off so that she could focus more on herself and “put effort into (her) thoughts and health”.
“This was the best and hardest decision I have had to make,” she said. “When I was ready to come back and register for classes again, I felt so accomplished– I am now doing much better, both (in) my grades and mentally speaking, and I am so proud of myself.”
The day after graduation, Doub plans to have a celebratory brunch with friends, and then in June, she plans to meet up with her family to have a mini-vacation to travel together for about a week to Kemah and then to San Antonio.
As far as general advice for prospective LU students, Doub did have some words she would like to share: “Get involved! Lamar has so many opportunities for students to get hands-on experience, meet like-minded people, and learn new skills,” she said.
No matter where students or prospective students are in life, she encourages them to not compare their personal situation with other people’s.
“At college, everyone is at a different time in their lives,” she said. “Be comfortable where you are at every moment, but strive for better.”
Port Neches Communication major, Callie Melancon is another senior set to graduate on May 12.
Growing up, Melancon had attended Lamar games with her dad so she was already familiar with the university but had ultimately chosen to attend as a student herself because it was close to home and family.
“I think that my time here at Lamar has been pretty positive and what I remember most about my time here were my professors,” she said.
Before attending college, Melancon dreamed of having a career in baseball and still hopes to make that a reality even after graduation.
“My highest ambition is to someday work for the Astros or for Major League Baseball at their headquarters in New York City,” she said.
Just like any other student, Melancon had her share of hardship as a college student.
“What I struggled most in college was balancing school work, my job, and life in general,” the senior said. “I had to constantly remind myself that there was light at the end of the tunnel and give myself a break whenever I needed it.”
Despite her struggles, she pushed herself to keep going forward and was glad that she did not stop. To help her stay on top of everything, practicing effective time management, not cramming all her work in short periods of time, and enjoying herself in her free time all helped her immensely in the long run.
“After all these years, I learned that I was stronger, smarter, and more resilient than I ever imagined,” Melancon said. “I never knew what I was capable of until then.”
After graduation, Melancon intends to take a trip with her long-distance boyfriend at the end of May and has planned several activities: including visiting Houston, going to a zoo, and attending an Astros game.
Ambour Leal 