Dear Bama,
I hardly know where to begin. The past four years have flown by so quickly. It seems like yesterday when our oldest child set off for her first official campus visit. The magnificent beauty of campus, the welcoming nature of everyone she met, and the promise of amazing opportunities swept her away. It was love at first sight! What’s not t love? The natural beauty of campus, the meticulously kept grounds…it was completely gorgeous from the carefully manicured grass to the sculpted tulip beds with their vibrant display of crimson and white blooms. The campus was even more beautiful than I remembered. New buildings, complete with the latest and greatest bells and whistles were springing up every ninety days. I was grateful to see that care was taken to preserve the traditional architectural design of campus. Thank you, Dr. Witt, for developing a clear vision and for providing careful leadership as you worked to promote positive growth for The University of Alabama. You did an excellent job!
Four years ago I sent you my first-born child. She was a bright student with a compassionate heart, a desire to achieve, and the determination to succeed. Although she would never admit it, I suspect she was as apprehensive as I was. When move in day arrived, you took extraordinary measures to make sure everything went smoothly. We pulled up to the dorm and were greeted by an army of smiling volunteers, including some professors, who unloaded everything in a matter of minutes and whisked it away to her dorm room. You promised to look out for her and nurture her as she began her freshman year on campus. When an unexpected emergency arose, that’s exactly what you did. I cannot thank you enough for making her feel so at home and for putting my mind at ease.
Four years later, we find ourselves making plans for Honors Day, a pinning ceremony, and graduation. Her days on campus have been filled with opportunities just as you promised. She has embraced opportunities you provided and she has grown into an amazing young lady. She has served in numerous leadership roles on campus, connected with the community through service projects, and has absorbed a wealth of knowledge. She has flourished academically. As promised, you provided her with opportunities to perform actual research as an undergraduate student. She won awards for her research, made the President’s list repeatedly, and experienced opportunities for advanced training in her field. She was inducted into a variety of honor societies, received additional scholarships for her academic endeavors, and found her niche with service organizations on campus. The last four years have been amazing!
The past four years have brought many changes. I have seen my daughter grow into a confident young woman, a responsible adult, a loyal friend to her peers, and a sports fan. She has learned to love football and gymnastics, and has enjoyed spending time with friends as they cheered our athletes to bring home numerous SEC titles and National Championships. Thank you Mal Moore, Nick Saban, and Sarah Patterson. My daughter has not only witnessed an athletic dynasty, but has been a part of it over the past four years. Just one more reason to say ROLL TIDE!
In addition to academia, you have taught my daughter some very practical lessons over the past four years. You taught her that southern hospitality is still alive and well, manners are still appreciated, and hard work pays off. She learned the secrets of stain removal as she did her own laundry, and she learned that toilets are not self-cleaning. She learned that barbecue is and always will be one of the most important food groups. She learned that free meals do exist. She learned that by eating seafood at Steamer’s on The Strip on Wednesday when it’s half price, she saves enough money for to pay for Hungry Howie’s on Friday night. She learned that eight o’clock classes aren’t always fun, but they gave her a reason to get up and get on with her day. Since the first of her siblings joined her on campus this year, my daughter has learned to appreciate how a mother feels about protecting her children as she watches out for her sister.
Even on a campus as large as this, my daughter has been able to stand out. She knows Chancellor Witt, the Provost, and the Dean and Assistant Dean of the Honors College, but more importantly, my daughter’s professors know her. She’s had classes with as few as eight students and as many as several hundred, but even then, the professors knew my daughter by name. Don’t believe me? While having lunch with my daughter at Jack’s, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find an unfamiliar face. The gentleman introduced himself as my daughter’s chemistry professor. After a five-minute conversation about how impressed he was with my daughter, this professor politely introduced me to a second professor who also called my daughter by name and shared glowing remarks about her. If I had any doubt about sending her to a large school such as the UA, they quickly vanished. I’m not suggesting that all professors know all students by name, but it was nice to know that students are recognized for being present, working diligently, and for displaying integrity, manners, and poise.
Thank you, Bama, for the amazing experiences my daughter has enjoyed over the past four years. The generous merit scholarships you provided to my children have made it possible for them to graduate without student loans. Thanks to private benefactors for providing additional scholarships to alleviate some of the additional costs of college. Thank you for allowing my children to maximize their scholarship awards by applying unused funds toward the cost of grad school.
In May, our oldest will graduate summa cum laude. She landed the job of her dreams in February. THANK YOU, BAMA, for preparing her well to begin her career. We’ll be sending you the youngest of our three in just a few short months. Thank you for the opportunities that she will have as a National Merit Scholar. I know she, like her two older siblings, will have an incredible experience at The University of Alabama.
I find myself posting less frequently in this forum. Before I quit posting completely, I wanted to share our experience with those who are now making final decisions and for those who are just beginning the process. I hope each of you will visit campus and experience it for yourself. It isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty darn close!
I love Tuscaloosa and The University of Alabama. Both are very near and dear to my heart. I grew up in Tuscaloosa and I am looking forward to calling it home again very soon. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities my children have enjoyed and will experience in the future. Each of my children could have pretty much gone anywhere they chose. I’m so thankful they made the choice to attend The University of Alabama. We have no regrets!
All I can say is thank you, Bama, and Roll Tide!
