There is something just so nostalgic about hearing the chimes on a college campus as the Fall Semester begins. At least for me.

I never in a million years thought that I would ever spend so much time on a college campus. Not only as a student but as a professor. It is just one of the many blessings in my life.

The beginnings of my college career were very touch and go. I was an okay student. Just not a very motivated student (it was difficult to stay motivated at the then number one party school University of Miami).

Honestly, I was clueless about a lot of things as I began my college career.

And to think that this once ‘clueless’ college student now teaches at a college…well that is just more than amazing to me.

Perhaps this is what endears me to the students that fill up my classes now. To know that what they are feeling, how they are responding (or NOT responding), how they many times feel ‘clueless’…is perfectly normal. And that somehow they will survive, move forward, and prosper in their own way and in their own time.

Just as I did.

Thanks to two very influential and different professors.

The first is Dr. Stephen Hobbs. He had a faith in me that I never could find in myself. He encouraged me to pursue graduate school at a time when I doubted that I would even graduate from undergraduate school. I wrote to him a few years back to thank him for the difference he made in my life. Dr. Hobbs responded by inviting me to speak at my old Alma Mater (Augusta State University) next time I plan a trip up to Georgia.

The second professor is Dr. Tomme Actkinson (he retired in 2006), my graduate advisor at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. He gave me a chance to prove myself when I was uncertain that I could even qualify for a position in their program. Then encouraged me to never give up…even when I was ‘clueless’ enough to try and bring my three month old baby to class because we would receive a failing grade if we missed even one class.

So when the bell tower rings on my ‘home’ campus of Central Florida Community College, it means more to me than what time it is. It is a reminder that what I do is so much more than getting the attendance verifications in on time, grading papers and struggling to get my ‘teaching station’ to work correctly.

The chimes are a reminder that I am creating memories for yet another group of college students.

The chimes are a reminder that we are all capable of great achievements with a little bit of positive reinforcement and encouragement.

The chimes are a reminder that to make a difference you must choose to be different.

There is just something so nostalgic about the bell tower chimes on a college campus.