As I began looking into attending Truman State University, I heard how much emphasis was put on academics and how great the students were; that they were — different from the average college student.
I heard of their accomplishments and integrity. This was one of the reasons I chose to attend Truman, but until recently, I never truly understood what it meant to be a Truman student.
On the last day of my HLTH 255 Truman Week class, I realized I wasn't in high school anymore. We were given an assignment to give a two minute speech titled "This I believe." This speech was meant to be about something we truly believed in, a moral value or something we try to live up to in our daily lives. I was nervous about reciting such personal ideals in front of all these new faces. I decided to sit back and watch a few other students present their values first.
As my peers began to present their beliefs, I was hit with the realization of how different Truman students are from the people I went to high school with.
These students have true determination and the need to succeed. As I sat listening, I began to grasp who my classmates are.
Along with listening about the values of will-power, hard work and success, I learned about the depth of my classmates by their personal stories and ideologies.
One boy wrote about believing in miracles and how it was a miracle he was adopted by wonderful parents. He did missionary work and spoke of the miracles he saw while helping others.
A girl told a story about not judging people by how they look. She told a story of how she and her friends were stranded on the side of a highway with a flat tire, and a motorcycle-riding, tattooed man stopped to help them change their tire.
Another girl told of how she believes humans were not made to be independent but meant to work together to make the world a better place.
In high school, I was used to having people slack off and not care about their academics. This sincerely frustrated me. Listening to the beliefs of my peers and their successes and stories made me realize they are so much more than the average student. We all have had different experiences and come from different backgrounds, but we all have at least one thing in common: We are Truman students.
Katie Hayes
freshman
is a member of the 
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