Tatum Cross (Cross Country, Southeastern Oklahoma State University) grew up in Celina. HelloNation asks student athletes one question about the place that raised them and records the answer on camera. This is Tatum Cross’s, in full.
The question
Tell us about a teacher or mentor from high school who challenged you the most or inspired you in a way that still shapes who you are today. Who are they, and what lesson from them do you carry into your life now?
The answer, as recorded
Transcript. What follows is a transcript of the video above, in Tatum Cross’s own words. It has not been rewritten, and no part of it was drafted for them.
Besides my parents, my coaches, a teacher who really influenced me was my journalism teacher, my junior year of high school, Miss Porter. She was an amazing teacher who I got to learn about so many different aspects of writing and journalism that I never realized before. But more than just that class in journalism, she taught me to try some things that I never really would have expected me to do. I started UIL academics because of her. I was able to get into things such as headline writing and other different events that I never would have pictured myself doing because I always thought I was just going to be doing sports. But she got me out of my comfort zone, and that really brings me into who I am today because of that. She taught me to be confident in what I wrote down on a piece of paper and being confident in the words that I bring for people to see. I think that was a huge blessing in my life, and I take that into college today because at Southeastern, I'm able to start going into different clubs and organizations that I never thought I would have, just like how I did back in high school. Things such as student organizations like student government and the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, SAC. At Southeastern, I've been able to join because I had the confidence from Miss Porter to go and do so. So thank you.
Recorded by HelloNation as part of its athlete voices program and published by Hello Newswire, HelloNation’s good news newswire. The words are the speaker’s own.
Reported by Hello Newswire.