Austin College Snapshot

Written by Caitlin Graes

Caitlin Graes

Hometown

Granbury, TX

Major

English and American Studies

Grad Year

2013

View all previous student authors

Austin College has a statue nicknamed “Roo Poo,” it isn’t situated in the city of Austin like some people sorely realize after being accepted, and it may have just as much gossip and drama as high school; however, because of these things, there is an overwhelming sense of community. After four years of constant interaction, you would think AC students would want to get away from one another, but there’s a reason why AC students who end up going to the same law or medical school after graduation pair up as roommates—there’s a feeling of “home” people feel when surrounded by others who shared the AC experience. And this sense of community is incurable. While in school, there are endless opportunities to take part as global citizens through studying abroad and service fellowships, and AC students only continue this tradition after getting their diplomas through things like AmeriCorps, the Fulbright Scholar Program, and the Peace Corps. Graduates are known for gallivanting off into the world after graduation and serving the global community. AC students embrace the world as their community after leaving Sherman, but they never forget where they came from.

When a high schooler becomes a Roo, he or she becomes part of a legacy. If you run into an AC alum, even if he or she is 30 years older than you, it’s easy to spend hours reminiscing about the good old days spent on Grand Avenue. And even though the campus is constantly changing, the tradition of community is always present. Any alum is sure to remember the exact place they met their spouse 50 years prior, where they opened their acceptance letter to medical school, or where their friends greeted them when they finally made it home from a semester in Argentina. It’s those kinds of memories that make AC a place that everybody’s dying to come home to.