Try @ TXST

Giselle Kowalski:
Hi, everyone. My name is Giselle Kowalski, and I'm the digital content producer here at Texas State University. You're listening to Try at Texas State, and today we're doing things a little differently. The year 2024 marks 125 years of Texas State University. Through the decades, our Bobcats have been shaping our university in ways our founders could have never imagined, and we're endlessly proud of what we have achieved both academically and as a community. Over time, our traditions have evolved. Students have graduated to begin the next part of their life journey, and new generations bring forth a breath of fresh air to our campus.
In between every milestone are the conversations and moments that tell the stories of our Bobcats, their hard work, their celebrations, and their everyday lives that make Texas State what it is today. We wanted to take the pulse of the Bobcats that currently roam our campus. So we brought a big red phone booth to the Quad one day in hopes of recording their answers in real time as they pass between classes. We asked the question, "What makes Texas State Texas State?" And here's how they answered.

Speaker 2:
It's got to be the people. I've never met such kind and wonderful people before. I'm really happy just to be here. It's my first year here, so I'm really excited to see what the future holds because the people here are so great.

Speaker 3:
It's awesome here and people are easy and just be yourself. You make Texas State Texas State.

Speaker 4:
What makes Texas State Texas State is the friendly community built around this area. All the professors and all the people playing volleyball, professors helping your school, the friendliest people that I ever met on campus.

Speaker 5:
The diversity here, that's one of the reasons why I came, just how diverse the campus is. It makes you feel like home, makes you feel like you're not alone.

Speaker 6:
Texas State is being able to be yourself and be free with no judgment. You're always able to do what you want to do and be free, and that's what makes Texas State Texas State.

Speaker 7:
Texas State represents individuality, but also collectivism because teamwork is so important at Texas State. You can see it through athletic events, on the LBJ, on the Quad. Group effort is very important, but also our individuality is amazing. You never really feel alone at Texas State, and it is home and I love it. It's amazing.

Speaker 8:
People here are super nice and friendly and really supportive too. Texas State is a really good place to go to, especially with people with disabilities.

Speaker 9:
I would say what makes Texas State Texas State is the scenery and just the location. It's so beautiful. There's so many places to relax and just sit outside and study and honestly, I think that calming atmosphere really does make Texas State really unique when it comes to all the colleges you could have gone to. So be proud of yourself that you chose Texas State.

Speaker 10:
When I think of Texas State, I immediately think of Old Main. I feel like Old Main is the defining building of Texas State. But 10 years from now, if I'm looking back at my college years and how I spent them at Texas State, I would say a place full of opportunity, a place full of diverse interests and a place where you can pretty much do anything that you want.

Giselle Kowalski:
Hi, AnaBelle. How are you doing?

AnaBelle Elliot:
Hey, Giselle. I'm doing good. How about you?

Giselle Kowalski:
Good. Do you remember our phone booth experience here at Texas State?

AnaBelle Elliot:
Yes. I loved the whole concept.

Giselle Kowalski:
You did? OK. I'm so glad. Well, I had a couple of questions for you based on the answers that students gave. And AnaBelle, I feel like you're super involved with not only the Texas State community but the San Marcos community as well. So I wanted to ask you, is there a common characteristic of people that you've met in this town?

AnaBelle Elliot:
Whoa, that's a really fun question. I think for me, coming into Texas State, the pandemic had just happened and so I took a gap year. So coming in I was like, I'm going to get to know this town. I'm going to get to love this town, and I want the town to get to know me. And so going in with that attitude, I had a really open mind. I wasn't trying to morph it into what I wanted it to be. I was just coming in saying, "What is San Marcos?" San Marcos is the kind of place that you show up and you start singing a song and a bunch of random people show up and they all have instruments and they start dancing and you have all these different kinds of people coming together. And I've seen that in town, but I've also seen that on campus.

Speaker 12:
The freedom to find yourself with people you actually want to find yourself with and the people that you won't feel that you have an obligation to be around. I just love that freedom, and I think that that's one of my favorite things about this place and why I would want to come back and would've told myself to come back.

Speaker 13:
Texas State is home. Texas State is where you feel safe, where your dreams can come true. Texas State is hope for the future and doing everything you can to get there.

Speaker 14:
The energy in the city is what makes Texas State Texas State. All the people are so kind and genuinely want to inspire positivity within each other.

Speaker 15:
For me, what makes Texas State Texas State is all the diversity and support that you can find in the university. For me as being an immigrant it's really hard to be able to understand all the steps I need for my education. So finding a place where I can get help and feel included as my home country is amazing. And also I feel I found more support and help here than I did in Colombia. So I am really thankful for being Texas State.

Speaker 16:
I think it's the geography, the undulating hills, the river, the trees, the greenery. There's a lot of natural beauty that's nice to look at, and I think that's the most significant thing I'll remember about it.

Speaker 17:
Texas State means I never really thought that I would go to a university, so for me it just represents branching out and actually finishing what I started.

Speaker 18:
What makes Texas State Texas State is the ability to bring people together in a positive, influential way. I always feel like the professors and the people that surround me are constantly supporting me and constantly lifting me up to do what's best for myself and my future. And it truly is such a beautiful experience to live here and to be able to see the influence it not only has on me, but on other people.

Speaker 19:
Texas State is made by the students that go here and the environment around us. There's nothing better than, there's never been people more friendly that I've met in my life than Texas State students that are more willing to engage and have fun with the community.

Speaker 20:
What makes Texas State Texas State is that everyone is authentically them. There is so much love and kindness on this university and the people are genuinely the most authentic and amazing and kind and caring people that you will ever meet.

Giselle Kowalski:
What has being a part of this school and this town taught you?

AnaBelle Elliot:
Being a part of San Marcos and Texas State has really just solidified to me how much I love humans. And that's not to say that everything has always been sunshine and roses. I've had the most happy moments of my life in this town, and I've also had the most heart-wrenching moments of my life in this town. And everywhere I walk there are different sort of souvenirs and time capsules like emotions and memories wrapped up in everything that I see. And I think that's sort of an attitude you can choose to have in this town and on this campus is to keep yourself open to feeling things and meeting people and learning. And I think that that's a way to get the most out of the experience.

Speaker 21:
You can always fit in with someone. And the river, you're never going to be bored, you're always going to have the river.

Speaker 22:
What makes Texas State Texas State is all the stairs that I have to take to and from my classes and also all the squirrels that are on campus. I love them. They're so cute. I also really like our Boko Bobcat statue in the Quad. And I also like President LBJ's statue as well, and we touch his hand for good luck on finals and exams. Go Bobcats, eat ’em up. Class of 2027.

Speaker 23:
I think the best part of Texas State is its location. It is situated between, situated in a very environmentalist place where everybody can get a peace in solace. And I think Sewell Park is the best part of Texas State because people like me coming from crowded areas, they can go in, they can relax in that solace environment. That's all. Thank you.

Speaker 24:
I really like Texas State. I am an international student, and this is my first year in the U.S. This is currently my second semester. I'm a grad student, and it is really, really nice to be in Texas State. And Texas State, I don't know, it gives you a feeling of warmth and it gives you a kind of peace that you wanted in your whole life. It was nice being here, and I hope everything in my life gets sorted out when I get out of the Texas State. I hope I have a nice graduation, and I hope I achieve what I want to. And I hope this is the first step in getting to my career and that is my professional career, and I hope it goes well. And I want to just tell myself that you're doing well. Thank you so much.

Speaker 25:
It's honestly just the friends you have and the friends you make along the way. I think Texas State is kind of what you make of it, and so far, I've made a lot from it. I really love my friends, and I'm happy to call them a family in the future.

Giselle Kowalski:
When you become a Texas State alumni, what will you tell people about your alma mater?

AnaBelle Elliot:
I think I would say it was a place that really helped shape me. And in some way it's like an incubator because I'm not fully expected to be this professional out in the world yet. I'm still in classes, I'm still learning. But even just socially, creatively, academically, there's so many areas that I get a lot of grace because I'm still learning and I'm still growing and that's just a known fact. But I also can really challenge myself. And even in my different on-campus jobs, I've really pushed myself. My time here has been really a time of being nourished and growing and making mistakes, making a lot of mistakes. Sometimes you slip up and sometimes you miss class. Those sorts of things happen, but I think overall, making sure that I'm meeting my own needs, taking care of myself, having those crazy college experiences, going to class, learning, applying myself to everything. I think that that's the way I would wrap up my time here.

Giselle Kowalski:
Yeah. And those mistakes are what we learn from, so you're doing an amazing job, AnaBelle. Well, thank you, AnaBelle. From one Bobcat to another, thank you. Thank you for making this community what it is, for making this school a home to so many people, and for bringing warmth, love, and kindness to our campus. Who knows what the next 125 years will bring.
And thank you for listening to this episode of the Try at Texas State Podcast. Make sure to tune in next time to learn more about something else you can try on campus at Texas State. And also remember to follow us on our social media @TXST. This podcast is a production of the Division of Marketing and Communications at Texas State University. Podcasts appearing on the Texas State University Network represent the views of the hosts and guests not of Texas State University. Again, I'm your host, Giselle Kowalski, and I'll see you next time. Bye, y'all.