A Message from the First Lady of Austin College

Dear Austin College,

Steven is getting asked a lot lately about what he’s most proud of. Doubtless, there’s a response to that question elsewhere in this magazine. What I’m most proud of is us—the Austin College community—and that last word is really important. Community. We are a community, and we embrace all of the facets of all of our students.

Our students are widely varying. We have students that make it look easy. They are doing amazing work and important research right now as Austin College students. We also have students who are going to need a lot of support (in a variety of ways) to make it through, but they will, and their Austin College degree will change the trajectory of their lives and their families’ lives.

Within these differing students are interesting juxtapositions. We can all identify these seemingly unexpected connections in people we know and within ourselves, but it isn’t an accident that we see this a lot within the Austin College community. It’s part of the wonder of a liberal arts college. We are curious, interested, and interesting people.

Also featured elsewhere in this issue is the alumna who melded her interests in art and biology into a career in medical illustration. She was also a member of the AC water polo team. There are other water polo players here who have spent their summers at the dig at Huqoq. There’s the football player who interned at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Another student, president of her sorority, asked us to attend her senior art show. What were her plans after graduation? Dental school. The list goes on and on. Maybe this coming together of seemingly unexpected connections isn’t quite so unusual after all, at least not at Austin College. This is what I’m so proud of.

At a time when it often feels like the world is telling people what they should be like, we say it’s OK to be you, all the different parts of you. Be your own best self. We at Austin College can embrace the scientist/artist, the opera-singing doctor, the economist in the weight room.

I have felt this personally with the different sides of me. Both are part of being a teacher and a coach. There’s the “Cece, she’s so sweet. She’s so nice,” and there’s the “Cece—she’s the Queen of Suck it Up.” I have appreciated that all the facets of me have been valued as first lady of Austin College, and I hope that this will continue for the family of the next president.

For now, I am so proud of all of you. I am proud to have been part of this community, with all the richness that word carries. Now it is time for this swimmer/teacher/coach and her soccer player/lawyer/college president husband to try to live sustainably (can we create our own food forest?) while we live out some episodes of This Old House in our 1840 farmhouse—and get a puppy. Maybe two.

Love,
Cece