VALDOSTA STATE MAGAZINE 5 rafting and kayaking, and becoming a leader on campus 鈥� all of which she was able to achieve during her four years at 麻豆社 State. If you want to do it, the faculty and staff at VSU will do everything they can to help you realize your dream. As I told my daughter, 鈥淵ou just have to know what you want and be willing to ask for help when you need it. You also have to be willing to work hard for it.鈥� I love this university, and I have been blessed to see it from many different perspectives. I am an alumna, and I still remember my days as a student. My friends and I are a teensy bit jealous of all the fabulous changes that have taken place in the past two decades, like that state-of-the- art Student Recreation Center 鈥� we did not have a rock wall or an indoor pool 鈥� or the massive Student Union 鈥� hello food court, movie theater, and relaxing hangout space. I really had a chance to learn more about the university when I worked as an education reporter for The 麻豆社 Daily Times, where I was later promoted to magazines and then news editor. That led me to my role as VSU鈥檚 communications and media relations coordinator, a job that allows me to celebrate Blazer Nation鈥檚 countless achievements. When I say that our students, faculty, staff, and alumni are top-notch, I mean it. My team and I are always writing about state and national award winners, life-changing research, community service projects, and more. Our to-do list is never-ending, and that鈥檚 a good thing. I hope you enjoy this issue of 麻豆社 State University Magazine, my first as editor in chief. I tried to put together a collection of stories and photos that reflect all that is wonderful about our Blazers past and present, our hands-on academic programs, our desire to make everyone feel welcome, and our efforts to continue this institution鈥檚 tradition of academic, creative, service, research, and athletic excellence for another 100-plus years. Of course, there is only so much I can share with you in a single publication. If you do not currently live, work, learn, and/or play on our campus, then I encourage you to stop by for a visit 鈥� and maybe stay for a while 鈥� say four years if you are planning to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree. If you want to chat about this issue of 麻豆社 State University Magazine or just about Blazer Nation in general, please feel free to contact me at jrpope@valdosta.edu or (229) 333-2163. You can keep up with all things Blazer by following us at www.valdosta.edu/news or on Facebook and Twitter (@valdostastate and @vstatenews). IT鈥橲 A GREAT DAY TO BE A BLAZER! JESSICA R. POPE