This is the expectation for many other teenagers like me when they turn 16. Not only was I able to earn my own money through having a job, but I was also able to learn responsibility, how to interact with different types of people and to foster a good work ethic.

I applied to work at Chick-fil-A shortly after my 16th birthday because my parents wanted me to follow in the footsteps of my two older siblings, who also worked there when they were teenagers.

After I applied, I went through two interviews where they asked me if I thought I would be able to work in a fast-paced environment and other typical interview questions to determine if I was a good fit for the job.

After getting hired, I went to Walmart and bought some black, nonslip shoes and picked up my uniform, the red polo and black slacks you’re accustomed to seeing Chick-fil-A employees wear.

Shortly after I got my uniform, I went to my first day of work. I walked in and was taken to the manager’s office, where I was given my name tag and paired with another employee who trained me. It was a whole new world for me since I had never seen the back of a fast-food restaurant. It was a fast-paced environment filled with new people and new tasks. Over time, I got used to this environment and was very comfortable in it, but at first, it was all very foreign.

As an introvert, I don’t necessarily enjoy talking to strangers. But I was forced to overcome this pretty fast as I had to interact with customers daily. In the two years I worked there, I grew in my ability to talk to people.

Having a job taught me responsibility in multiple ways, such as time management and the importance of being reliable.

Once, when I had only been working for a couple of months, I forgot to take off one weekend for my high school basketball tournament. Instead of informing my manager that I would not be able to work, I decided the better option would be to just not show up.

I now know that it is unacceptable, but 16-year-old me did not think of it like that. My manager was upset and told me I could not just not show up to work. He taught me that my coworkers relied on me to come to work since I made a commitment to them.

After this, I learned my lesson and managed my time between work, school and basketball much better.

Everyone is bound to have a difficult coworker or manager at a job eventually. In my two years of working at Chick-fil-A, I dealt with multiple challenging situations. One stands out to me, though: It was one of my managers named Angela. She would always find something wrong with people’s work and was overall difficult to work with.

If we had no customers and it was a slow period, employees would have nothing to do, so they would stand and talk with each other. During these times, Angela would try to find busywork for us to do, like stocking or finding random things to clean. Things had to be done a certain way for her. For example, one time she got upset because someone put too many napkins in a customer’s order.

“Two napkins per entrée for every order,” she said.

I would grow frustrated when working with her, but it taught me that not everyone you work with is going to be enjoyable, but you must deal with it.

Having a job and being able to earn money was rewarding because I saw the hours I put in payed off when I got my paycheck. This helped me develop a good work ethic, which is something I still have today and am grateful for.

Working a job during high school may not be the best at times, but it is something I am grateful that I got to experience because of the valuable lessons I gained from it. I think it is something a lot of teenagers should experience because of how much they can grow and learn.

The post Minimum wage jobs teach valuable lessons appeared first on The Optimist.

It is not really ACU’s fault, but a lot of classes are only offered during certain times of the year, like fall or spring. Because of that, students often have to pack their schedules to stay on track. Even with tutoring and other resources, it can be hard to get help before burnout sets in. By the time a student realizes they are overwhelmed, they are already behind. Burnout can lead to anxiety, depression, and feeling mentally and physically drained. A lot of students stay quiet because they feel like they just have to keep pushing through.

This is not just my experience. According to the Healthy Minds Study, about 41 percent of college students report symptoms of depression, and around 36 percent experience moderate to severe anxiety. The study also found that over 60 percent of students were dealing with at least one mental health challenge at some point. Seeing numbers like that makes it clear how common this struggle really is. College is harder than high school, and managing all of these responsibilities at once is exhausting.

Another issue is that not every professor understands the challenges students face outside of class. Some are supportive, but others can be dismissive. I have had a professor compare our workload to that of his high school-age kids and say that if they can stay up past midnight to finish their homework, then we can too. Comments like that make students feel unheard and unsupported.

College comes with heavier workloads, higher expectations, and real-life responsibilities. I am not saying students should not do homework, but professors should not assign work they know cannot realistically be completed in the time given. Professors should also take into account that when there is a break, such as fall break or spring break, those days should be reserved for students to rest and recharge. Students should not be assigned extra work or homework over these breaks.

Overall, my experience at ACU has been really great, but the reality is that students like me often have to carry a busy schedule just to stay on track. I am currently taking 17 credit hours, and the exhaustion is real. At my job, I work around 45 hours per week and still have to find time to manage my school work. Many students are struggling to keep up and feel mentally and physically tired.

At the end of the day, I am not saying ACU is doing a bad job. I love it here, and I am grateful for the opportunities I have had. But we have to be honest about what students are going through. A lot of us are tired. A lot of us are trying our best to manage everything at once.

ACU can encourage healthier academic expectations by reminding professors that students have responsibilities outside of class. Professors can help by being more flexible and understanding when it comes to workload and timing, and by making sure that breaks are truly breaks without assigning extra work.

Students want to learn and succeed, but we are also trying not to burn out in the process. We need a little more balance and a little more understanding. The goal should not be to just survive college but to actually grow through it.

The post Burnout has become the new normal appeared first on The Optimist.

On move-in day, I walked into “old” Mabee Hall, where I was given the keys to room 343. After I moved all my things into my room and my parents had left, I went to dinner at Chili’s with my girlfriend, her roommate and her boyfriend and one of our friends from high school.

After dinner, I met my Wildcat Week group. During the week, I talked to the people in my group, but none of them were people I hung out with. More so, the people you see walking towards you on the sidewalk from a distance and must decide at what distance it is acceptable to wave.

I talked with the people who lived in my hall; after all, we did brush our teeth next to each other every morning and night, but the same situation as before.

As you know, most friend groups form during the first few weeks, and my group was no different.

Our group had nine people at first, and we would go to Chapel, where we sat in section 106 of Moody Coliseum. Then, directly after, we would go to the Bean and sit on the right side most of the time in the “big booth,” as we called it. We would usually study in the library after lunch at one of the long tables upstairs. We watched movies and played games in the Bullock third-floor common area.

After the first few months, the group started to drift apart, and by the end of the semester, it was down to six of us who were consistently hanging out. At the beginning of the spring semester, one of them dropped out during the second week.

So now, the group was down to five people. During the spring semester, the five of us would spend time together nearly every day. We would still go to Chapel and sit in section 106, then go to the Bean, and usually end the night by hanging out in someone’s dorm room.

At the end of the school year, the five of us were still close, but the only person I saw from the group during the summer was my girlfriend. When we came back from summer break, everything was normal, and we were all hanging out just like we used to, until my girlfriend and I broke up.

I tried to still hang out with the group, but it wasn’t the same anymore. They heard how it happened from her and not my side of the story. Sure, I was to blame for some things, but it was not solely my fault; but they didn’t see it like that. I eventually stopped even trying to hang out with the other members of the group.

I still waved to them and said hi in passing, but after a couple of months, even that stopped. It was a strange feeling seeing the people you thought at one point you would be friends with for a long time walk by and not say anything to them.

It was a turning point for me; nearly everything I had known at ACU up to that point was gone. I was almost starting from scratch again. It was a hard couple of months as I navigated the struggle of finding a new friend group as an introvert who tends to be socially awkward when meeting new people.

Over time, it got better, as most things do. I started hanging out with new friends towards the end of the semester and continued meeting new people in the spring semester. By the end of the school year, I looked back and realized how much I had grown from the beginning of the year when I lost my friends.

Now looking back a year later, in a strange way, I would say I’m grateful to have the experience of losing my friend group. It helped me grow and mature in a way that I probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

Losing your friend group isn’t an ideal situation for anyone, but instead of seeing it as a roadblock, view it as an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, meet new people and experience different things.

The post Friendships lost, lessons learned appeared first on The Optimist.

While the specific sports follow the same rules, men and women have different schemes and play styles due to athletic differences, inconsistent speeds of game play and often contrasting economic opportunities.

With women’s athletics still on the rise, it makes sense that more people would drift toward the already-established men’s leagues, which are often more appealing at a basic level. 

However, women’s athletics at any level deserve to be celebrated. It does not make sense that women do not receive the same chance to play on a national stage. Female athletes work just as hard as male athletes in practice, and they deserve to be rewarded as such.

Recently, women’s sports have been shown on national television more often, and events have been moved to larger arenas, such as the Dallas Wings moving games from their typical stadium to the American Airlines Center, which has 13,000 more seats. 

Even as an athlete in high school, I noticed that far more people came to watch our boys’ basketball games than the girls’ games, even though they were scheduled one right after the other. 

It was disheartening to see how much larger the crowd was for the boys’ games than the girls’, even though it made sense due to the greater successes for the boys’ basketball teams.

I have often seen the same imbalances at ACU athletic events. On average, I see a much higher attendance at men’s basketball games than at women’s games, despite a higher level of success for the women.

However, this does not mean that people should write off women’s sports, which I have often found to be the case. 

I have had many conversations with people in the past few years about the National Basketball Association and the Women’s National Basketball Association, especially with the recent growth of the WNBA after Caitlin Clark and her draft class joined the league. 

Clark has brought new eyes to the WNBA through her talented three-point shooting and extraordinary passing ability, so much so that by the year 2030, five new teams will be in the league that were nonexistent in her rookie year. 

The 2024 Finals, Clark’s rookie year, averaged 1.565 million viewers per game, the highest-viewed playoff series in the history of the league. In 2025, the Finals were expanded to a seven-game series, previously only a five-game series.

Despite record viewership, the WNBA averages lower ratings and receives less money, leading the athletes in the league to receive around nine percent of the league’s earnings collectively in salaries, while athletes in the NBA receive around 50% of the league’s revenue. 

In an interview on “TODAY” on Oct. 21, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the women of the WNBA deserve pay raises, and they will likely be getting them in the next collective bargaining agreement, but argued that it is not a matter of revenue share. 

The NBA season runs from mid-October to mid-June, while the WNBA runs from mid-May to early-October. This schedule has some overlap, but for the most part, people do not have to decide whether to watch one or the other. 

However, I have heard people complain about the WNBA games in the months when the NBA is not actively playing games. Things like, “They’re not as good as the men,” or “The game is too slow.”

This attitude does not apply to basketball alone, but it spreads to other sports as well. For example, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has won four World Cups while the men’s team has won zero–yet the women’s team spent six years fighting for equal pay rights.

Women’s sports, especially professional basketball, are on the rise, but not everyone has to watch women’s sports because I recognize they are not for everyone. 

However, do not let the fact that “it’s not as exciting as men’s sports” stop you from watching. Just like apples and oranges are not the same, women’s sports are an entirely different game, and should be regarded as such.

The post Women’s sports are different than men’s sports appeared first on The Optimist.

Donald Trump’s second presidential victory could not have been possible without the help of 18-30-year-old voters. An NBC News exit poll found that the 47th President earned the largest portion of young voters by any Republican presidential candidate since 2008.

Why is that?

The economy. Over 80 percent of young voters claimed the economy as the top issue of the election. No matter what social issue was on the ballot, nothing trumped the emptiness in Gen Z’s wallets. This is true for college students preparing for the real world, like myself.

We wanted an affordable cost of living.

We wanted low inflation.

We wanted a great job market.

We wanted lower taxes and regulations.

We got that.

It took the severity of the current state of the economy to cause Gen Z to rise up and win the election for Trump.vWhat should Gen Z be described and labeled as now? A fitting adjective would be aware.

Just as the GOP was aware of the real issues affecting millions of Americans, 18-30-year-old voters were aware of what is going on in the country. Gen Z went against what the mainstream media and the democratic party thought was best for them, and went to what they knew was best for them and their nation.

Moving forward to the 2026 midterm elections, Gen Z will continue to be a pivotal demographic to candidates looking to move the needle in key congressional races in battleground states.

The post Gen Z won the election for Donald Trump appeared first on The Optimist.

This was considered to be a big win for the Harris campaign as it rallied the Democratic base and hoped to sway women to vote for the vice president. However, just like the debate, it had little to no impact on voters.

According to a YouGov poll conducted on Oct. 28, 2024, just 7% of Americans say they ever supported a presidential candidate because a celebrity did. Celebrities had a tiny impact on the last presidential election.

Why is that?

With all the cache that comes with being a celebrity, why did that not resonate with the 152.2 million Americans who voted?

Celebrities do not understand the issues voters care about. Swift and other celebrities supported Harris because of her stance on abortion. According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted on Sep. 9, 2024, only 51 percent of Americans said that abortion was a very important issue of the election. The poll also reflects that 81 percent of voters said that the economy was the primary issue of the presidential race.

That is what won it for Trump.

While the celebrity endorsements of Elon Musk, Dana White and Joe Rogan helped encourage young men to vote for the 47th President of the United States, it was the campaign’s ability to relate to all of Americans. The 77 million Americans who voted for Trump felt like they were being heard and understood when they shared their concerns buying groceries, gas and a home.

Despite the glamour of a celebrity endorsement, that no longer moves the needle in an election. The Democratic Party, while strong in celebrity ammunition, miscalculated what would hit home for the American voter. The Republican Party, while traditionally not being perceived as the working class party, has now rebranded thanks to Trump.

Understanding and addressing the issue of the pocketbooks of millions of Americans won the election, and in turn gave the multi-billionaire from New York his second term in the Oval Office.

The post A Swift rebuke: When it comes to politics, celebrities just do not get it appeared first on The Optimist.

As I prepare for Saturday’s undergraduate graduation ceremony to take on the world, I am grateful for this university and its people. The relationships and memories I have formed at 1600 Campus Court have not just defined my past four years, but will continue to define the next forty. That is what college should be about.

They say, “It is the best four years of your life.” I would suggest, “It is some of the best four years of your life that will be the foundation for the rest of your life.”

My time at ACU has been grounded upon that belief.

Through academic and experiential learning involvement in ACUTV, The Optimist and the College of Business, I gained the knowledge and the skills necessary to enter the workforce with a heart centered on Christ and education.

Through extracurricular activities in Galaxy, Lynay and SGA, I gained the community and the people skills necessary to love my neighbor and adopt a servant’s heart. Through friends, mentors and peers, I gained the relationships necessary to grow in Christ in everything I do. While this is the end of my academic career, this is just the beginning of living a life reflecting the values this university and its people have instilled in me.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of my ACU story.

Until next time, but one last time…

Go Wildcats!

The post More than just four years appeared first on The Optimist.

This weekend’s matchup has been highly anticipated among the ACU fanbase as it marks Head Coach Keith Patterson’s return to Lubbock, where he was formerly the defensive coordinator. The Wildcats have a total of seven players who previously played for Texas Tech.

Taking down the Red Raiders will be no easy task for Keith Patterson’s squad. The Big 12 powerhouse will have the home crowd in the newly renovated Jones AT&T Stadium for their season opener. It’ll be a packed house, but ACU should be prepared for the environment. When asked about his return and the Texas Tech fan base, Patterson had nothing but positive things to say about his former team.

“Texas Tech has a tremendous fan base; they’re very loyal, they show up, and they’re loud,” Patterson said. “They support Tech very well.”

Coach’s keys to the game included doing the simple things the ways they’ve practiced and staying within themselves despite the loud, hostile and often overwhelming environment. The advice he shared with his team was brief but will serve the team well as they play in a stadium with a maximum capacity of around 60,000. That’s five times what the Wildcats are used to in Abilene.

“I’ve just tried to be honest with them; here’s what kind of environment you’re going into.”

When it comes down to it the Wildcats are going to need to execute and slow the game down. Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks is a generational talent and is hungry for the school’s all-time rushing record. The ACU defense led by senior linebacker Cirby Coheley and red-shirt junior safety Elijah Moffett will need to be disciplined yet hungry and aggressive on every play.

On the offensive side of the ball coach Patterson and offensive coordinator Rick Bowie have a simple game plan prepared for the season opener.

“You have to go play one play at a time and keep that mentality,” Patterson said.

Execution was the word of the day when Patterson spoke to the press on Monday. He emphasized the importance of doing their individual jobs and playing as a team.

“I want them to execute, try to be explosive playmakers, protect the football,” Patterson said.

If the Wildcats can control their emotions, stay in the moment, and execute, I think this game could be much closer than most fans are anticipating. Starting quarterback Maverick McIvor is coming off his best year as the ACU field general, throwing for 17 touchdowns and only five interceptions a year ago. He’ll have his favorite target from a year ago Blayne Taylor out wide while inheriting Ole Miss transfer receiver J.J Henry in the slot role, a position that has struggled for the Cats in recent years.

While I’ve got the Wildcats falling 38-20 on Saturday, Patterson’s approach to the game and kicking off the season was optimistic and hopeful because of what they’ve shown during camp and where their ceiling could be in 2024.

“Whatever we’ve put into the bank is what we’ll be able to withdraw on Saturday,” Patterson said.

The post Prediction: ACU vs. Texas Tech appeared first on The Optimist.

What is Christian service and leadership, though? Is the department of athletics doing Christian service and being Christian leaders?

I believe students and alumni have bountiful opportunities to do so, but the department of athletics routinely fails at portraying how to live a Christian servant life during and after college which is leading to a university’s culture being split in half.

During the summer of 2008, my family made the cross-country move from Jackson, Tennessee, to Abilene, so my parents could begin new jobs. Fifteen years later, I have seen ACU rise to a new level in higher education. Unfortunately, ACU has prioritized professionalism and growth instead of providing faculty and staff with more benefits to support campus. Now, as a senior at this institution, I have been able to abundantly witness these shortcomings.

Primarily through my work with the department of athletics, I believe the culture within this department is burning people out at an immense rate. I have talked to numerous staff members who were working upwards of 80 hours a week and were unable to meet the demands of their respective roles because of pressure from coworkers. These people loved ACU but ultimately either left or transitioned to different roles.

The linchpin of my burnout was when I went to the Western Athletic Conference tournament in 2022 for the Optimist. I was working until midnight each night because of ACU men’s basketball’s run to the championship, but, often, I was done before my coworkers in the department of athletics. I was worn out by the end. My joy for reporting sports was diminished because of the immense pressure I felt from ACU and myself.

While it was an exciting tournament, I felt empty, and I am now burnt out on ACU and, specifically, ACU athletics. I want to find my joy for ACU athletics again, but I am not there yet.

The next semester, during the fall of 2022, I learned why saying no is so important. The structures, systems and processes I was a part of did not value allotting time for myself. My mental health tanked.

Fast forward to now, and I feel more free than ever before and ready to move forward in life. I’m entering a world where I’m learning every day what my limits are and how important it is to rest to give your best.

Aside from the student perspective, faculty and staff have faced significant hurdles to be appropriately resourced for the level ACU is at now. I vividly remember seeing numerous mentors of mine in the same field battling hurdles every day, thrust upon them by coworkers. Specific to ACU athletics, I’ve seen others exhausted of joy for sports who left the industry altogether.

Since making the move to Division I in 2013, ACU has had four athletic directors. Frankly, the inconsistency in leadership has contributed to a culture of toxicity that permeates across campus and students simply do not care anymore about games.

I was 7 years old when Parker Wentz hit a buzzer-beating three to knock off the University of Central Arkansas at Moody Coliseum in 2013. That shot changed everything for ACU athletics and is why I care so deeply about this subject.

Since that shot, ACU men’s basketball has gone to two NCAA tournaments, and the women’s basketball program made it to the NCAA tournament in 2019. These moments are where ACU athletics caught a glimpse of what the future could look like.

In the summer of 2021, ACU announced a move from the Southland Conference to the Western Athletic Conference. ACU is struggling to compete at this new level of competition despite dominating the Southland. Thus, ACU moved conferences far too quickly.

Last year, I wrote a column piece about the department of athletics’ failure to retain employees. Two years ago, I wrote about the trends in the department, and it has since trended downward. If athletics truly wants to see a change for the better, maybe Zack Lassiter, the vice president for athletics, and others need to re-evaluate the mission, vision and purpose for the department. At the end of the day, how does the department of athletics truly exemplify its message of being the doorstep to the university? They preach that message all the time but I have never once since it aligned with ACU’s mission and vision.

Because the department of athletics is not doing an adequate job of meeting the needs and desires of students, who would rather spend their time elsewhere. If they really want to entice the campus into attending games, I believe they should focus on having a stronger awareness of what is going on across campus instead of doing random pizza and wings giveaways.

I hope that Lassiter and others in the future realize what kind of environment they’re creating. ACU must create a culture people want to be a part of, not one running everyone into the ground. I believe by making employees feel valued within the department of athletics, a firm foundation would be set, thus allowing for a heart change to happen across campus and bring new energy to a rising Christian university. No one at a university, let alone a Christian university, should feel like they are always on shaky ground. If you want to know more about employees in the department of athletics being on shaky ground, go read this post by former Sports Information Director Zach Carlyle.

My hope for ACU is to think more critically about the values, missions and purpose the university serves. Zach’s story is one of dozens within the department of athletics. Rather than being professional and setting records, why doesn’t the department of athletics just focus on what they have instead of looking 10 years ahead? Lassiter and his staff need to meet people where they are. Love others well. And focus on being Christian servants and leaders throughout the world.

The post Burnout: The Real ACU Athletics Difference appeared first on The Optimist.

Across colleges in America, a Title IX office is present to support students through any sexual and/or dating violence experiences. 

Campus apps like Yik Yak and Fizz flow with jokes about reporting someone for Title IX, but the office’s work is a conversation far beyond the laugh. 

Title IX’s original purpose was seen through athletic programs. They ensured that male and female teams received the same treatment. It was the “Dear Colleague Letter” that gave the office more responsibilities to include advocacy for students experiencing dating and sexual violence along with pregnancy protection. 

At ACU, Title IX stays an ensured reminder to all students through annual meetings and on-campus campaigns such as Denim Day and “What I Wore.” 

When talking about an awkward topic like sex, it is common to use jokes as a way to cope. It can be argued the fact that people are joking about it actually helps spread awareness and keep people informed the office exists, but is it also keeping students away from it.

Wendy Jones, Title IX co-coordinator, said she does not mind the jokes if it is helping others. 

“To joke, you have to know it exists,” Jones said. “I wish students didn’t joke about it, but if it keeps a conversation going, then maybe I’m not mad about it.”

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and college-aged students are the most prone to being involved in an intimate violent incident, according to the Bureau of Justice. With those odds, students need to understand the work Title IX does to provide comfort through traumatic experiences and how to identify them. 

Jones said most of the confusion about intimate violence starts with the definition of a simple word, consent.

“Today’s definition is different than previous generations, or things like alcohol can change it,” Jones said.

In today’s society, it is challenging to decipher when you are experiencing or have experienced a violent incident. That is why Title IX is present. Keeping students informed on the simple black-and-white scale, when it seems like a grey area is present, starts the healing process. Charts are available on the website to help simplify a perceived complicated situation.

Students have an abundance of support and resources within the office that are available to them. From counseling to no-contact orders, it is free of charge. The office can rearrange schedules and living arrangements and assist in outside processes like filing a police report or visiting a hospital to get treatment. 

To receive support from the Title IX Office, students can report through an online form, talk to a faculty member or simply walk into a coordinator’s office during typical office hours. As a concerned friend, you can also submit a form on the website or be present as emotional support through the process.

Because Texas has a mandatory reporters rule, anything confided to a professor, RA or faculty, except the Chaplin and counseling center faculty, is subject to be reported if is it determined you are at risk of harm to yourself or others.

Based on the incident and what the victim wants, support services will be offered, but the help can only start after the conversation is had.

Keeping the conversation going is most important; by not shying away from an uncomfortable topic, you open yourself to standing against intimate violence and being a safe space for those who have experienced it.

So, push past the joke, start the conversation and change how we handle bad intimacy.

The post Domestic violence, let’s actually talk about it appeared first on The Optimist.