Scholar of the Week: March 29

Rachel Decker
The Paw Print

Twenty two-year-old Kenneth Babcock is a hard-working and devoted student at Adams State College, and he has earned his spot as this week’s Scholar of the Week.
With three majors, a 3.5 GPA, and thoughts of pursuing another degree after his time at Adams, Kenneth has his hands full. He is majoring in English secondary education, theatre, and creative writing. Kenneth says that he may pursue getting his MFA, or Masters of Fine Arts, degree in Creative Writing.
After graduation, Kenneth says that he hopes to find a good job out of state so that he can start his career.
“If not,” Kenneth says, “I’ll always go back to school”.
Though Kenneth has achieved a lot during his time at Adams, his biggest achievement centers on his theatre major.
“My greatest accomplishment so far here has been directing Waiting for Lefty. It was a hard process, but it was very rewarding, and a lot of fun. It was a great experience.”
Kenneth has also been very involved with the school, and he has made a name for himself that will stick around for a very long time. As far as being involved in sports, Kenneth has swam for the swim team, ran for the track team, played for the men’s club volleyball team.
As well as playing sports, Kenneth has also student assisted for both the Varsity and Junior Varsity women’s volleyball teams. He has also been actively involved in theatre and he has worked at the writing studio. Most impressively, though, Kenneth is the founder of the SLV Writing Club here at Adams State.
Kenneth’s faculty nominator, Dr. Beth Bonnstetter, said she nominated Kenneth because “he puts a lot of hard work and extra time into the writing studio, and he is always willing to work twice as hard to get the job done.”
Bonnstetter was not the only one who had plenty of praise for him, though. Both Dr. Guerrero-Murphy and Dr. Mazel were pleased when they heard that Kenneth had been chosen.
“He’s just grown so much as a student and potential teacher. He has become so reliable and talented. He brings a neat combination of seriousness and humor to his work and to the classroom, and ” said Dr. Guerrero-Murphy.
“He’s very dependable,” agreed Dr. Mazel. “He has the ability to express his thoughts in ways that others can easily understand and respond to.”
When asked why Kenneth is successful, Guerrero-Murphy did not have to think twice about her answer.
“Kenneth is smart, ambitious, and thinks out of the box. He’s very creative”.
“Steady, calm, polite, perceptive,” said Dr. Mazel. “all qualities that contribute to the class atmosphere while discussing novels, stories, and plays”.
Kenneth’s success in school is not something that came easy. He had to work hard to get where he is today, and he says he will continue to put all his effort into graduating.
“I am successful as a student because I am decent at time management and am very good at prioritizing,” Kenneth explains. Time management is one of the biggest issues students face in college, and once you gain understanding for how to balance your time, the rest of college will come more easily. Stress is also a big factor in student success, but Kenneth has shown he can handle whatever college throws at him, and he has become very successful.
“The only advice I can give to fellow students is to stay balanced,” Kenneth adds. “Many students either focus mainly on their studies or on having fun. It is important to concentrate, but you also have to know when to let loose and hit the dance floor.”