Rachel DeckerThe Paw Print
21-year old Kat Hatler, a dedicated student here at Adams State, is well on her way to earning her Masters degree. With an impressive GPA of 3.7 and a dream of writing novels and becoming a teacher, there seems to be nothing that can hold her back. She is double majoring in English with Creative Writing and English with Secondary Education. Eventually she aspires to obtain her Ph.D. in Shakespeare as well. Though double majoring is a daunting task to many, Hatler handles her responsibilities with ease and is making impressive strides in her education.
When asked what her greatest accomplishment so far was, Hatler strays from the usual response and gives more insight to her own character, as well as her goals in life.
“I would argue that I don’t really have a greatest accomplishment,” Hatler says. “Getting into college with a 3.5 and good ACT was easy and maintaining my good grades has never been difficult. I hope my greatest accomplishment will be completing my Ph.D., but as of right now my greatest accomplishment will come at the end of next year when I graduate with two Bachelor of Art degrees.”
At the moment, Hatler works as an English instructor for the Upward Bound program on campus, and she is a member of the Psi Chi Society, a psychology honor’s society. Eventually, though, Hatler hopes to obtain a job as an English teacher, either here in Colorado or in Washington. She plans to take night classes in order to finish her Ph.D. quickly. On top of these goals, Hatler also plans to work as a novelist. As an avid English major and gifted writer, these possibilities are not far from being obtained.
Though there is much success in Hatler’s life, it has not come without hard work. She has put devoted effort into all that she does, and it has paid off. Many students believe that success comes naturally, but nothing is achieved without true dedication and ambition.
“It is pretty easy, I think, to be a successful student,” Hatler muses. “By going to class and doing all the work I need to for the class, I am able to pass the tests easily. By doing all the readings and working on all assignments to the best of my ability I have easily maintained close to a 4.0 every semester. It just takes a little time and effort, and you’ll get the results you want. Don’t lie down and expect the outcomes to be produced without your effort.”
Going to class is the biggest part of Hatler’s advice to struggling students. She says that missing the information you get in class hurts your assignments, and in the long run it will affect your outcome on tests. All it takes is a bit of determination in what you do to get the results you want.
“College is your choice. You’re paying for your education, so make the best of it. Don’t throw it all away; don’t waste all your money. Make the most of this great experience.”
What’s Been Said…