Out of the Box

By: Courtney Morris

Everyone has heard the phrase, "think out of the box." When I was younger, and wanted to be part of everything and best friends with everyone, the thought of being "out of the box" was frightening. I couldn't understand why in the world I should be "out of the box" when everyone else was happily INside the box. It hit me when i was about 8 years old. I was at my grandma's house going through a bag of things she was giving away. I found this long white and silver scarf and asked my grandma if I could take it. She said yes, and I immediately went into the next room, found some sissors and safety pins and made myself a new, shiny dress. Because every 8-year-old needs a short shiny silver dress to wear to Wal-Mart and play dates. My grandma couldn't believe what I had done. What she saw as junk, I saw as a opportunity to create something. From that day on, I am happy to say that I am outside of that box. Actually, I'm no where near that darn box.

Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas I have always had "dreams bigger then this whole town", as my dad would say. Throughout high school I remained very busy playing varsity volleyball, being an FFA officer, raising pigs for the local livestock show, and serving as student council president. Coming to Texas State in the fall of 2007, I couldn't wait to get the ball rolling. Along with classes, I work at The Buckle, Inc. at the Barton Creek Mall in Austin and play guitar and write music. I look forward to finishing this year because I will be studying and interning abroad next summer in Madrid & Barcelona, Spain. I will be graduating in August of 2010 and moving to New York to go to grad school at either NYU or Syracuse.

If I could give any advice, it would be to take that box and throw it as far as you can, because life is so much more fulfilling and exciting when you are not in it!