“It still feels a little strange to hear “Dr. Bruick.” The product of a hardworking blue-collar family, I never dreamed of getting a Ph.D. I simply fell in love with learning, which I paired with the work ethic I learned from my family. Despite a good K-12 education, my college experience was bumpy as a first-gen student. I missed financial aid deadlines, sat in the advising office for a day after missing the scheduling deadline (I thought they took care of it for you), and almost lost some financial aid due to my academic performance. A pivotal interaction came from an unexpected source during my first semester, Dr. Theman Taylor my American Nations instructor (everyone was scared of him). Dr. Taylor helped pulled back the curtain on higher education, and I learned that the most challenging faculty members can also be the most supportive.”