Dr. Gay Wakefield was the head professor of my department here at Tarleton State, in Public Relations and Event Management. Personally, she was not only my professor, but someone who I loved very much. She passed away a little over a month ago, and it still gets difficult to talk about her sometimes.
My mom met her at the Central Texas Wedding Expo when I was still in high school, and she knew from the second they met that I needed to meet her. She always told Dr. Wakefield that "my daughter needs to meet you because she would love you and this program!"
I will admit that I didn't want to go to Tarleton at all, and I didn't think that I would want to do event planning. I had my eyes set on another school and another major. Finally, in the second semester of my senior year, I reluctantly went on a Texan Tour to visit the campus when my plans at my first choice fell through. I will never regret something more than not visiting Tarleton sooner.
When I met Dr. Wakefield, I instantly liked her. I loved the program and the way it sounded, to the point where I actually got a little bit excited about going. When it got to the time to actually go, I still didn't really like the environment, but I wanted to go for the program and Dr. Wakefield.
I was fortunate enough to have a class with her in my very first semester. It was a really fun class, and my career goals were set in stone by the time spent in that class.
Dr. Wakefield's laugh was contagious to me, and on the day I found out that she had died, all I heard in my head was her laughter. Crazy, I know, but that's what I heard. It felt like I was hit by a train, and I spent all day and the rest of the week being in denial about it.
It's so weird knowing that she's not going to walk in the door with her fabulous boots on, that she's not going to sit in her big rolling chair, or that whenever she gets excited, she's not going to rub her arms and laugh, just to say, "Goosebumps moment!"
With the short amount of time I got to spend with her, I learned so much and gained so much knowledge that I will be forever grateful. Dr. Wakefield was a true inspiration to me, and it constantly hurts my heart that she's not here to watch her students grow and learn in the program she loved so much.
It's always hard to lose a loved one, especially a mentor in your second semester of college. I know that I will continue with my degree and my path to my career goal. Dr. Wakefield is definitely on my list of people that I want to make proud of me.
