Category: Feature
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Wildlife Management student has passion to protect animals
by Avery Dunlap Plainsman Online Though she is only 19, Kaylie Garcia has a lot of dreams for her life. They’re starting to come to light after she graduated from high school in May. She is sure that the courses she is taking at South Plains College this semester are going to equip her with…
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Edwards perseveres in primarily male program
by Cameron Smith Staff Writer While male students heavily dominate the Electrical Power Transmission Technology program at South Plains College, one young woman is hoping that changes. Allison Edwards is the only female student in the ELPT program at the Reese Center campus in Lubbock. “Professor (Diana) Malone is the only other female in this…
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Student persevering through college with unique side hustle
by Cameron Smith Staff writer Times have changed. There is money to be made in almost every aspect of life. However, in the case of college student Kris Dew, money is brought in from multiple pursuits – stripping and modeling. The 22-year-old graphic design major at Texas Tech University began her lifestyle as a dancer…
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Alum pursues journalism career after experience with Plainsman Press
by Desiree Lopez Adán Rubio has come a long way with his writing skills, and he credits South Plains College for the strong foundation it provided him. A Lubbock native, Rubio graduated from Coronado High School in 2017. During high school, he took dual credit courses through SPC and AP classes to get him ahead…
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Bryant looking forward to quality time with family, friends after retirement
by Desiree Lopez Glenda Bryant has always had a love for literature. Being able to share that passion with her students is what led her to teach at South Plains College. That chapter is coming to a close as Bryant is preparing for retirement after teaching at SPC for 26 years. Bryant lived the first…
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Love of music helps professor get through hard times
by Desiree Lopez For Dr. Sesha Wallace, seeing her students give meaningful performances are her best memories and make her happy to be teaching at South Plains College. Dr. Wallace is from a small town in Texas called White Oak. She graduated from White Oak High School, which had a graduating class that year of…
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Alum finds lifelong career in hobby
by Victoria De Souza [Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing project in conjunction with the South Plains College Alumni Association. The project highlights former SPC students and their achievements.] For Bethany Longoria, her music career has always been an experience of joy. Born and raised in Levelland, Texas, Longoria began pursuing her passion…
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Traveling performer entertains students with hypnosis
by Abi Hernandez As the volunteers sit quietly in their chairs in a trance on the stage, Tom De Luca tells them their orders to do after he snaps his fingers as the audience watches. He snaps his fingers and the stage comes to life as the volunteers do as they were told mindlessly. The…
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Student overcomes obstacle with positive attitude
by Desiree Lopez For Jonathan Rangel, being involved is an important aspect of attending college. Rangel, a first-generation college student from Littlefield, Texas, is a sophomore pursuing an Associate of Arts degree in radiology. He said he chose to attend South Plains College because he enjoys the student-teacher ratio and the affordability. “I lived in…
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Alum follows family footsteps to college
by Victoria De Souza [Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing project in conjunction with the South Plains College Alumni Association. The project highlights former SPC students and their achievements.] Like many other students, Kate Jo McCasland found a place to discover her passions in college. McCasland, who was born in Lubbock, was raised…
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Former professor writes book about life as musician
by Victoria De Souza For Cary Banks, music has been an important part of his life. Now he is sharing his story with others in his new book, “Almost a Professional.” Banks, who was born in Big Spring, Texas, says that he was inspired to become a musician at an early age. “I was inspired…
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Sociology instructor connects material with the lives of students
by Autumn Bippert When Sherley Bedore decided she wanted to be a doctor, she set the goal of achieving that dream before the age of 32. While her path changed from her original goal, she still accomplished becoming a doctor before the age of 32. Dr. Bedore grew up in El Paso and moved to…
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Professor follows new path after career change
By Victoria De Souza Vanessa Moffett aspires to improve the lives of students while having a fun time exercising. Moffett is an assistant professor in the Kinesiology Department at South Plains College. Growing up in Littlefield, Texas, her relationship with SPC began at an early age. “I took swimming lessons and went to band camp…
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International student strives to help her community
By Victoria De Souza Lucy Kayiuki is pursuing her passion for the medical field to have an impactful change in her community. Kayiuki lived in Kenya with her mother and two younger brothers until she received an opportunity to obtain her associate’s degree in nursing at South Plains College. Kayiuki is the first person in…
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Alum opens first Ketamine clinic in Lubbock
By Kendall Rainer and Autumn Bippert [Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing project in conjunction with the South Plains College Alumni Association. The project highlights former SPC students and their achievements.] Ben McCauley has always had a desire to help people. He found his calling when he came up with the idea to open Lubbock’s first Ketamine clinic after 15…
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Student creates own path through family legacy
by REBEKAH HARVEY For Seth Hall, South Plains College is in his blood. Hall was born and raised in Lubbock, where he lived with his family until they moved to Dallas when he was 10. He was homeschooled, beginning in first grade and continuing until he graduated from a co-op in Plano, Texas. After graduating,…
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English professor impacts students with American literature, poetry
Ever since Mollie Moore was little, she loved to write, even writing her own newspapers. Moore has been serving as an assistant professor of English a South Plains College for six years. “I was an English major in college, and I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with it other than teach,” Moore…
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Alum expresses love for helping children by founding outreach center
by REBEKAH HARVEY Megan Estrada has always had a heart for-at risk youth. Estrada, founder, director and president of Hub City Outreach Center, attended South Plains College to pursue that love for children. She grew up in Abernathy, Texas, 19 miles outside of Lubbock, and graduated from Abernathy High School. After graduating, Estrada made the…
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Freshman aspires for local entrepreneur legacy
Steven Cabrera plans on creating the next big thing for the Levelland community. Cabrera, a Lubbock native, is working toward an associate’s degree in business at South Plains College. Humble and dedicated, the 21-year-old has worn many hats through the years and uses his experience to work hard toward building his legacy in the form…
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Faith leads alum degree in human services
by REBEKAH HARVEY For Melinda Ledesma, Levelland has always been home. She was born and raised in Levelland. She first attended St. Michael’s Catholic School, before transferring to the Levelland school system. After graduating from Levelland High School in 1988, Ledesma enrolled in college. “A week after high school graduation, I immediately started college at Incarnate…