VALDOSTA STATE MAGAZINE 5 I started planning mid-morning and mid- afternoon walking breaks. I met new faculty, staff, students, and visitors. I felt energized and relaxed. I was better able to channel my creativity and manage my time. I was optimistic and confident. Best of all, I felt connected to the university, and I gained a renewed passion and excitement for my work as its communications and media relations coordinator. I am on track, as of today, to reach my goal of three million steps before the end of this year. More importantly, I am relishing the unintended consequences of this resolution, especially all the interesting university stories I am discovering during my jaunts around campus. Many of those are included in this issue of Valdosta State University Magazine. Of course, there is only so much I can share with you in a single publication. If you do not currently live, work, learn, and/or play on our campus, then I encourage you to stop by for a visit … and maybe stay for a while … say four years if you are planning to earn a bachelor’s degree. Or maybe you can join our efforts to positively impact the lives of our rural friends and neighbors by serving as a resource they can depend on to help them overcome whatever challenges they may be facing. If you want to chat about this issue of Valdosta State University Magazine or just about Blazer Nation in general, please feel free to contact me at jrpope@valdosta.edu or (229) 333-2163. You can keep up with all things Blazer by following us at www.valdosta.edu/news or on Facebook and Twitter (@valdostastate and @vstatenews). To the woman who unknowingly inspired me to stop and smell the roses, I send my heartfelt thanks your way. Inspiration comes in many forms, from every direction. We just have to learn to recognize it, even when it is disguised as sore feet and a seemingly impossible New Year’s resolution. IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE A BLAZER! JESSICA R. POPE