The Quest Begins

Intro

When I first came to TCU’s campus, someone told me a very important quote which has had an enormous impact on my experience at TCU. The quote was “talent is everywhere, opportunity is not”. As I thought about this quote, I realized the blessed situation that I’m in, being able to attend a university like TCU with so many resources and programs such as CR. Ever since that day I promised myself that if I saw a life changing opportunity in front of me, I would go ahead and seize the moment. 

Hello everyone! My name is Frederick W. Gooding III a.k.a. FG3 and yes, I write my full name out on all of my tests and quizzes (like 110% of the time). I’ve lived in four different states now (including moving to Fort Worth over the summer) and I’m a Pre-Business major trying to minor in Spanish. My interests include playing sports, listening to music, hanging out with friends and family, and most importantly, traveling! That being said, I am more than excited for the Cultural Routes experience this summer!

Learning about CR

I had first found out about Cultural Routes in a conversation with Dr. Pitcock before I had even submitted my enrollment deposit for TCU. He told me how he had taken students across Europe for 10 consecutive years with those students’ live being changed every single time. At first, I was a little skeptical of our conversation and simply thought “that’s what they all say” (sorry Dr. P) but as I spent more time around CR alumni, I saw something different in each individual that I had interacted with. There was a special quality/trait that they held which set them apart from the other peers I had met at TCU. Although I had not known these friends before they went on CR, seeing all of the constant smiles from Kynnedi Rone and the beaming kindness from Sarah Covell illustrated the eminent process they completed with Dr. Pitcock.  

The Email

It wasn’t until approximately 10 pm that Wednesday when I opened the non-automated email regarding my status for CR12. I had just gotten back to Texas earlier in the day from visiting my friends in Arizona so I was in a salty/somber mood. I remember seeing the notification earlier in the day but I thought to myself I’ll wait because if I didn’t get it, it would have added on to the sadness that I was already experiencing. At 9:55 pm, I had received a text from Dr. Pitcock to check the email. At this point, my heart is racing as I’m thinking why in the world am I getting a text from Dr. P this late at night. When I opened the email and clicked on the link, I was speechless for a solid minute. I was shocked, excited, and happy all at once. After hitting my snoopy celebration dance, my dog Ms. Puppy saw my excitement and joined in on the fun. I sat down on my couch to record the video with my dog as we were both so ecstatic at this point. After I recorded the video, I realized that the rest of my family was sleeping so I had to take it down a couple of notches as I let my thoughts run wild with excitement. I realized that this was the start of a long journey, one that I would surely benefit from similar to the people before me.

Blogs for the Future

As I voyage through Europe, learning how to navigate the unknown with my wonderful peers, I hope to document the small details that will mean more in the big picture. For me, it has always been the small moments that are the most memorable such as the clues I would receive on my birthdays to find my presents when I was younger or the tart raspberry candies my grandmother used to give me after church. As I become closer with the 17 other individuals on CR, I want remember the significant details from our interactions that makes our bonds stronger. I want to capture the moments that contributed to forming the special quality that I have seen in the CR alumni. 

To all my party people reading this blog, I hope you have as much reading these posts that I will writing them.

FG3 out until next time!