Evelyn Walker
History
Junior
What year are you?
It is my second degree. I am retired. I got my first degree in business, and I worked in banking, in finance. I have another two years, another four-year degree. I transferred some (credits), about 30 hours.
When did you graduate?
I graduated in 1976 from NMSU.
Is school easier the second time around?
I think it's busy work, because if they give you textbooks and lectures and you take notes, that's learning to me. I think the papers and all the reports they have you do now are just to keep everybody busy. I never had to write as many papers. I remember in economics class at NMSU, and you went to lectures, took notes, had a quiz now and then, and then you had your test. I took American civilizations and a lot of lower courses, and I have never seen so much paper.
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Is the university culture changing?
It's very similar to 30 years ago. I was surprised. The SUB was everything. It had pool tables, just like I was used to. I haven't found a bowling alley like we used to have. The kids are all about the same. It's kind of cool because I get a lot of input from younger students. I don't know why, but it's neat to have them interact with me like I am one of them. We get a lot of good things going on.
What do you do differently from your first college experience?
I spend more time studying. I don't party like I used to. Of course, a lot of that has to do with living two hours out of town. I study a lot more. I am much more diligent. I don't sleep late or go to bed late.
Where do you work?
I am a director at a library, Mountainair Public Library, about 75 miles south of Albuquerque. It is in Torrance County. I retired and started volunteering at the library and took it over.
What advice do you have for
students?
It's not something you can tell people. If I could give them the ability not to be insecure or timid about their education but go about it with confidence - if I could do that for them, I would. But it's hard to tell people (to) just be confident, because you either are or you aren't. I would just say study hard, take it seriously and don't let professors or academics intimidate you.
Do students look different than the first time you went to school?
It's funny, you see all the girls with the high blouses and low pants. It was the same back then, too. We had hip-huggers and tube tops and long hair. We had a lot more long hair than now. Probably the biggest difference is all the piercings and tattoos. In my day, tattoos were usually for military people. The military guys had all the tattoos. Every generation has their rebellion in apparel. I love seeing kids walking around in jeans, just being comfortable. In our days, you had to wear dresses, and that was a bummer.
