Community hears about freshman’s first-year UHV experience
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| Devon Dueser |
From finals week to course loads, sports practices and ever-important time with friends, University of Houston-Victoria freshman Devon Dueser kept busy her first year in college. And with a little help from modern technology, she shared her story with the masses.
The 19-year-old began her blog, “My UHV Experience,” in January when a professor suggested that she become a student blogger. She was one of two freshmen to write UHV blog entries during the spring semester.
“They asked me if I was interested and I said yes,” she said. “I wrote about what happened at school or home and things other students might like to do in Victoria. Really, it was a little bit of everything.”
Dueser admitted writing wasn’t always been a passion for her. In high school, it seemed more a chore than anything else since she rarely got to choose which topics to write about. With her college-level classes and blog, however, that changed.
“Once I got to college, I found I was pretty good at it,” she said. “Now, it’s something I enjoy.”
Her blog was peppered with stories such as her weekend movie picks and the confusion that comes with a new college semester. Her favorite entries – and freshman-year memories – involved her time with the UHV women’s golf team.
Dueser, who has played the sport since junior high, began her time at the university as a walk-on to the team. After becoming fast friends with her teammates, she enjoyed the practices, road trips and tournaments throughout the year.
While the Jaguars golf team was one reason Dueser chose to attend UHV, another reason was its proximity to home. The Yorktown native grew up about a half hour from Victoria and made it back on the weekends to visit her parents and boyfriend. During the week, she lived in Victoria with her older sister.
“It worked out well,” she said. “I’m really close to my family, and I’m not ready to go that far away.”
Dueser’s first year at school might have come to an end, but it’s just the beginning for her full-fledged college experience. She offered a bit of advice to other students just starting out.
“Be open. Don’t be shy,” she said. “Otherwise, you might miss out on friends and other things that can make college so much fun.”
To view Dueser’s blog entries, go to http://www.uhv.edu/underclassmen/Blogs01/.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
