Student Profile Kaitlyn Krafka

Born in Austin, Texas on September 28, 2000, Kaitlyn Krafka who now is in love with the city life once roamed the farm land! Growing up Kaitlyn loved to ride horses and look over the farm with her family. Kaitlyn has one older brother, who plays basketball at St. Edward’s and then she has one younger sister who is still in high school. Kaitlyn also has two younger step brothers, one who is in 2nd grade and the other who is still in high school. Kaitlyn grew up just outside of Austin in the area of Kyle. She then moved to Dallas for around 5 years of her life before then moving back to her hometown of Austin, Texas. She attended Jack C. Hays for all four years of high school. Kaitlyn was a great student through her four years and ended with a gpa of 4.2. She played volleyball and earned many different accolades for her hard work. I know that from hearing from her father, Patrick Krafka, that she “was always on top of her work, whether that was for volleyball, school, or even her two jobs she had.” Kaitlyn worked at the local dog shop, Shaggy Dog. She also is the head coach of a volleyball team. With her volleyball team she has to travel to tournaments, go to practices, and plan everything that goes along with this. Kaitlyn knows that when she gets older she might want to be a coach, so this experience she is gaining will be beneficial for her in the long run. Kaitlyn is studying kinesiology along with business, she has mentioned many things about her future profession including that she “is interested in the business side of sports and how the sports world can be intertwined within the business world.” Kaitlyn has a strong drive to make sure that she is always on top of her work and always in a great standing with her education and sports. There is no doubt that she will succeed whenever she is ready to take her next step with her professional career.

A day in the Life of Student-Athlete Ashton Spears

Ashton Spears waiting in line for his lunch at the Ragsdale Dining Hall at the University of St. Edward’s located in Austin, Texas on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. Spears making sure to be fueled and ready to go for practice later on today. Nutrition plays a vital role in the way Spears preforms in the classroom and on the court.

Ashton Spears making the long walk to class on a gloomy Feb. 10, 2020 day. Class comes first for student-athlete Ashton Spears. Spears’s knows that in order to perform well in the classroom, he must show up to class and be ready to learn.

Ashton Spears observes some of his fellow classmate’s art in the Art building on the St. Edward’s University campus. Spears’s has a passion for art, music, and photography.

After Class Ashton Spears heads back to Ragsdale Dining Hall. Grabbing a quick bite to eat before the long day of practice that lies ahead of him.

Ashton Spears tightens up his laces before heading out to practice. The standout shooting guard is known as one of the top guards in the country. Averaging just over 20 points per game and leading the St. Edward’s Men’s Basketball program to a 21-2 record so far.

Practice makes perfect as Ashton Spears works on his sweet jump shot. Spears’s is known for his smooth jumper, athletic dunks, and highlight reel plays.

A long day of class and practice leads to recovery for Ashton Spears. Located in the training room, this is where Spears’s gets most of his recovery done. Back to the room after this for homework and a good night’s rest.

Jake Krafka

Big Story 2

Jose Vargas speaks to aspiring journalists at St. Edwards University, focusing mainly on the struggles Vargas had coming throughout the journalist scene.

“This country elected an anti-immigrant for president. That tells you a lot about the culture we are living in.” (Vargas) Also a piece from his book ‘Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen’… “White as the default, white as the center, white as the norm, is the central part of the master narrative. The centrality of whiteness—how it constructed white versus black, legal versus illegal—hurts not only people of color who aren’t white but also white people who can’t carry the burden of what they’ve constructed.” (Vargas)

Thursday Oct. 10, 2019 Jose Vargas touched on important topics that happened throughout his life and then took questions from inspiring future journalist students at St. Edwards University in JBWS Hall. Vargas ranged from talking about the phrases of being an advocate or an activist, to talking about his journey as a journalist and how Vargas encountered many hurdles throughout his career. Adding to this Vargas an undocumented citizen and being gay, he talked to students about the struggles and how it pushes him to better the community every day. Vargas had no problem opening up on his sexuality telling these St. Edwards’s students that he is gay. Vargas you could tell a very proud person and as you can see from past interviews with Fox, CNN, etc. he stands for what he believes is right. Vargas during this discussion with St. Edwards’s students mentions how throughout his life he has faced many different obstacles pushing through this journey as a journalist. Vargas’s big idea was people will tell you no, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. This idea of striving for something that might seem out of reach is described many times by Vargas throughout this discussion with St. Edwards’s students. Vargas also emphasized race throughout the discussion. Being an undocumented citizen and not looking the norm, Vargas explains how he struggled and maintained a level head throughout the process of becoming and staying a journalist. Questions were asked and Vargas was thrilled to answer them. St. Edwards’s  students were awfully shy at this beginning at this point of the presentation. Vargas was almost begging for students to ask questions. These students asked questions solely focused on how to strive as a young journalist. Vargas was happy to explain and talk about his past experiences that helped him get to where he is today. These students were ecstatic when receiving all types of helpful tips from Vargas throughout this question and answer section of the presentation.  Seemed that students focused on question re-framing from issues Vargas has dealt with rather they focused on how and what they need to do in order to be a successful young journalist in the world we live in today. A once in  lifetime opportunity for the people that filled up the small auditorium at St. Edwards University, if you ever get the chance to see Jose Vargas don’t be afraid to converse with him as he is always willing to do so.