Student Spotlight: Katie Payne

By Chad Given on September 12, 2012

Students at Clemson come from all walks of life, and each has a story to tell. Everyone has differences in value and what they hold to be dearest, but we can all agree that those are good things in the end. By telling individuals’ stories, we can better understand one another and appreciate how diverse of a university we are a part of.

Katie Payne, a freshman Secondary Education English Major living in Clemson House, came to us from Greenville, South Carolina. She was raised as a non-denominational Christian by her parents, Kimberly and Daniel. Being the second youngest of four children, only older than her sister Bekah,  gave her a unique perspective during her childhood, as she was able to see the successes and mistakes of her two older siblings, Sarah and Ryan. Katie’s parents were able to teach valuable lessons both directly and indirectly to all of them.

Caring for one another was made a priority in her home, both inside and outside of the family;  and with hard work and a mature outlook on life, Katie was shown that she had the power to act to change things for the better. This being her main outlook on life, that single principle helped shape the rest she follows. She believes in caring for others regardless of belief or disposition as well as putting in the hours for what you desire. Further, she believes that you should only put in hours for what you desire. These values culminate in her aspiration to become a teacher, as she believes that we can only teach others about their own power and that it is up to the learner to find how he or she wishes to use it for better or for worse.

Outside of future ambitions and academia, Katie has a very unique social life. She owns her own theater company, where she assists actors in progressing in their craft, and this ties in nicely with her affinity for reading. She has a passion for everything in the sense that she loves to learn new things and hear of others experiences. She pours the majority of her time and energy into these things and has excelled at it, as the fruits of her labor have allowed the enjoyment of these things to continue to grow even greater as they are pursued and experienced. All in all, Katie is quite satisfied with her values and her pursuits, both inside and outside of college.

As more students tell their story and more values surface, we can begin to see that these are the things that truly bind us together in the long run. To be a strong community, we must experience and understand each other, not passing judgment upon the unique perspectives around us each day. Here at Clemson, we accept and appreciate opinions and values that may or may not be different from our own, and  we strive to do so on a daily basis. Sharing stories and making connections is what truly makes this possible, and in fact, it is what makes us human.

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