More than 3,900 students graduate in Texas Tech University’s Spring Commencement Ceremonies Friday (May 17) and Saturday (May 18) at the United Sprit Arena.

Commencement for the College of Arts & Sciences and the Wind Energy Program begin at 3 p.m. Friday. The Graduate School follows with its ceremony at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Rawls College of Business, the College of Media & Communication, Honors College, and the Office of the Provost (B.A. University Studies and B.S. University Studies) begin their ceremony at 9 a.m. The Colleges of Architecture, Education, Human Sciences, Visual & Performing Arts and the Whitacre College of Engineering begin commencement at 1:30 p.m. The School of Law holds its hooding ceremony at 6 p.m.

All ceremonies take place at the United Spirit Arena at 18th Street and Indiana Avenue.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz will speak at Friday’s ceremonies, while Congressman Randy Neugebauer will speak at Saturday’s ceremonies. Dana Dershowitz, general counsel for the United States Olympic Committee, will speak at the Law School hooding ceremony.

Ceremonies can be viewed online at http://www.ttu.edu/livestream.

Honored students Outstanding students, selected based on all-around achievement, will carry banners representing their respective colleges.

The following students are banner bearers:

• College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources: Brittany Michelle Thompson, an animal science major from Allen
• College of Architecture: Ivan Ali Devora, an architecture major from El Paso
• College of Arts & Sciences: Morgan Samuel Gross, a psychology major from Denton
• Rawls College of Business: Cameron Michael Cook, a management information systems major from Kerrville
• College of Education: Olivia Katherine Roberts, a multidisciplinary studies major from Denton
• Whitacre College of Engineering: Justin Ethan Polk, a mechanical engineering major from Abilene
• Graduate School: Sherice Gearhart, a doctoral student in the College of Media & Communication from San Antonio
• Honors College: Erica M. Barhorst, a psychology major from Lubbock; Megan M. Conley, an honors arts and letters major from Coahoma and Blair L. Bohny, a restaurant, hotel and institutional management major from Sugar Land
• College of Human Sciences: Brianna Marie Stroup, a nutrition major from Albuquerque, N.M.
• Office of the Provost: Jennifer Leigh Powell, a public relations major from Plano, College of Media & Communication; Erin Rebecca Petty, a university studies major from Valley Mills, and Lindsay Marie Abbott, a music major from Sugar Land, College of Visual & Performing Arts.

The highest ranking May graduates for each college include:

• College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources: Brittany Michelle Thompson, an animal science major from Allen; Skylar Lynn Sowder, an agricultural and applied economics major from Sudan; and Kassie LaDon Davison, an agricultural education and communications major from Valley View
• College of Architecture: Ivan Ali Devora, an architecture major from El Paso
• College of Arts & Sciences: Alexis Faith Atkins, a psychology major from Allen; Erica Marie Barhorst, a psychology major from Lubbock; Lindsey Kaitlyn Bryce, a biology major from Longview; Barbara Isabel Burton, a psychology major from Portland, Maine; Gene Paul Burton, a history and Spanish major from Levelland; Allison Leslie Caudill, an English major from Pearland; Ardsley Pihl Congdon III, a biology major from Denton; Rebecca Azevedo Gabrilska, a cell and molecular biology major from The Woodlands; Laura Elena Gallastegui, an exercise and sport sciences major from Allen; Matthew Phillip Hoke, an exercise and sport sciences major from Saginaw; Laci Jane Kennedy, a political science major from Townsend, Mont.; Kimberly Kay Kaufman, a political science major from Clark, S.D.; Elizabeth Michele Mikita, a psychology major from San Antonio; Kwaku Opoku, a biochemistry major from Ghana; Jay Bhagwan Patel, a biology major from Plano; Niravkumar Narendrakumar Patel, a political science major from Snyder; Connor Patrick Phillips, a psychology major from Big Spring; Elissa Lane Runkles, a Spanish major from Levelland; Ann Marie Scott, a cell and molecular biology from Garland; John Christopher Stanko, a political science major from Quinton, N.J.; Daniel Alexander Stroud, a chemistry major from Amarillo; and Lauren Eva Wheeler, an exercise and sport sciences major from Garden City
• Rawls College of Business: Lasey Lynn Ashburn, an accounting major from Wolfforth; Kelsey Glyn Barrett, an accounting major from San Antonio; Aaron Tyler Cannon, a finance major from Wolfforth; Cameron Michael Cook, a management information systems major from Kerrville; Tyler Hall Enos, a finance major from Amarillo; Jeffrey Akin Hernandez, an accounting major from Lubbock; and Andrew Kreider, a finance major from Frisco
• College of Education: Olivia Katherine Roberts, a multidisciplinary studies major from Denton, College of Education Whitacre College of Engineering: Justin Ethan Polk, a mechanical engineering major from Abilene
• Honors College: Megan M. Conley, an honors arts & letters major from Coahoma
• College of Human Sciences: Kaitlin Nicole Monette, an early childhood major from Hobbs, N.M.; Megan Kelso Winemiller, an early childhood major from College Station; Brianna Marie Stroup, a nutrition major from Albuquerque, N.M.; and Aubrey Nicole Dimas, a nutritional sciences and dietetics major from Keller
• College of Media & Communication: Jennifer Leigh Powell, a public relations major from Plano
• Office of the Provost (University Programs): Erin Rebecca Petty, a university studies major from Valley Mills
• College of Visual & Performing Arts: Lindsay Marie Abbott, a music major from Sugar Land; and Kathryn Denise Rocha, an art major from The Woodlands

Additional Information

Receptions for each college will be held immediately following the ceremonies. Receptions will be located as follows:

• College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources: atrium area, Animal Science Building
• College of Architecture: Student Gallery ground level, College of Architecture
• College of Arts & Sciences: foyer area in front of room 104, Holden Hall
• Rawls College of Business: McCoy Atrium, Rawls College of Business
• College of Education: second-floor foyer, Education Building
• Whitacre College of Engineering: Livermore Center
• College of Human Sciences: El Centro, Human Sciences Building
• College of Media & Communication: third-floor student lounge, Media & Communication Building
• University Programs: Red Raider Lounge, Student Union Building
• College of Visual & Performing Arts: Rotunda, Holden Hall

For more information about commencement, including information on maps, guest seating, college receptions, parking and hotels, visit http://www.depts.ttu.edu/provost/commencement ]]> http://today.ttu.edu/2013/05/commencement-ceremonies-set-for-friday-saturday/feed/ 0 http://today.ttu.edu/2013/05/like-mother-like-daughter/ http://today.ttu.edu/2013/05/like-mother-like-daughter/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 13:43:46 +0000 Callie Jones http://today.ttu.edu/?p=64574

Reneé Flournoy and her daughter Madison Taylor will both graduate from the College of Human Sciences.

After graduating from Cooper High School, Flournoy began at Texas Tech in 1978 in elementary education. Realizing she didn’t want to be a teacher, Flournoy did not finish her degree.

However, when she saw her daughter excelling at Texas Tech, she felt a desire to accomplish her long-standing goal of attaining a college degree.

“I thought, all the kids Madison’s age are doing well, I could do that!” Flournoy said.

Flournoy enrolled in the general studies program in the College of Human Sciences. She and her daughter, who is a Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management (RHIM) major, have taken many of the same classes, although never at the same time.

“It’s funny that we never had a class together, but this year she had a class with two of my friends from high school,” Taylor said.

The two have ended up with many of the same friends through classes and learned study tactics from each another.

“Actually, Madison really taught me the best way to study,” Flournoy said. “Now, I use note cards and more modern strategies that work well.”

New Friendships

As a non-traditional student, Flournoy said she has benefitted from her experiences with students her daughter’s age, turning them into lasting friendships. After attending class with Eric Stephens, a running back for the Red Raider football team, she ended up becoming friends with Stephens’ family, including his infant daughter.

The friendship spawned a business idea for Flourney: creating tiny jerseys for infants to wear. She plans to expand the idea to create jerseys and cheerleading uniforms for infants and children, a related enterprise to the family business, California T’s.

“I never would have had the idea if I hadn’t been in class and made friends with the kids here,” Flournoy said.

“I’m so proud of her,” Taylor said. “I can’t imagine going back to school that much later in life. I’m impressed.”

For Mother’s Day, they plan to go out to eat with one of Flournoy’s friends she met during her original stint at Texas Tech. She says she has inspired several friends her own age to go back and get a degree from Texas Tech.

The pair will be joined by their extended family and friends this week for commencement activities. Together, they will be first-generation college graduates.

“My dad is a huge Texas Tech fan, and always has been,” Flournoy said. “I know this means a lot to him. He is so proud of us.”

After graduation, Taylor will leave her mother to pursue job opportunities in North Carolina. For now, the two are glad that the hard work over the last few years has paid off.

“It’s a fun life, although it’s a different kind of fun than it was back then,” Flournoy said. “Learning so much has been wonderful.”

Whitney Beery

Growing up, Whitney Beery was the only person in her family with a sweet tooth. If she wanted dessert, she had to learn how to bake it herself.

These baking skills landed the Texas Tech University Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management (RHIM) senior a spot on a new CBS competition baking series called “The American Baking Competition” which airs at 7 p.m. on May 29.

CBS was looking for a young personality to add to the show and discovered Beery through her baking blog, Appleton Desserts. She was chosen as one of ten contestants who will compete for $250,000 and a publishing contract with Simon & Schuster to create a personal cookbook. The show is hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy and judged by celebrity chefs Marcela Valladolid and Paul Hollywood.

“I was nervous at first because I had never been in a baking competition before,” said Beery, who will graduate this weekend. “However, the show taught me how to challenge myself and it gave me the confidence to experiment more with my baking.”

When asked what her favorite parts of filming the show were, Beery said getting to know the other cast mates really well and the rare opportunity to compete on a television show.

“The American Baking Competition” airs on CBS at 7 p.m. on May 29.

Beery decided to move from Denver to Texas Tech after visiting during Parent’s Weekend her senior year of high school. She said being a RHIM major has influenced both her baking and her future plans.

“The major is really focused towards cooking and baking, which gives me a lot of hands-on experience that improves my outside baking,” she said. “The professors are very focused on the actual product, as well as management skills, and so I feel very prepared for the future.”

After graduation, Beery is moving to Sonoma County, Calif., to work in a hospitality position at a wine vineyard. In the meantime, she is excited about the upcoming show.

“I think people would enjoy watching this show because everyone on it is an amateur baker and so that makes us very relatable,” Beery said. “It’s just normal people who are at all different stages in life, but have a common passion for baking in their free time.”

The contest is held in collaboration with the university’s College of Human Sciences, Department of Design’s Apparel Design and Manufacturing (ADM) program. Winners were announced during the annual TECHstyle Senior Fashion Show.

Caitlin Moore, a senior from Rowlett, won the men’s jeans category with a design for the casual market. Starting with natural-colored denim provided by the American Cotton Growers denim mill at Littlefield, Moore hand-washed and dyed the fabric gray. She described her design as straight-fitted legs with clean and simple lines and minimal embellishments. Katelyn Ortiz, a senior from Lubbock, and Lana Stevens, a junior from Austin, placed second and third, respectively, in the men’s jeans category.

Elaine Morton, a sophomore from Plano, won the women’s jeans category with a design she described as an easy statement piece to fit any style. Her design featured leather panels and leather pockets. Moore placed second in the category. Emma Knowles, a senior from Matador, and Jocelin Villarreal, a senior from Rio Grande City, tied for third place.

Emily Taylor, a senior from Midland, took first place in the casual wear category where contestants could design any garment made from 100 percent cotton. Taylor entered a white dress that featured cotton guipure floral lace and cotton poplin. Cynthia Reimer, a senior from Lubbock, won second place. Alicia McDonald, a senior from Lubbock, and Lisa Hon, a sophomore from Lubbock, tied for third place.

Taylor also won the Cotton Research/Trend Board category. Ortiz placed second in the category and Meghan Rizkal, a senior from Colleyville, placed third.

“This year’s Cotton and Denim Runway event was the largest ever with 47 cotton outfits entered in the casual wear category, 23 in the women’s and men’s jeans categories and 31 cotton research trend boards,” explained Su Shin, associate professor and ADM program director. “Our students had an opportunity to take a cotton field trip and visit the ACG denim mill,” she added.

“Throughout the process, the students were very engaged in learning about cotton for their design and production development projects. Texas Tech University, the ADM program, and I appreciate PCCA, CCI and Cotton Incorporated for their support.”

Selected students in each category will be offered an opportunity to visit Cotton Incorporated in New York City and Cary, N.C.

The Winning Designs

Healthy eaters also may have healthy bottom line.

Why do certain people save for retirement earlier than others? According to a recent study completed by Texas Tech University researchers, individuals who can resist an unhealthy but delicious meal also are more likely to save for retirement.

The study was completed by Michael Finke, professor in the Department of Personal Financial Planning in the College of Human Sciences and co-authored by Associate Professor Sandra Huston.

Finke and Huston asked 8,000 college students how important it was to begin saving for retirement beginning with their first job. The students also were asked about certain behaviors, including smoking, drinking, drug use, seat belt use, unprotected sex, healthful eating, nutrition label use and exercise.

“College students are an important group because we know that when people get their first job the decision they make about saving for retirement is often the strongest predictor of whether they have collected adequate financial savings later in life,” Finke said.

Finke and Huston said that if people value saving from an early age, they will grow accustomed to spending less of their paycheck down the road, leading to greater savings for retirement.

The results of the survey revealed that students who were most forward-thinking in terms of health-related behaviors—healthful eating, exercise and using nutrition labels—were most likely to value saving money.

An Eye on the Future

Finke and Huston also found that these health-related behaviors were the strongest predictor of how likely the students were to say they planned to begin saving in their first job. Forward-thinking health behaviors were more indicative of retirement values than whether the student had a high GPA, completed graduate classes or majored in business.

“People don’t tend to change the percentage of income they save later on in life,” Finke said. “Intention to save can potentially have big impact on how prepared a person is for retirement, and it can help explain why there is so much variation in retirement savings.”

Finke said the findings could help explain why people who are healthier later in life also have accumulated more wealth. Investing in one’s health and in one’s retirement involve the same motivation to delay gratification for future happiness.

Although the impact of academic factors was slightly weaker than health behaviors in explaining the intention to save, Finke explained that financial planning and business classes are important because they give students information they need to make choices that will make them happiest.

“What education allows you to do is understand the consequences of your decisions,” Finke said. “Students who take a financial planning class have an increased value of retirement. They better understand what will happen in the future if they save too little.”

Finke’s newest research with doctoral student Terrance Martin expands his findings by surveying people in their 40s and 50s to determine whether health-related behaviors correlated with actual retirement savings. He will present his findings at the RAND Behavioral Finance Forum in May.

Related

Biologist to Study Eavesdropping Parasites

Grammy Award-Winning Folk Singer to Visit Texas Tech

Law School Claims Another National Championship

More Videos

Graduate Students Present Their Research

Behind the Scenes: Raider Roadshow 2013

Red Raiders Return to Campus After Winter Break

Video: Carol of Lights 2012

Newly Renovated Home Bolsters Exercise and Sport Sciences

Engineering Job Fair Attracts Top-Notch Students, Companies

Raider Power: New Student Convocation Celebrates School Spirit, Tradition

Gameday 2012: Goin’ Band from Raiderland

Order Up! President, Staff Host Welcome Picnic

Welcome to Texas Tech, Make Yourselves at Home!

Home Sweet Home: Students Arrive on Campus for New School Year

A Look Back: Summer Commencement Ceremonies

Ask the Expert – Grilling Advice

Brazilian Students Live Life as Red Raiders

Beat the Heat Texas Tech Style

Online Schools Texas has distinguished 39 professors from across a variety of Texas colleges to compile their Top 25 Women Professors in Texas list and the 14 Hispanic Professors Making a Huge Difference in Texas list.

Criteria for these lists include professors who recently have been awarded or recognized for their outstanding efforts in the classroom and who demonstrate dedication to their fields and students.

Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo

Trejos-Castillo, associate professor in the Texas Tech Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) department, was recognized as one of the Top 14 Hispanic Professors in Texas. In 2012, Trejos-Castillo was awarded the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award from Texas Tech, the Certificate of Recognition in Education from the Hispanic Association of Women, and recognized as an Engaged and Integrated Scholar by Texas Tech’s Office of Institutional Diversity and Community Engagement.

Dottie Durband

Durband, professor in the Department of Personal Financial Planning at Texas Tech, was recognized as one of the Top 25 Women Professors in Texas. She is the recipient of the Texas Tech University System Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching Award and College of Human Sciences Kathryn Burleson Faculty Service Award. Durband also is the founding chair of the Texas Tech Department of Community, Family, and Addiction Services.

Lori Rice-Spearman

Rice-Spearman also was recognized as one of the Top 25 Women Professors in Texas. She is an associate professor and program director at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The Texas Tech University System Chancellor’s Council awarded Rice-Spearman the Distinguished Teaching Award.

Lindsay Viola-Vu also got to walk the red carpet at the Cotton University’s first 24 Hour Runway Show.

While most Texas Tech University students are just now enjoying their Spring Break, Lindsay Viola-Vu already has spent time in South Beach Miami – walking the red carpet with Giuliana and Bill Rancic, Lauren Conrad and Camilla Belle.

Viola-Vu, a Texas Tech Apparel Design and Manufacturing (ADM) student, was one of 10 students from across the country chosen to show off her winning design at Cotton University’s first annual 24 Hour Runway Show. She entered the contest in November by submitting a design she created for Texas Tech’s Denim Runway Project.

 “One of my professors encouraged me to enter my denim design and I really didn’t think anything of it,” Viola-Vu said. “Then I got a call in January saying I was one of the 10 students picked for an all-expenses paid trip to Miami where my design would be modeled at a 24-hour runway show.”

The event also featured 74 big-name fashion brands and designers, such as Guess, Lilly Pulitzer and Tommy Hilfiger, who also were part of the runway show. Viola-Vu said she was invited to the VIP tent where she had the chance to meet with these designers and other celebrities.

“It was a very humbling feeling getting the chance to be in this environment as student designers and see this side of our future world,” Viola-Vu said. “Ultimately, it lined me up with a lot of great contacts for my future career and is something I will always remember.”

Great preparation

Viola-Vu said since professors in Texas Tech’s ADM program have very experienced backgrounds and graduated from bigger fashion schools, they prepare students for future careers in a more one-on-one setting and support them in any way they can.

Viola-Vu’s dress was modeled on the catwalk.

“I’ve been promoting Texas Tech a lot because everyone at my internship in New York thinks it is strange how I am a fashion student coming from a college in West Texas,” Viola-Vu said. “I got accepted into the bigger fashion schools, but after visiting Texas Tech, I fell in love with the studio and the fact we get a more hands-on experience.”

Viola-Vu currently is taking the spring semester off to intern in New York for a designer named Yigal Azrouël. She works under the director of product development and production, who oversees all of Azrouël’s production and design.

This opportunity arose from a program through Marist College called Marist in Manhattan, which Viola-Vu applied for after seeing the flier posted on a bulletin board. Viola-Vu said she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to build her resume and experience.

“My advice for any Texas Tech ADM student would be to take advantage of any contest that is offered because a lot of colleges don’t offer experiences like that and it really builds your resume and skill level for the future,” Viola-Vu said. “I wouldn’t be where I am now with my internship in New York and a job offer lined up after I finish my senior year if it wasn’t for my professors and what the college has to offer.”

More photos

Leigh along side her husband, Nick Cordes.

Leigh Daniel Cordes is a familiar name in Lubbock.

The Texas Tech alum and track star was the university’s first track and field national champion and married her husband on live television in front of an audience of 6 million.

However, her struggles with multiple eating disorders during her youth are often overlooked. Having overcome them, Leigh has been an advocate for healthy body image awareness by helping young women dealing with eating disorders. She shared her own story during National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

“These girls are so bright, they have every talent in the world, they are so beautiful, and it breaks my heart to see them dealing with these issues,” Leigh said. “Once you have an eating disorder, it’s something that you always have to battle.”

During her freshman year in high school, Leigh’s parents told her they were getting a divorce. As the eldest of four children, she says the divorce rocked her world as she tried to find a way to deal with the news.

“I began to restrict my eating, and in the midst of all the turmoil that my family was facing, it really gave me a sense of balance and control,” Leigh said. “And really that’s what a lot of people with disorders deal with … it has very little to do with wanting to be thin.”

How it all Started

Leigh began counting calories, despite being at a healthy weight. Once friends and family members started to notice how frail she had become, they began to monitor her eating. This led to binging and purging, as she tried to cope with her changing family life and eating disorder.

After struggling with bulimia for about a year, Leigh collapsed while at a pool with friends. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors told her parents she was very lucky to be alive. Leigh’s parents sent her to an in-patient facility in San Antonio, where she continued to fight her disorder.

Two years after taking up running in high school, Leigh received a scholarship to Texas Tech.

“I pretty much just lied to the counselors and to myself the first six weeks, and I begged for them to send me home,” she said. “Eating disorders tend to attract a very strong-willed type of girl, so it’s good and bad; it takes a certain kind of resolve to have one.”

Leigh said she hit rock-bottom at the facility, and credits her faith for ultimately restoring her wellness.

“I remember thinking to myself: Do you want to look back on your life and this is what it is going to be, do you want to die? Once I looked up it was like I had seen a whole new light for the first time in two years, I didn’t want to live that life.”

After receiving treatment, Leigh and her family knew that preventing a relapse was crucial. At Monterey High School, she got back in athletics, helping her to transition into an atmosphere of positive body image.

“It was really my saving grace, to go back and have such a positive environment with teammates and coaches, so that really helped me,” Leigh said. “You cannot be a good athlete without fueling your body. It’s just really impossible.”

Leigh was asked by the track coach her junior year to try out for the team. She turned out to be a gifted long-distance athlete and did so well she was offered a scholarship to run for Texas Tech.

“I loved the way running made me feel—so strong and powerful and free. It was just something that I fell in love with right away and I enjoyed doing well,” Leigh said.

Leigh the Athlete

As a junior at Texas Tech, Leigh won the 5,000 meters at the 1999 NCAA Indoor National Championship, becoming the school’s first track and field national champion. Just a few months later at the 1999 NCAA Outdoor National Championship, a competitor stepped on Leigh’s shoe in the first few laps of the 10,000 meters, forcing her to stop and re-tie the shoe before chasing down her competition to win her second national title.

Throughout her athletic career, Leigh says the support of her team and increasing knowledge about how to be a successful athlete helped keep her eating issues in check.

“I had great coaches who wanted us eating well, eating right, never starving yourself,” Leigh said. “I had very healthy teammates who had very healthy mindsets and treated their bodies well. Being around them kept me motivated to be healthy and treat my body right all throughout college.”

Leigh won both an indoor and outdoor NCAA national championship in 1999.

Today, Leigh is often asked to work with young women in their own struggles with eating disorders.

“I really encourage girls with eating disorders to find something that they love that they won’t become obsessed with, such as joining a basketball team or getting a bike,” Leigh said. “Do something that is good for your body that you love to do.”

Thanks to her athletic endeavors, Leigh now understands how to adequately fuel her body and make the right food choices. She says the key is moderation, and that people should not fear becoming overweight from eating pizza or ice cream every once in a while.

In 2009, Leigh and her now-husband Nick Cordes were chosen as the winning couple to have their wedding televised live during the “Today” show. Nick, also a runner, works at Texas Tech in the Office of Community Engagement. They have a 10-month-old daughter.

“For my daughter I certainly will protect her and promote a healthy body image for her as much as I can,” Leigh said. “I actually have seen a shift in the last 10 years, and now there are many celebrities who are curvier role models for young women.”

Leigh works at Cardinal’s Fitness Center where she teaches boot camps, does personal training and leads a running club. She says the most important thing for people of all ages is to find their best body by eating healthy and exercising, but not going to extremes.

“Try to give yourself positive affirmations and be realistic about your body,” Leigh said. “If you have to go to extremes by eating too little or exercising too much, that is not your best body, and you can’t possibly sustain it.”

For now though, Leigh says she knows she is fortunate to be healthy, an athlete, and a mother.

“As I got older, I started to love myself more,” Leigh said. “I’m so happy to have a healthy body and a more realistic view on life and what a healthy body can do for me.”

Texas Tech’s Feed Your Body and Soul Committee is hosting a series of events to promote awareness about eating disorders, body image and soulful living this week. For more information and for a full list of event, visit http://counseling.ttu.edu.

CNN contributor and financial lifestyle coach Clyde Anderson is speaking at Texas Tech University Red to Black’s Eigth Annual Financial Education Week on Wednesday (Feb. 27) at 7 p.m. in the Escondido Theatre.

Financial Education Week is Red to Black’s premier event, which runs Feb. 25-27. Hundreds of Texas Tech students will participate in games, activities and workshops that will help educate them about financial literacy.

Events during the week include a scavenger hunt, a chance to decorate a custom piggy bank and financial check-ups to help with common issues like budgeting, said Angela Mazzolini, assistant director of Red to Black.

Mazzolini said she is excited about bringing in a nationally recognized speaker like Anderson, who will speak about how to make and maintain money using the new “W.E.A.L.T.H. Movement.”

Attendees to Anderson’s seminar should leave motivated to make a change in their lives, which is what this year’s week is all about, she said. The theme for the event is “One: Change One Thing, Change Everything.”

“It’s all about how you can make one small change that, down the road, will make a really big difference in your life,” Mazzolini said. “During this week, if students can find one thing to change financially, we would consider that a success.”

Financial Education Week gives the Red to Black staff a chance to meet with students who might not have come to their office, said Kristin Culp, student coordinator with Red to Black.

One of the biggest challenges Red to Black faces is raising awareness, Culp said, and this event acts as a way to get attention from students. This year, they are adding new activities such as a scavenger hunt to previously popular activities like the piggy bank giveaway.

“We hope students come by and give it a chance,” she said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun for everybody. There’s something during the week for everyone.”

For more information, including a complete list of events, visit the Red to Black website at www.r2b.ttu.edu.