Terrance Somesla-Mccornell during the breast cancer kick off
Emily Gabriel l The Cougar's Byte
Meet Terrance Somesla-Mccornell, a man of many trades. He is a student of education, a man of the community and an individual of the performing arts.
There are two types of students: those who are involved in clubs and participate in campus happenings, and then there are those who step foot on college grounds with the mindset of simply attending class. Somesla-Mccornell is the former. “We are paying a lot of money…so we might as well try and do as much as we can [besides] just go to class and back home or the dorms,” Somesla-Mccornell commented.
His involvement record consists of various acts of participation. The musical stage of Somesla-Mccornell’s life was from fourth grade until twelfth grade. Trained in the art of the trumpet and trombone, Somesla-Mccornell showcased his talent through marching band. But then Somesla-Mccornell wanted to try his hand at football and he had a decision to make due to colliding schedules: marching band or football. Not wanting to drop his musical practices completely, Somesla-Mccornell compromised by being a member of concert band and he was able to play football. He got the best of both worlds.
Determining which field of work to apply oneself to is an elaborate decision. A senior majoring in secondary education with a concentration of special education and history, Somesla-Mccornell was one of the lucky college students who knew going into college what he wanted to do.
“I really wanted to do something important in life that people would remember me [by]. I feel as though teaching the new generation would be perfect…[to] ultimately [leave] a positive impact on people.”
All aspiring teachers should have the same mindset going into their careers. What can define a teacher, though, is how much passion they put into their lessons. Besides his love of history, what truly interests Somesla-Mccornell is “learning new things and seeing how much has changed from times before I was born. The mistakes [made in] history is most important [for people] to learn so we don't make the same ones in our future.”
After college he plans on going back to his high school roots to teach history. “[In] My high school, I made such great connections with all my teachers and principle,” Somesla-Mccornell commented, “I know so many families in that town as well. I will feel most comfortable working [with] and seeing familiar faces.” In an effort to further benefit the children, he hopes to return to college to earn his master’s degree in education.
To get a head start in making sure his career choice was for him, he joined Jumpstart and Educators of Tomorrow his freshmen year of college. Through participation of each of these organizations Somesla-Mccornell interacted with kids and learned the ropes from teachers, which resulted in him confirming that he did make the right decision.
Somesla-Mccornell’s involvement did not stop there. Over the course of his college career he can truly say that he has gained some brothers along the way. Going around and meeting all the fraternities, there was one that caught Somesla-Mccornell’s attention: Nu Delta Pi. Somesla-Mccornell witnessed his future brothers demonstrate their motto, Brotherhood from This Day Froward. “I joined my fraternity because I saw a true brotherhood between all [Nu Delta Pi] brothers. They treated me like their family [and] I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” Somesla-Mccornell stated.
Greek Senate welcoming the crowd during Meet The Greeks
Ojlivis Nunez l The Cougar's Byte
His responsibility doesn’t end there. He took on the role of vice president of public relations for Greek Senate. Why did he add more to his heavy workload? Somesla-Mccornell wanted to become as involved as possible on campus and make friends, and Greek Senate seemed like the best way to achieve that goal. What made him go out for the public relations position were the responsibilities. “It seemed pretty interesting to make flyers for events, promoting, taking pictures and videos, and controlling the social media accounts to get Greek Senate programs known throughout the campus.”
Greek Senate welcoming the crowd during the Greek conference
Ojlivis Nunez l The Cougar's Byte
In his downtime, which is rare, Somesla-Mccornell enjoys dedicating his time to hobbies that are, as he describes, pretty basic. Spending some time playing video games is a favorite pastime, which includes games of the fighting and adventure nature. When he’s filled his video gaming quota and has nothing else to do, he simply likes to walk. “I am just a natural down-to-earth kind of guy,” Somesla-Mccornell explained, “I feel like it’s weird for me to stay sitting down too long or I feel like I wasted my time or day.”
Everyone lives life differently. Somesla-Mccornell is an individual who incorporates the motto “treat others the way you want to be treated” in everyday life. There is a good amount of disrespect in the world today, and if people made the effort to apply this motto, it is safe to assume the hate rate would decrease.
“I believe in karma, so doing something wrong to someone, I feel as though what goes around comes back around. My mom has raised me to…always to be a kind-hearted person.”
Somesla-Mccornell has had a successful college career, but his undergraduate years are coming to a close. There will be times when students are tested physically, mentally and emotionally, but Somesla-Mccornell urges students to persevere through these times. “I would tell the Kean community to push themselves to be their very best [and] not to give up if something is getting tough; it’s the best feeling when you accomplish your goals.” Before he leaves campus to go mold the brains of high school students, he has one more tidbit of advice. Do as much as possible while in college, academically and socially, because “College is an experience, so don't make it a boring one.”
Terrance Somesla-Mccornell
Ojlivis Nunez l The Cougar's Byte
