Adventures of the Mind - Ty'Ronn Spriggs

 Adventures of the Mind 2011 has been a great experience for me. I was thrilled by all of the amazing artists, entrepreneurs, writers, scientists, Noble Peace Prize winners, cartoonist, athletes as well as those individuals who shared their stories about how some persevered and others “stumbled” into success.

I have never been more motivated to continue doing the things that I do in my community and what I will continue to do as an incoming freshman at Alabama State University. 

Before coming to a little place called Missoula, Montana, I had never felt more empowered to be successful. Being in Missoula and finding out about its rich history and hearing stories and studies about Lewis & Clark has inspired me to focus on my passion and vision as a student mentor and leader.

 The Adventures of the Mind program allowed me to make awesome friendships with people from across the country, including Montana, Kansas, New York, California, Tennessee, Georgia, Maine and even Alaska! Even though we no longer party with each other every night or debate about books by Mark Twain or George Orwell, we still keep in contact via Facebook.

All in all, Adventures of the Mind taught me to continue to be who I am and never be flustered about failing. If I am ever inspired to write a book, the title would be Don't Be Flustered by Failure and the first couple of pages would read: "It all started with a student conference in Missoula, Montana..."

If I had to choose a favorite speaker, I would have to say either Jacques D'Amboise, or Mark Moffett. Jacques has inspired me to continue being the Thespian that I am today...

 

While Mark has taught me that no matter what you're passion is, because you have one, you have something to be excited about. It’s not everyday that someone is passionate about bugs or ants, but meeting Mark has transformed my life.