“I’m the first member of my family ever to attend college. As a kid, I was under the impression that you were supposed to get your high school diploma and then go out and get a job. I had never even considered the possibility of going on to college. It took me a little longer than most, but I finally learned that a college education is absolutely necessary if you hope to be successful.
“After my wife convinced me to enroll in a community college and take some basic courses, I began looking around for a university that might allow me the opportunity to work toward a degree. When I was working as a computer network administrator I’d heard several vendors who I knew mention UT Dallas. I decided it was time to transfer and get serious about a degree plan. I was still thinking of a career in computers at the time and had been told it was the best around in that field. Only after I enrolled did I realize what an excellent reputation it had in other fields of study – like political science, government and politics. Being something of a political junkie, I found myself quickly gravitating in that direction.
“With a wife and a baby soon on the way, I didn’t have a great deal of time to get involved in the extracurricular activities on the campus. But, it was easy to see that the university was growing by leaps and bounds, offering an ever-widening range of educational and social opportunities. The students there were not only getting an excellent education but enjoying themselves as they did.
“I’d never even heard of the Archer Fellowships until one of my professors urged me to apply, saying it would look good on my resume when I began trying to get into law school. So, at his urging, I went through the application process, filling out the forms, writing the essays, being interviewed, and was pleasantly surprised when I learned I’d been selected.
“My time spent in the White House was amazing. Having a ring-side seat from which to watch how our government runs the most powerful country in the world was a remarkable experience. I worked on compiling documents that were to be sent to the vice-president and cabinet for their review and then would compile their responses. If you’re a big movie fan, you want to be in Hollywood; if your thing is government and politics, Washington D.C. is the place to be. Time went by far too quickly. It was hard to come home.
“I look back on my life and it has already been a pretty interesting journey. And then, thanks in great part to my time at UT Dallas, it is also one that’s really just beginning.
Kenneth Leatherman, government and politics major, dropped out of high school at 15 to support his disabled parents. After getting his diploma and serving in the U.S. Marines he went to community college, then transferred to UT Dallas. He has been accepted to Southern Methodist University Law School, and hopes to become a prosecuting attorney.
- Updated: August 14, 2007
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