My name is Bentleigh Albert and I am from Forgan, Oklahoma. Forgan is a very small town up in the Panhandle of Oklahoma with a population just under 550 people. I graduated in a class of 12. As you can imagine, I was very close to everyone in my class! For the most part, the 12 of us were together from childhood to high school graduation. I loved growing up in a small town and I wholeheartedly believe that it helped shape me into who I am today. However, once I graduated high school, I was ready for something bigger. I had dreamed of attending The University of Oklahoma since I was a small child. I grew up going to the football games—I was truly “Sooner born and bred”.
(OU's beautiful campus made me sure that I had to be a Sooner)
I am now a senior at OU, majoring in Human Resources Management. I love my major and I hope to specialize in recruiting or talent development. During my freshman year, I realized that I was drawn to the business college. I also realized that I really love working with people, and that is how I go into HR. This past summer, I had the amazing opportunity to intern in the HR Department of St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City. St. Anthony has a culture unlike anything I have ever experienced and I absolutely fell in love with it. I love my major because I am able to experience the business side of a variety of different industries. With HR, I have the ability to support the employees that comprise these trades. I think the countless possibilities of where I could end up in the future are a lot of what makes me love HR!
Additionally, I am a huge animal lover. I have two dogs back home, a Chaweenie (Chihuahua/Dachshund mix) and a German Shepherd. I love and miss them so much! I’m very obsessed with Dachshunds and Corgis. It is not uncommon for people to tag me on Facebook in any kind of cute dog video. Don't worry, I've attached my all-time favorite (Corgi Pool Party) to this post! I also love cats, but I’m unfortunately very allergic to them. Since I can’t own any, I just stick to owning a pretty impressive collection of cat shirts.
So, that covers the surface of who I am as a person. I’m just your average animal-loving business major who had more people in her freshman dorm than her entire hometown!
Hi Bentleigh! I've never lived in a town quite that small, but I do love the small town feel. I'm not sure how I would have survived with only having 12 people in my graduating class though! I absolutely love Corgis and hope to have one of my own one of these days. I just love that they have the big dog personality in a little, adorable body. And I love that video! It's so cute!
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice to meet you Bentleigh! I love animals as well! I have always wanted a dog, but my mother is terrified of them. We are working incredibly hard to try to convince her otherwise though. How do you feel about OU coming from such a small town? Was it a bit overwhelming at first? I wish you all the best for your future in HR! I hope we will get to know each other better as the semester moves along.
ReplyDeleteThat video is so cute, Bentleigh! And I know what you mean about being tagged for "your" animal: I have always used a fox as my avatar, so now my friends at Twitter and Google+ are always sharing fox photos with me, which is fantastic. I originally started out using the fox as my avatar because I wanted students in class to know that it is totally fine with me to use an avatar that is not a personal photo... but I have been the "fox" online for so long now that people would be surprised if I started using my actual photo!
ReplyDeleteThere are all kinds of animal themes and characters that you can explore in this class, including real animals and also supernatural ones too! There are armies of monkeys and bears in the Ramayana, for example... and Krishna, one of the heroes of the Mahabharata, gets married to the daughter of Jambavan, the King of the Bears; here's more if you are curious: Jambavan ... So as you read, keep an eye out for animals. There are lots of them! :-)
Hi Bentleigh! First of your video is adorable, and I love that you have 2 dogs. Personally I can't imagine living in a small town but the plus side is that you get very close to people instead of having lots of acquaintances. That sucks that you’re allergic to cats and you love them but at least you have 2 dogs to fill in the void.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine living in such a small town. If you're a people person, I can imagine that living in a small town would be better in some ways than living in a huge one. You'd certainly get to know the town better.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your position at St. Anthony Hospital was quite hectic. I can't imagine a hospital employee that isn't busy. What was the culture like?
I'm a huge fan of dogs, too, and corgis are some of the best. The fluffier the better.
Hi Bentleigh (I like how your name is spelled by the way)! My mom is from a small town in western Oklahoma similar to Forgan I feel. I absolutely loved that small town to death! I would spend summers there with my grandparents and sometimes asked my mom why we lived in the city and how I wanted to go to school there. We stayed in the city though.
ReplyDeleteThe dog video was hilarious! I'm personally a pug person but my parents and boyfriend refuse to let me get one (sad face) .
Thanks for sharing with us about your life and career choice!
Boomer Sooner!
Candace J.
First off that video was great. Those dogs were absolutely incorgible. Aw puns. It sounds like you found a good balance of what you wanted to do with HR. That's awesome. The small town thing is really great. I thought I was different because I still have friends from kindergarten. Clearly, you've run circles around me in that regard. Did anyone else from the Forgan 12 end up at OU? That's really great that you made such long lasting friends. I hope your last year goes great!
ReplyDeleteHi Bentleigh! It is so weird yet cool that your graduating class was just 12 people, mine was about 600 (imagine how long the graduation ceremony was). I agree, St. Anthony’s is an amazing community. I volunteered there over the summer and it was my second time. I love the people there! It is so amazing that you had the opportunity to intern there! I too am an avid dog lover. I have a Siberian husky named Tigger and I couldn’t imagine life without my best friend. I love cats too! I love how they’re so calm (for the most part) and adorable. Sadly I am also very allergic to them (cries furiously).
ReplyDelete"Chaweenie" has got to be the funniest name for a dog breed. Fitting, though, since it sounds like your pups keep you smiling. I've always been drawn to the idea of open workplace possibilities, too, though I had never thought about how HR would open up so many doors. It's true, though: it sounds like you could end up in all sorts of places, helping out different kinds of people and keeping everything running and everyone working together! I'm glad you had a good experience at St. Anthony's; my sister shadowed a doctor there when she was still an undergrad, and it really helped her decide what path she wanted to pursue in her career.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that you embrace being from a small town! My dad also grew up in a very small town and I love visiting it. Every time we walk down main street, there's always someone that knows him and we all talk for a while. It's such a welcoming atmosphere. Congratulations on your internship at St. Anthony's, it sounds like it was a great place to work. It's a shame you're allergic to cats, but it sounds like you're compensating just fine with your collection of cat shirts. I hope your collection grows!
ReplyDeleteBentleigh, it's so exciting that you enjoyed interning at St. Anthony's. I work as a scrub tech in surgery at OUMC and I can agree that the atmosphere of a hospital is a very unique atmosphere from other places. It can be stressful at times, but also intensely rewarding. Do you have any preferences for where you would like to work when you graduate? Do you think that you'd enjoy working in HR in a hospital?
ReplyDeleteI really loved reading your introduction! I think it's awesome that you were able to grow up in such a small town. I couldn't imagine graduating in a class of only 12! I'm sure the move to OU was such a change but after 18 years I bet you were more than ready for it. I think it's great that you've been interning at St. Anthony's! Good luck on your semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Bentleigh! It’s so great seeing people I know taking this course too! I think it is a lot of fun to get their perspective on these stories and how they rewrite them in their stories. I love corgis so the video at the end definitely made me a happier person! I’m glad you enjoyed your internship and wish you the best of luck with the job hunting!
ReplyDeleteWow... and I thought my graduating class was small with 310! I can only imagine what a graduation with 12 would be like! I guess it would be pretty awkward if there was one person you didn't like.. But I think its also interesting to have only graduated with 12! I love the video you posted! Though I must say I am not a huge fan of Dachshunds, I've never had great experiences around them. But I am loving the fact that you have an excellent collection of cat shirts. Nice to meet you and I look forward to reading some of your stories!
ReplyDeleteHey Bentleigh! Since I graduated with 600 people, I've always found small towns so fascinating. Did you all know each other pretty well since you basically grew up together? And how was the transition from a small town to a giant campus like OU? St. Anthony's is a great hospital to work for and it's really cool you've gotten a chance to intern.
ReplyDeleteHello Bentleigh, I loved reading your introduction! I came from a pretty small town but no where near as small as your town! I think it is really cool that you want to go into HR it is something that I have never thought about doing for my own life but it sounds really rewarding! I also love animals so much! I loved your video you shared with us! Look forward to reading more from you.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness I love your corgi pool party video!!! I'm going to have to share this with all of my friends, who all love cute animals as much as I do and as much as you seem to! I also love cats and dogs and am very thankful I'm not allergic. Cat shirts are pretty awesome though. I can't believe you managed to transition from that small of a high school to OU! That's pretty impressive! I'm really glad you enjoy your major so much as well! Good luck and congrats on almost graduating!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness I love your corgi pool party video!!! I'm going to have to share this with all of my friends, who all love cute animals as much as I do and as much as you seem to! I also love cats and dogs and am very thankful I'm not allergic. Cat shirts are pretty awesome though. I can't believe you managed to transition from that small of a high school to OU! That's pretty impressive! I'm really glad you enjoy your major so much as well! Good luck and congrats on almost graduating!
ReplyDeleteHi Bentleigh! Nice to meet you! First off, love your name. Props to your parents! I also am a dog lover but allergic to cats. I'm not so allergic that we don't have cats in the house though so I've left my cat shirts in the store. I'm sure you have a galaxy cat shirt and that is awesome! I'm a senior this year too and I am so excited to be done with school and get out into the real world. My major is international studies and I love it as much as you probably love HR!
ReplyDeleteHi Bentleigh! haha I'm still laughing at your last sentence, "more people in your freshman dorm than her entire hometown!" I can't imagine what kind of culture shock that must have been when it came to attending classes! I came from a smaller school but my graduating class was still 150 people. My transition to OU was still pretty crazy even though I graduated with 138 people more than you.
ReplyDeleteAlso, i love your corgi video! I just recently became a dog mom and now I'm way too obsessed with dog videos and anything dog related. I wasn't that way before, but taking care of a little fur ball will change your mind that way!
Hi Bentleigh! I am a major dog lover as well. I have a dog at college with me that lives with me and all of my teammates and also have a family dog back at home. I have actually seen that corgi video before and I loved it. I was extremely shocked to hear that you graduated in a class of 12. I would imagine that y'all were very close and got tired of each other at times.
ReplyDeleteHello Bentleigh,
ReplyDeleteI saw that you are from Forgan and I know a few people from their so that’s cool. I recently got my first dog. She is a mini labradoodle who is about six months old. Her name is Daisy Rae and I absolutely adore her! I was never a big fan of dogs growing up but ever since I got her I could not imagine life without her.
Hi Bentleigh! That is crazy that you only graduated with 12 people! I couldn't imagine that...I don't even know if I have a class with only 12 people here at OU. That is super neat that you got the chance to intern at St. Anthony this summer! There is so much good that can come out of HR, and so many possibilities! Also, the video you posted was adorable! I love corgis and I think that that is the cutest thing I've ever seen!
ReplyDeleteWow coming from a school that had a graduating class of 550, I could not possibly understand how it was growing up in that small of a town. I guess it would be pretty fun however, since everyone is so close, it would pretty much be like family. I am glad you are enjoyed the opportunity you had at Saint Anthony's.
ReplyDeleteI haven't met you yet! Hello! Wow, I love what you say about working with people... I think that's awesome! I'm an actor, but I also have the desire to work and interact one-on-one with people. I think I could see myself getting involved with HR type of work someday! WOW! Graduating class of 12?! That must have been really special. I think there were like, 550 in my graduating class? Maybe more? I left high school my senior year to join a conservatory, so I avoided graduation all together!
ReplyDeleteHey Bentleigh!
ReplyDeleteI'm actually in the Mythology-Folklore class, but I wanted to check out what this class has been working on! I think it's so cool that you come from such a small town- I came from a pretty mid-sized city where I graduated with 600 people- that's more people in on senior class than your whole town! I'm sure you have some very meaningful relationships with these people. I am also a huge animal lover! In fact, my project is centered around my dog, Mercedes. So cool to meet you, can't wait to read your stories!