O”Grady press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 5, 2021
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Amme O’Grady came of age in the Pacific Northwest and later spent a decade on the East Coast. Then she moved to Texas, and the travel bags went in the closet.
“I feel like I have been all over the place,” says the Brock resident, who will deliver the commencement address at 7 p.m. exercises Friday, Aug. 6, at Tarleton State University’s Memorial Stadium. “I grew up in Seattle and lived in Maryland for about 10 years. Then an opportunity to move to Texas came about, and we took advantage of it.
“I fell in love with Texas as soon as we got off the plane. I wondered why I had not lived here my entire life.”
Working in the legal department at Lockheed Martin Corp., Amme has career aspirations that require further education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications at Western Washington University, but a desire to work in development, community relations, event management or philanthropy pushed her to a master’s program.
She will receive her master’s degree in communication studies after her speech.
She chose Tarleton because she was intrigued by what the program had to offer and impressed with a “genuine staff.”
“I really liked the program. I was able to continue working full time, take care of my family and still complete the program in 18 months.”
Digging into the details, she discovered things about Tarleton that cemented her decision. She heard such positive feedback from the professors.
“It was just a hometown feel,” she said. “There’s something special about Tarleton and being on campus that reached out, grabbed my heart and said, ‘This is the place.’ ”
And, as she had with Texas, she fell in love with Tarleton.
Amme’s commencement address draws on her own experiences.
“There are some things in my life that are difficult to talk about,” she said. “My father is no longer with us, and I still struggle with that, but I was able to incorporate our relationship into the speech, and that just fills my heart and soul.
“I think about the relationships I made during my time here at Tarleton, and I feel quite fortunate.”
Some aspects of studying for a master’s she will not miss, but she absolutely will miss connecting with her peers.
At least she won’t have to miss visiting the campus. Not yet, anyway.
She will still frequent Tarleton to see her daughter, a bio-med major expecting to graduate in May 2022
“Chloe has another year,” Amme said, “and I come all the time to see her. So I’ll be around for a while.”
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of nearly 17,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. True to Tarleton’s values of excellence, integrity and respect, academic programs emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.