[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_testimonial author=”Callie Hibbitts ’25” quote_icon_color=”#4F2D7F” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Franklin Gothic ATF Regular||||||||” author_font=”Franklin Gothic ATF Black Italic|700|||||||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve really been impowered by my professors to submit my work out there, and now I\u2019m being told that what I\u2019m writing is worth something and needs to be put out there. It\u2019s given me the opportunity to write and be heard, which I never thought was possible\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″ custom_padding=”0px|||||”]<\/p>\n Callie Hibbitts ’25, a former Tarleton State University first-generation English major, who had a focus in creative writing, graduated in December of 2025. While in high school Hibbitts took on leadership roles that transferred to her college career. While at Tarleton State she served as a student worker in the English Department and student editor-in-chief of the Bosque River Review, Tarleton State\u2019s literary journal.<\/p>\n Originally from Seymore, Texas, Hibbitts never even thought college would be an option. Unfortunately, both of her parents passed away while she was in middle school, and after that she was raised by sister. If it weren’t for the scholarships Hibbitts received, she would not have been able to go to Tarleton State and become the woman she is today.<\/p>\n While at Tarleton State, Hibbitts received the Dick Smith LFA Scholarship, the Davidson Presidential Scholarship, the Honors Degree Scholarship, and the Tarleton Pride Scholarship. She was also a part of the Tarleton Promise Program, which covered all remaining costs after her scholarships and grants. It is because of these programs that Hibbitts decided to attend Tarleton State. She knew that if she did, she wouldn\u2019t have to worry about paying for school and would be allowed to have other opportunities like running the Bosque River Review and working in the English department. She was even given the opportunity to write the biography of one of Tarleton State\u2019s esteemed alumni.<\/p>\n Tarleton State\u2019s English department really made a lasting impact on Hibbitts. It was actually the former department head that pushed her to pursue a creative writing focus after she took his class. After that, writing was all she did; she even started submitting her writings to different literary reviews. It is because of all the opportunities the English Department gave her that she was so certain about her future.<\/p>\n Hibbitts was also given the opportunity to grow as a person. Even with her scholarships, going into college was scary. Stephenville was huge compared to her hometown. She was very shy and introverted, basically just on survival mode. Her goal was to just make it the next four years and hope she was okay afterwards. But she wasn\u2019t just okay, she had \u201cflourished\u201d in her words and became a lot more confident by working very social jobs and constantly presenting her creative work. She knows she made friendships that will last a lifetime, and was really just a lot less afraid coming out of college than she was going in.<\/p>\n She describes her college journey as a series of doorways. Doorways that opened up opportunities for her when she needed them most. Starting with her scholarships, to her professors pushing her to submit her writing, then being told her work was good when feeling insecure and finally ending with the opportunity to write the biography. These are all opportunities she wouldn\u2019t have believed possible her freshman year.<\/p>\n After she graduated in December, Hibbitts planned on attending grad school and obtaining her MFA. She wanted to go get her PhD and eventually teach creative writing at a college level, while still writing her own creative works.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”Callie Hibbitts ’25” quote_icon_color=”#4F2D7F” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Franklin Gothic ATF Regular||||||||” author_font=”Franklin Gothic ATF Black Italic|700|||||||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n \u201cThe people I met put that into me because I had them and saw the way they affected me and all I could think was how wonderful it would be to be that for somebody else.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cI\u2019ve really been impowered by my professors to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1034,"featured_media":3404,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Kari Haile is a successful, third generation Tarleton State University alumna. She is also one of Stephenville\u2019s most respected entrepreneurs, founding Haile & Company Real Estate with her husband, Jim Ed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kari's success has grown with Stephenville and she has a deep appreciation for the connection between her hometown and her hometown university. Kari\u2019s decision to support Tarleton State through the Texan Excellence Fund as a Team Tarleton\u00ae<\/sup> corporate sponsor reflects her dedication to serving both Tarleton State and the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kari first came to Tarleton State in 1983 to study marketing and later completed her secondary teacher certification in 1988. It was an exciting time for Kari and Tarleton State as new opportunities began to emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since her earliest days as an undergraduate, Kari has been an ambassador for Tarleton State, always ready to share how her experience on campus shaped her life, both personally and professionally. Kari is also a connector, who proactively creates links between Tarleton State and the community of Stephenville rooted in mutual benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kari\u2019s dedication to service motivated her decision to fund the Charles Ann Wylie Martin Scholarship in honor of her mother, a stellar Dr. Sam Pack College of Business alumna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having experienced the impact of her generosity through the success of student recipients, Kari knows she is changing lives and is now encouraging her fellow alumni to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In her words \u201cEvery donation counts. So, join me. Make a gift. Be a Texan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy motivation to invest in Tarleton State University has always been the people. I was blessed to follow a legacy set by my grandmother and mother, which led me to Tarleton, and later gave my children the same opportunity. I wanted to pay that forward by helping ensure other students could experience the same: meaningful relationships, a strong academic foundation and the confidence that comes from being part of this university.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nKari Haile<\/em><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":38,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-because-of-you","category-student-impact"],"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Abigail Middleton","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/author\/swamiddleton\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/385\/2026\/03\/CallieHibbetts_StudentImpact-2_SM-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Because of You<\/a>","Student Impact<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Because of You<\/span>","Student Impact<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 weeks ago","modified":"Updated 2 weeks ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on March 31, 2026","modified":"Updated on March 31, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on March 31, 2026 2:52 pm","modified":"Updated on March 31, 2026 2:53 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1034"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3403"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3407,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3403\/revisions\/3407"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n