Conner Dixon’s journey from resident to role model

BY ANDREW UTTERBACK

Opinion Editor / Podcast Producer

Conner Dixon was on a high school college tour when he first saw Tarleton State University.

His tour guide took the group around campus, where Dixon was immediately sold on the atmosphere.

“I just fell in love with it,” Dixon said. “It was so welcoming and friendly.”

Tarleton is about three and a half hours from Dixon’s hometown of Midland, Texas.

He went to public school before attending Trinity School of Midland, where he played just about every sport offered: cross country, basketball, golf, baseball and tennis.

It was on his school’s expeditionary learning trip that he got to tour Tarleton, along with Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University and Baylor.

He applied to Texas Tech and Angelo State as backups but was “100% set” on Tarleton.

He was accepted to the Honors College and was ready to start in the fall on his math degree with a minor in computer science. That first year, Dixon said he hated college.

“I had nobody. I was going to class, going back to work, going to class, going back to work, and it was awful,” he said.

His whole perspective shifted after he started to get involved. First it was Residence Life.

During this first year, Dixon started to hang out with his Residential Leader. He went to all of the hall events, socials and eventually decided he wanted to be an Office Assistant. This eventually led to him becoming an RL.

“I started talking to the SRL at the time, Jasmine Edwards, and the Hall Director, Ryan Afflerback, about being an RL and getting involved that way. I was so very hesitant about it because I’ve never had any kind of leadership role outside of athletic team captains or athletic co-captain, and this is a completely different ball game,” Dixon said.

They eventually encouraged him to apply, and he got the job as a Residential Leader. The year after that, Dixon was the Senior Residential Leader at Integrity Hall. His senior year, he stepped back down to Office Assistant to make time for his other involvements.

Most recently, Kappa Delta Rho.

“I rushed this past semester in the spring, and it’s been great getting to know the guys,” he said.

The sense of community and brotherhood is what stands out to Dixon.

“Going to play basketball with them, going to the dining hall, the student center or library—just being able to spend time with those guys anytime—is huge for me,” Dixon said.

Dixon is also on the men’s volleyball club team, a TTM, the Chief Justice for the Tarleton Student Government Association and a TROC lead team member.

He said connections are the key to getting involved in various organizations around campus.

“Because once I get to know people, they can vouch for me and say, ‘he would be really good for this.’ For the RL, KDR and TROC lead team positions, I made those connections, showed my passion, went through the process and got in. Connections are important,” he said.

After a not-so-positive first experience at TROC, it took some convincing for Dixon to return.

“[Madeline Bailey] practically had to drag me there,” he said. “I met a lot of people: PJ the head pastor, Christie, Colton – they kind of just showed me what TROC is, and I just fell in love with it.”

Dixon started serving at TROC the very next week.

“Eventually, lead team applications rolled around, and it was being put heavily on my heart that I should apply. It took a lot of convincing from other people for me to apply, and I finally did the night it closed,” Dixon said.

An interview later, Dixon got the position. He also continues serving the student body as a TTM.

“I got to usher in about fifteen freshmen that all live in honors through Duck Camp,” he said. “When I first saw them at Duck Camp, they were not very outgoing, but by day three, they were getting out of their shell.”

Dixon said he sees his “ducks” on campus getting involved and socializing.

“I see them now and they’re involved in their own organizations early on, and it’s just huge to me. I only started flourishing the second I got involved and the second I got hired,” he said.

Dixon’s favorite Tarleton class was number theory, and his favorite Tarleton memory was getting the call from Jayden Williams, telling him he got the SRL job.

Dixon’s plan is to now pursue a master’s in education. Specifically, educational leadership with a concentration in higher education.

“That's where I find my passion,” he said. “Making sure that students have found their passion and are thriving wherever they are.”

He thanks Ryan Afflerback, Ryan Higginbotham and Williams for ushering him through both Residence Life and Tarleton as a whole.

Afflerback met Dixon when he was a resident at Honors Hall and has watched him grow over his four years at Tarleton.

“When Conner joined Residence Life, he pushed himself to get involved,” Afflerback said. “He asked to be a Residential Leader and got the job at Honors Hall, and he continued to grow, even becoming an SRL. He’s done things throughout campus, like joining fraternities and being involved in other organizations. He is very passionate about students and student affairs.”

Afflerback said that Dixon thrived as an RL.

“He went above and beyond, making sure that he mentored other RLs, helped the staff and built connections with his community,” Afflerback said.

This position as an RL also gave him experience needed for his career.

“He is wanting to be in student affairs and he’s had multiple opportunities to go to other colleges after he graduates, but ultimately he has tried to pursue staying here within Residence Life at Tarleton. He’s very passionate about helping students and getting them involved because of his personal experiences with college, and I think that’s going to serve him well in his life,” Afflerback said.

Dixon also thanks his parents for their support through his entire educational journey.

His advice to incoming freshmen is to do exactly what helped him thrive: get involved.

“It is crucial to get involved in any kind of organization you are passionate about,” Dixon said. “Whether it be some kind of intramural club team, the chemistry club, the math club or any kind of organization you can think of, get involved with it. Jump at the opportunity, because once you find those people, you have them forever.”