Sleep can wait: Paige Davis’ path to graduation

BY LINDSEY HUGHES

Art Director

As graduation approaches, many graduates are looking back on their time at Tarleton State University and reminiscing on good times, late nights, long hours and many accomplishments. For Paige Davis, there were a few more late nights than the average student.

Davis came to Tarleton as a mathematics major, straight out of her small town in Kentucky, where she graduated as valedictorian of her class. She quickly realized that what she really wanted was to major in mechanical engineering technology instead. She went on to become an honors student, join the Texan Corps of Cadets and thrive as a member of the rodeo team.

Being involved in so many different things both on and off campus is hard for any student, but her background in high-pressure situations truly helped her to thrive through a lot of the toughest times during her college career. 

“The motivation wasn’t always there, and there were some days where I woke up and was exhausted,” Davis said. “Sometimes when the motivation isn’t there, you have to fall back on either being disciplined enough to still get up, or you have to be passionate enough about what you do.”

Davis started firefighting at the ripe age of twelve through her hometown firefighter’s apprenticeship program. She was the National Volunteer Fire Council’s 2021 National Junior Firefighter of the Year, as well as receiving a life-saving award and being a civil air patrol cadet. 

Along with these accomplishments, she also grew up barrel racing and working on her father’s cattle ranch. All these things that built up a strong sense of determination and helped when she got to college and was pushed hard academically and within the corps and rodeo team.

A good friend of Davis, Bethany Kilpatrick, testified to the determination and drive it took for her to get through all of the many responsibilities that she had. They met originally at a military ball, and from there Kilpatrick was her photographer for several photoshoots. Eventually, it bloomed into a close friendship.

“Honestly, my first impression of Paige was that I was kind of intimidated by her… she was so cool. She seems to be such an adventurous person; she’s so sure of herself and confident,” Kilpatrick said, “If I had to describe Paige in three words they would be adventurous, hard-working and kind. She is one of the most determined people that I’ve ever met, and I know that she’ll be so successful in life wherever she goes and whatever she ends up doing.”

As an engineering student, the workload was far from light, but through many projects and late nights, she was able to make it all the way to the finish line, which proved to be the hardest part of it all. 

The capstone for her degree is designed to push students to the limit, simultaneously having them working on major projects for a real company while also taking the class and staying on top of coursework. It was difficult to juggle everything she had going on while also completing the capstone, but the preparation for the real world is something she views as exciting and 100% worth the long hours. 

Two of her most influential professors and mentors were Dr. Tom Faulkenberry and Dr. Eileen Faulkenberry, both of whom played major roles in her success at Tarleton.

Dr. Eileen Faulkenberry specifically dealt with Davis both in class and as an honors student, and she couldn’t sing her praises more.

 “She is going to accomplish anything that she sets her mind to. I know that she will shoot for the moon, and I have zero doubt that she will make exactly what it is that she wants to happen, happen,” Dr. Eileen Faulkenberry said. “Paige exemplifies all of our core values…she has developed the ability to manage all of the very distinct interests that she has.”

Outside of her academic success, she has also been in the Texan Corps of Cadets, and will be commissioned into the army after graduation as a second lieutenant. The first year of college made it clear for Davis that the Army was the right direction for her to take.

Davis said that a lot of her good communication skills, as well as being able to balance a lot of different things being on her plate, are greatly due to her time in the corps.

“The corps specifically was such a huge guiderail throughout school… There were some days where I was exhausted, but because of the corps I still got up, worked out and went to all of my classes,” Paige said. 

She is graduating as a company commander for the corps, and attributes much of her success and consistent motivation to her time with them. 

Outside of the Corps of Cadets, one of the biggest parts of Davis’s college experience was her time on the rodeo team. She began rodeoing at a young age, starting out on roundup and rescue horses, training them up and selling them with the help of her family, until she was able to purchase her current equine partner, Marlin.

“He is the most recent horse that I’ve bought. It was obvious that he was a really good horse, but I had no idea how lucky I had gotten when we bought him,” Davis said. 

Safe to say, the rodeo team, along with Marlin, made her time at Tarleton one of the best times of her life.

Her rodeo coach, Coach Brittany Stewart was one of her biggest inspirations while at Tarleton, always making sure she along with everyone else had all of the tools they needed to be successful. 

The friends and mentors she has had in the corps have pushed her to be a better person and a better leader. Her boyfriend, who is now a U.S. Marine, was also a huge factor in her determination to continue through every high and low. 

Her parents were some of her greatest supporters throughout the most challenging parts of college, and she says she could never have gotten through it without their unyielding support and care. 

“The standards that I set for myself are absolutely rooted in my parents and the work ethic that they taught me,” Davis said. “While I was down here, they gave me nothing but encouragement. Having my parents there for me has made a huge, huge difference.” 

That work ethic carried her through many tough times, even some times where she wanted to quit. Late nights became frequent, managing classwork for upper-level engineering classes, being an honors student, while also juggling her duties in the corps and being on the rodeo team was no small feat. 

Sometimes finding time for her life outside of all of her commitments was impossible. 

“‘Do you have time to sleep?’ That's what I get asked all the time. That summarizes a lot of my college experience,” Davis said. 

When looking back on her time at college though, Davis’s only memory isn’t the lack of sleep; it’s how important the many things she was involved in were to her. Her biggest piece of advice to those who may be following a similar path is that college is all about experiences. 

“Do as much as you can while you can, and make the most out of whatever you do. Don’t do things halfway, because the time that I had here absolutely flew by. Your time in college is pretty limited,” Davis said, “Some people say it’s the best time of your life, but maybe not; I don’t agree with that. I think the best time in your life is going to be whenever you decide that it is.”

Not only that, but she said doing the things that she truly loved and was passionate about made the last four years so much more meaningful and fun. Diving headfirst into every experience that she came upon allowed her world to expand in a way that has opened doors that she never would have imagined.

“Do things because you enjoy them. When the motivation to get up early or to study fails, you either have to be obsessed or you have to be disciplined,” Davis said.

That mindset will take her far, both in her career path and in the Army. Her determination and passion for what she does is inspiring, and after graduation, will carry her through many more amazing experiences, travels, jobs and journeys.