Brandon Batts
Chattanooga, TN

Hi, I'm Brandon Batts from Chattanooga and I'm one, one of Tennessee's Best.

I love Middle Tennessee State University! When I began the process of choosing a college, I applied to 13 schools and was accepted to all. My choice ultimately came down to either the University of Tennessee-Knoxville or MTSU and I wisely visited both. I came away feeling as though I could do very well at UTK, but I would be little more than a number. When I visited MTSU, I felt as if it were a real community. I would not just be a number; MTSU was a place I could thrive. And I am thriving here because I made the right choice.

I'm double majoring in Recreation and Leisure Services with a concentration in Recreation Administration and Management. My ultimate career goal is to own a Major League Baseball team—hopefully the New York Yankees. The classes I am taking and the hands-on experience I am getting at MTSU are preparing me well for realizing that dream. And I take my classes seriously. I'm very committed to my GPA and have been since high school, when I maintained a 3.98 GPA while heading every organization I joined. And I've continued on that path at MTSU. If I sit around and do nothing, I'll misuse my time and I can't allow that. My grades cannot slip. So I make use of all my time management skills and I always have my planner with me.

I teach all those skills to my CUSTOMS students as well. I'm a Student Orientation Assistant (SOA). I work with incoming freshmen all summer long to help them get acquainted with campus and with one another and to make the decisions they need to have made before coming back to campus in the fall. It's the best job in the world! I love this school with a passion and that comes across during CUSTOMS. I think this is the best school for everyone—and it shows in all that I do and say.

Being an SOA is but one of the many organizations I am involved in. I am a Student Ambassador, MTSU's most prestigious organization. We are the official hosts and hostesses of Middle Tennessee State University. We work closely with President Sidney A. McPhee and alumni all over the country. I am part of the Student Government Association (SGA) as well as a senator from the College of Business. The SGA serves as the official liaison between the student body and the administration. Our job is to listen to the concerns of students and help make the college experience the best it can be.

Savoir Faire is the one organization in which I have the most fun. We're a modeling troupe on campus and have the privilege of putting on numerous fashion shows for the school and community. We practice for long hours in order to be ready for the shows but it's not always work—I make sure to have fun with others in the group. I've developed many long lasting relationships with the people I model with and those bonds have helped me to become a better person.

Aside from the clubs I am involved in, I work for Housing and Residential Life. I'm a resident assistant (RA) in Lyon Hall, the Honors dorm. It was recently renovated and now includes a skylight on the third floor. When the sky is clear, you can sit down and see the stars. Lyon Hall is a great place to live, work, study, and play.

But Lyon is just one of the many great things about Middle Tennessee. We have some really outstanding resources on campus. We have a terrific library, 24/7 computer labs, a great Career and Employment Center, and some of the best faculty in the country. The professors I've had have been genuinely interested in student success. They make themselves available to answer questions, give advice, and provide direction. Our faculty truly cares about our students.

One of the things I like best about MTSU is its diversity. MTSU campus is so much more diverse than any other school I considered. There are students from China, Japan, Scotland, France—from Knoxville, Memphis—from Maryland, Montana. And we all have something to offer. We're all together as one. That is why I love the phrase "I'm one!"; so much. We might all be different, but here we are one. We are a nearly 24,000-member family.

I'm proud to be one at Middle Tennessee State University. I hope you'll join us. Come be one of Tennessee's Best at MTSU. You'll be glad you did! And I'll see YOU at CUSTOMS in the summer.