MC grad continues to lead at university levelSeptember 09, 2020

Like many individuals trying to find their way, Ryan Adams was unsure of his future after graduating from Midland Christian School in 2016. He discovered his path as a student at Midland College (MC). Adams was born and raised in Midland, and his family still lives here.

Currently, his older brother Chad is taking classes through the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center physician assistant program.

At first, Ryan did not plan to attend MC. Still, Midland College turned out to be just where he needed to be through a series of fortunate events.

“While my initial plans for college had fallen through, it turns out that MC singlehandedly became one of the most transformative experiences of my life,” Adams said. “At MC, the options for students are amazing. The class sizes are small, and the resources are endless.”

Ryan Adams graduated from Midland College in 2018 with both Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees. While at MC, he was a member of the Student Ambassadors, an honors student, a member of Sigma Kappa Delta English Honor Society and served as president of MC’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. 

“I worked with Ryan when he applied to the Honors program and as a Phi Theta Kappa member where he served as president,” MC government professor and Phi Theta Kappa advisor Terry Gilmour said. “We also worked together on a research project culminating in his presentation at the West Texas History Symposium. With more than 25 years of teaching students, Ryan rises to the top.”

Following graduation, he transferred to UT Austin to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with a minor in entrepreneurship. The humanities program at UT Austin offers students the opportunity to design their course of study as a major. Students blend courses and disciplines to create a flexible and self-mapped major.

He joined the highly decorated, multi-national Texas Speech Team and was recently elected co-captain. Adams attributes his successful transfer to UT Austin to the preparation he received at Midland College.

Challenged by this new educational environment, Ryan hopes to be a life-long learner.

“College has been fantastic,” he said. “Learning is autonomous at UT Austin, and students can decide for themselves what they want to take rather than try to fit into a set program.”

His instructors at Midland College are not surprised by Ryan’s commitment to learning.

Associate Professor of Speech Meredith Martin has known Ryan since he was six years old and always knew that he had the drive to succeed.

“Meredith Martin has always seen me for me,” said Adams. “She is an amazing teacher and was a big advocate for me to pursue my dreams. She opened me up to the possibilities at MC and now at the university.”

“Ryan has always been curious. At a very young age, he wanted to learn more and demonstrated an incredible capacity for kindness – all of those things are still true today,” Martin said. “He walked into my class with maturity, poise and a natural talent for performance. We were able to work together in the classroom and on an honors project – the result of which was graduate-level academic performance.”

After graduation from UT Austin, Ryan is leaning toward attending graduate school and pursuing a degree in either communication or performance studies. Law school is also a possibility.

Once he graduates from UT Austin, Adams has set a goal of getting into the entertainment industry and is looking at various institutions in New York and California.

“Ryan has a bright future ahead of him, and I cannot wait to see what comes next,” Meredith Martin added.

Ryan’s advice to a potential student is twofold: “There is so much opportunity at Midland College. If it isn’t exactly what you are looking for, it will turn out to be something better.  MC is the beginning. Apply yourself and recognize that if you are willing, MC will change your life.”