(Redlands Fencing Tournament 2019)
About me: Hello all, my name is Gus Talkington. I came to OU back in 2016 from Houston, Texas. This year, I'm a senior set to graduate in May. I'm a Letters major with a Chinese minor; I've loved both areas of study that I've pursued here at OU. Letters (combo of English, History, Classics, and Philosophy) has a lot of versatility in class requirements– it has let me take courses in ancient warfare, the origins of Christianity, and Shakespeare.
Learning Chinese has also been a wonderful experience. I'm half Chinese, and my mother has taught me a good bit of mandarin growing up, but taking Chinese courses at OU has really sharpened by language abilities. Summer my freshman year, I got the opportunity to study abroad in Xi'an, China. I took a one month intensive Chinese language program; I had to attend three hour classes every morning, and there wasn't a lick of English spoken the entire course. That was a pretty stressful time. While there, I got to see many of my relatives, who I hadn't interacted with for several years. It was very fulfilling to be able to communicate with my aunts and uncles without my mom there acting as translator.
Besides my coursework, I participate in several different activities here at OU. My aim is to become a lawyer in the future, so I joined the OU Mock Trial team my freshman year. Mock trial is a competition where two teams simulate a court trial. One team acts as prosecution, the other as defense. Students play both witnesses and attorneys– it's an excellent organization to learn public speaking and hone critical thinking.
I competed in sport fencing throughout high school, and I was eager to continue with the sport in college. Unfortunately, OU didn't have a fencing club, so I worked to start one my sophomore year. The club now competes at tournaments in Texas and Oklahoma. It's a ton of fun sword fighting!
An organization that has really defined my time in college is the Integrity Council. The Integrity Council is in charge of all academic misconduct here at the university. I'm the Vice-Chair of Investigations, which means I'm in charge of interviewing students and professors after an investigation is requested by a student. I'm really happy to have this role in the Council because it really gives me an opportunity to help my fellow students; I do my absolute best to do a thorough investigation, so they can have a fair and comprehensive hearing and potentially be acquitted.
Hi Gus! I'm also from Houston and am graduating in May! I think it's really cool that you do fencing - it's one of my favorite sports to watch during the olympics. It's even cooler that you started the fencing club at OU - we have to maintain our dominance in all areas of sport. I hope you can achieve your dream of being a lawyer, and it seems like you have set yourself up well to do so.
ReplyDeleteHi Gus! I'm a senior graduating in May 2020, so wishing you the best post-grad since I know that's something I'm worrying about now. It's super cool that you were able to study abroad in China. Major props to you for learning Chinese too, because I've had friends say it can be hard to learn how to write in Chinese too! You also sound really involved in extracurriculars, which all sound interesting too. Congrats on starting a fencing club too, you must be proud to see something you're passionate about grow at the university. Best of luck to you in this class and during your last semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Gus, you're the guy that started the fencing club? That's awesome! I work on-campus with Hannah and had no idea! Other than fencing, you seem to be getting very involved where you're interested. It took me a while to get involved around campus, but I'm sure glad I did. I knew loosely about the mock trial team from another friend looking to become a lawyer, but didn't know the depth it went into. Looks like I'll have some people to reach out to and learn more about it!
ReplyDeleteHello Gus, that is really cool that you got to study abroad at a place where you were learning another language. I went to Italy this summer with the journey program through OU and I don’t know any Italian so it was super hard some times. I can relate to the language barrier as well. My dad was brought up speaking Spanish, but my grandpa didn’t like that my dad and grandma could talk and him not be able to understand, so my dad wasn’t allowed to speak it. So, he forgot how to speak Spanish so he never taught my sister and I. Now at university I have taken Spanish but I still need a lot of work. It is cool that you have found a way to be a part of the university culture. I am a junior and have not found the right clubs for me.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a great combination, Gus! I originally came to OU in the Letters department (which is how I ended up teaching these Gen. Ed. Humanities classes), and it sounds like you have made the most of the freedom and ideals of that major. As you can guess, there are people very interested in ancient warfare and what we can learn about that from the epics of India, especially the Mahabharata. If you Google questions like that, you will see people in India at sites like Quora, etc., debating their takes on just what we can glean of historical value from the ancient epic poetry of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. And there are some really fascinating cultural connections between India and China: just who is that Monkey in Journey to the West, for example...? The echoes back and forth between Hanuman and Monkey are so tantalizing! We will probably never know just how the storytelling traditions criss-crossed, but it seems almost for sure they intersected.
ReplyDeleteAnd: FENCING! Wow! That is so cool! If there is some tournament on campus that people could come see, let me know. That would be a first! I can't remember that seeing a sword-fighter in class before: very exciting! And how appropriate for the epic world! :-)
Hi Gus! Wow you are a well rounded guy that's awesome. How do you find time to do so much? That's so cool that you can speak Mandarin, I enjoy watching Chinese movies so I wanted to learn Mandarin but it was really hard so I admire your dedication to learning the language. It is so cool that you got to travel to Xi'an, China my sister went to Beijing and she always talks about the beautiful architecture and people being very nice. China is definitively in my bucket list of places to travel to. Being the Vice-Chair of Investigation must be really fun, you get to do investigations and interviews and its really nice that you do it to help other students. I wish you the best in all your future adventures!
ReplyDeleteHi Gus!
ReplyDeleteI find it very impressive that you have been studying Mandarin. I took an Ancient Chinese History class, and the professor taught us a little bit about Mandarin and other languages in Mainland China. They sounded very interesting, but complicated to learn! I hope to study abroad during the summer, so I'm happy to know that you enjoyed your experience. I also think it's great that you're so involved in OU life. That's something that I want to get better at this semester. I look forward to reading some of your stories!
Hey Gus, a lot of cool stuff about you here. My friend is also a letters major and he has really enjoyed the program a lot. He also thinks the versatility is a huge positive. Studying abroad is interesting, I have also been interested in studying abroad. The problem is that there is no place that I felt strongly enough about to go to. I am very interested in your fencing experience, I have thought about trying fencing before as it looks like a lot of fun. Good luck with the class!
ReplyDeleteHi Gus,
ReplyDeleteFencing is so cool. I could never imagine having a pointy thing to jab at people. I would be so injured even with the equipment you wear. What are you planning to do after graduation? I can see something with public affairs. That would be cool! What was your favorite place to go to in China while studying abroad there?
Good luck with graduation!
Howdy again Gus, you are all over the place man that’s awesome. Your course-work sounds awesome; you have very eclectic studies it seems. I’ve wanted to go to China for the rock climbing for a while, although I believe the best of it is pretty far southwest of Xi’an as it’s closer to Yangshuo. I think it’s awesome you started the fencing club, that’s a sport I’ve been curious about forever.
ReplyDeleteHey Gus! Fencing looks super fun and I have always been intrigued by it. I am super jealous that you have gotten to study Mandarin and even visit China. I am half Japanese and have always wished that I had learned the language and gotten to visit Japan and hopefully I will one day. Best of luck the rest of this semester.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to meet you, Gus. Your college experience seems to have been extremely busy and I'm not sure how you deal with all that. You have an interesting choice of major and I'm not sure I've ever heard of Letters before as a major. It's really cool your minor is related to your own background and roots. I think it's important to know where your roots are from. Good luck with your classes this semester.
ReplyDeleteHi Gus!
ReplyDeleteFencing sounds like so much fun. I have never actually seen fencing, but I bet it gets intense. Do you wear the full suits or just the mask (sorry if all of this terminology is wrong)? Overall your journey at OU sounds so awesome. You have had such a big impact and that is such a cool thing to leave knowing. Hope you enjoy the rest of your semester.
Hi Gus! OMG! Thanks for including that picture! All five of those lovely women are friends from my hall freshman year and I miss them dearly. How great to see their faces! Hannah was actually right across the hall from me with Faith as her suitemate! This crazy group even dragged me to my first frat party! You've got a great group of buddies!
ReplyDeleteHi Gus,
ReplyDeleteReally cool to hear that you are learning a language that gave you an opportunity to study abroad. I can't imagine how mentally taxing it must have been to go through those three hour courses. I lose focus all the time, but I imagine you had to be super focused the entire time. Good luck with your journey and dream of becoming a lawyer.