I leave Sunday for the 2009 College Media Conference in Baltimore. This will be the third year for me to attend this highly informational meeting. Each year, I learn something about how to best promote my institution. Generally, members from the national press will speak and try to give insight on what the media are looking for. They all say the same thing--breaking, hard-hitting news or something unique. It is my fortune that I work for one of the most unique colleges in the nation. Students don't pay tuition, instead they work at on-campus jobs, giving them the opportunity to graduate debt free. The work program is unique, no doubt, but the College has some of the most precious students in higher education. Many are the first to attend college in their family. Some have fought adversity in many ways to get to where they are today. One such student is Sarah Metallo. This young woman who, as a toddler, was devastated by a rare, airborne bacterial infection. With both legs amputated below her knees, her left hand with only a thumb and one finger, and her right missing a pinky and most of the three other fingers, attending college, let alone working her way through college was a heck of a mountain to tackle. But Sarah's successfully doing just that. She's will begin her senior year at Hard Work U, working a campus job 15 hours a week just like everyone else. Sarah wants to be treated just like the other students and hasn't asked for an easy job. A matter of fact, she spent two semesters in the stained glass and candle department, using her malformed hands to create perfect artistic pieces. Ambitious to the max, she wants to go into radio. I have no doubt she will be a success. Sarah is a testament to perseverance and hard work.