December 2009 Student of the Month

If you live up North, whether it be in New York, Washington, or even Michigan, you know what time of year it is just by gazing out your frost bitten window each morning. If you live in the southern tips of this great country then you’d have to rely on your calendar to know the holiday season upon us, and so is a time when we are made more aware of just how important it is to give instead of receive. Well for the December issue, I’d like to introduce someone who embodies what the holiday season is all about. It wasn’t too long ago when Pilgrims sat down with Native Americans to share a bounty of this great country and also countries far beyond what Native Americans could even imagine. This months person of interest is someone who looks far beyond what they have to see what others need, even if it means traveling abroad.

As the old saying goes, “Everything is Bigger in Texas“, but that’s not entirely true. There is a small town so far northeast in Texas, that it’s almost in Arkansas. Carter Hogan was born in the small town of Atlanta, Texas but has always known there was something greater that would lead him away from his small town Baptist roots to a place that boasts “Keep Austin Weird”. Carter grew up in a house that loved the Lord and the Longhorns. His father Tim and Grandfather Jim are both alums of the University of Texas. “I grew up watching all the UT games. I always dreamed of being a Longhorn.” Carter explained. In May 2012 Carter plans on becoming a third generation Longhorn with a Bachelors Degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design and a double Minor in Business Foundations and Social Entrepreneurship & Non-Profit.

Just looking at it you might think he wants to open his own Graphic Design company, and you would be close but not all the way there. Earlier this year Carter was afforded the opportunity to travel abroad with Austin Stone Church. He lived and worked in the slums of the Dominican Republic, however this wasn’t his first mission trip. He traveled to Hawaii, Maine, and Ohio with the 1^st Baptist Church of Atlanta (Texas) during his youth. “I‘ve always enjoyed helping others.” he explained to me after just finishing one of his many academic deadlines. As my curiosity furthered our conversation along, Carter gave details to his trip abroad, “I saw people that didn‘t have as much as me and I felt the call.” Carter went on to give insight as to the fabric of who he is beyond the trademark burnt orange and white he wears to UT football games, “I think it’s awesome to make a living, but more important to help others.” So Carter did just that by spending two weeks of his Christmas break with fellow college students surrounded by poverty stricken children with hardly a thread to wear. Some children were shoeless, while others weren’t as fortunate, left to be clothed in nothing more than the skin God gave them. Most of their days were spent building a school in a village where most didn’t have their own home. After his work was done, he would play with those very same children who had far less than he ever did growing up with his parents Tim and Beth Hogan in Atlanta, Texas.                                        

Upon leaving the Dominican Republic he along with a couple college friends decided to start a college grass-roots company with the sole purpose of helping others. He got the idea in part from one of his heroes, Blake Mycoskie, creator of Toms Shoes. The aim of his t-shirt company is to raise awareness of the many social issues that plague the human race as whole. “Support Something” is not only a slogan, it is the name of his company, encouraging his fellow students on campus to be aware of Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Human Trafficking, and Poverty, among other things.

Carter Hogan has already worked with one of the most recognizable companies in the world, the Dallas Cowboys. This past summer he worked as part of their marketing department during Cowboys training camp in San Antonio, Texas. Carter worked to execute the many wishes of such companies as Ford Motor Company and Miller Bottling along with others. His day started at dawn and ended at dusk, much like his multiple trips across the globe. Carter knows that hard work and perseverance is part of the formula for success and experience is the foundation. As the University of Texas fight song says, “The Eyes of Texas are Upon You”, and if you’re a company looking for an intern who understands the big picture, your eyes should be upon Carter Hogan. –CC

Story by: Clarence Carter

c.carter@internmagazine.net