Lyndsey (Blagrave) Patterson ’15

When did you attend HSU?
Fall 2012–May 2015

Why did you choose HSU?
I’d been looking at colleges since I was a junior in high school. It was very important to me to go to a school with high-achieving programs and a culture of tradition. Abilene wasn’t much of a thought in my mind, but my dad, who has great intuition, knew it would be a great place for me. He would walk into my room almost every day with a new piece of mail from HSU declaring “They want you!” I was finally convinced to visit the HSU campus and aside from it being beautiful, I was sold when every person I talked to was knowledgeable and eager to answer my questions and to help me get as many scholarships as possible.

Who were your most memorable teachers and mentors?
Dr. Armstrong’s PR classes were tough, but his feedback and encouragement led me to pursue a career where I could leverage my communication and writing skills. His office was fantastic—full of historic memorabilia. I never had Dr. Pogue as a professor, but she was a role model and a leader for me on campus. So many of HSU’s faculty and staff graduated from HSU themselves and their stories are absolute gold.

What is a favorite story or memory of HSU from your time there?
My friends and I brought Delta, HSU’s first women’s social club, back to campus. We spent three years getting to know Delta alumnae, their traditions, and their wild stories. I also loved spending every weekend in the fall on the football sidelines kicking and dancing with the HSU Spurs dance team. The purple sequins still make me itch when I think about it.

How do you stay involved and connected to HSU?
I am proud to lead a group of distinguished HSU alumni on the Board of Young Associates as President. My family moved to Abilene after both my sister and I graduated from HSU, so I am on campus every chance I get, especially for Homecoming. I also remain close friends with my Delta sisters and my fellow Spurs dancers.

How and why do you choose to give back to HSU?
I worked in the Advancement office as a student worker during my time at HSU. Even as a 20-year-old, I understood the impact that donations from $5 to $500,000 could make for so many students. Because donors invested in me and my education, I am committed to doing what I can to give back to the students who attend HSU now and into the future. I give online monthly to scholarship funds and to programs and projects that I was involved with or used when I was there.

What do you think other people should know about giving back to HSU?
Small gifts are just as important as big gifts. An increase in total donors will also raise HSU’s alumni giving percentage, which is important because that number factors into where schools rank. If there’s any single thing that benefited you while at Hardin-Simmons, contribute what you can to that thing and give students a chance to have the best experience possible at HSU.

What are you up to now?
After graduation, I went to work on the Cruz for President Campaign in Iowa. I bounced around several different states doing mostly communication and political operations. After the campaign, I taught myself to code and worked in the world of data science in Washington, D.C. While there, I connected with about a dozen HSU alumni who lived there. In 2018, I moved back to Texas to work for the biggest Republican firm in the country, Axiom Strategies. I now assist in consulting for campaigns in a number of different states, but I always love coming back to my West Texas roots.

Like Lyndsey, you can create opportunities for HSU students now and in the future. To learn more ways to make a difference, contact Ash Wright, Vice President for Advancement and Engagement, at (325) 670-1260 or plannedgiving@hsutx.edu to learn more.