Content warning: This article contains discussions of self-harm, substance use and suicide.
Members of the Texas State and San Marcos communities gathered on Oct. 22 at George’s in the LBJ Student Center to attend The University Star’s seventh annual Star Stories. The event featured eight first-person narratives from speakers who shared unique insights and unforgettable moments from their experiences.
Jessica Bunting — Psychology junior
After 13 years in an abusive marriage, Jessica Bunting found herself rebuilding her life from the ground up. She self-published a book, underwent cervical disc replacement surgery in 2021 and returned to higher education two decades after graduating high school.
“My road may have been a bit challenging thus far, but I appreciate every lesson I learned from the ride,” Bunting said. “It brought me to a place I thought I would never find — a place within myself full of the love and acceptance I desperately sought for so long.”
John Fannon — Recreational therapy graduate student
John Fannon’s path to healing began long after leaving the battlefield. Motivated by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004 and was deployed to Iraq, where he lost several friends in combat. Years later, he struggled with anger and suicidal thoughts until joining “Fight Oar Die,” a nonprofit promoting veterans’ mental health. In 2019, Fannon rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in 50 days to raise awareness.
“It’s not about veterans or extreme athletes,” Fannon said. “It’s about the fire that burns inside each of us to challenge ourselves, grow and challenge ourselves again.”
Morgan Gaither — Psychology senior
At four years old, Morgan Gaither began self-harming. By 13, she was using morphine, and by 20, she was addicted to fentanyl and meth. After multiple hospitalizations and four years in and out of treatment, she entered recovery and returned to school. Now studying psychology and as a member of the Honors College, Gaither wants to help others who are struggling.
“I learned that I was worthy of love — and I have to love myself,” Gaither said. “I can’t become someone I love by hating myself.”
Chuck Harris — Evans Auditorium operations manager
After 25 years as a public school teacher, Chuck Harris noticed how often young women apologized for simply existing. Now working with dancers and artists at Texas State, he challenges that mindset. He began encouraging students to replace “I’m sorry” with “excuse me” and reminding them they belong in every room they enter.
“Every time a young woman says, ‘I’m sorry for being in the way,’ she steps a little further out of her own story,” Harris said. “The question isn’t how do we get young women to stop apologizing, it’s how do we stop teaching them they’re in the way to begin with?”
Usama Khan — MSEC doctoral student
Growing up in Pakistan without his parents, Usama Khan was raised by his grandparents and later his aunts and uncle, who filled his childhood with love but left him yearning for a sense of belonging. After heartbreak and complex family issues, he fell into depression and smoked to cope. Despite financial hardship and emotional setbacks, Khan pushed forward, reunited with his mother, earning top marks in his master’s degree and eventually being accepted into a doctorate program at Texas State.
“Don’t worry about things outside your control,” Khan said. “The world seems to be tearing itself apart, but we can all put a little bit of it back together if we focus on kindness within our own circles.”
Gerardo Treviño Ramos — Industrial engineering graduate student
Gerardo Treviño Ramos’ life instantly changed when a car accident in Mexico left him severely injured and unable to walk, shower or care for himself for nearly two months. He spent 55 days in the hospital recovering from multiple fractures, including a broken ankle, nose and ribs, facing the physical and emotional toll of such a traumatic experience. Through it all, he leaned on his family and friends for support. By the following year, Ramos regained his mobility and clarity about his purpose, with the experience giving him perspective and making him stronger.
“It was something that breaks you down and humbles you, then you must learn from it and rebuild,” Ramos said. “It took almost losing everything to realize how precious life really is.”
Quinn Valentine — Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
For a single mother of three, entrepreneurship was the reason Quinn Valentine could provide a better life for herself and her children. She earned a degree in small business management and entrepreneurship, but never knew what to do with it, as she felt the professors had neglected to give students any practical lessons they could use in the real world. After years of teaching and directing athletics, she turned her Arizona farmhouse into a business and later founded “4Quinns Farm.” Additionally, she launched a commercial solar farm to help local small businesses thrive. Valentine now teaches at Texas State, where she helps students build and run real businesses, giving them the tools she wishes she had received.
“I tell my students and my children: just try,” Valentine said. “Don’t wait until it’s perfect – just get out there and do it. I didn’t teach them to be kids. I didn’t go, ‘Ooh, ah, that’s a cute little idea.’ I said, ‘No, here’s some supplies that help.’”
Renee Wendel — Clinical educator and former Texas State softball player
Once a collegiate shortstop, Renee Wendel always dreamed of being both a mother and a teacher. When her son was diagnosed with autism, she learned a new kind of communication through patience and observation. Now a clinical educator and speech-language pathologist, Wendel said the experience reshaped her approach to teaching and parenting.
“Strength isn’t the first pitch or the last out — it lives in the steps we take after stumbling and the bridges we build in our communities,” Wendel said.
