When it comes to life, Eddie R. Cole said work plays a major part. This 21-year-old communications student will be the first to tell you he is a work-driven person.

While others chose to party freshman year, Cole spent his first year at Tennessee State University in Nashville working for The Meter, TSU's student newspaper.

Cole said he consistency played a big role in his rise to the top position of the paper. The speech communications student went from a sportswriter his freshman year, sports editor his sophomore year, and editor-in-chief his junior and senior years.

"Anybody (who knows me) would say I'm about getting the job done," Cole said, referring to himself as task-oriented. "I never half-did anything."

While his ambition and dedication have brought him far, Cole knows his work habits could potentially be dangerous. He doesn't claim to be a workaholic, but he knows he works more than he should.

But it's not all work and no play for Cole. To escape the chaos of a busy schedule, Cole listens to jazz. Miles Davis is his favorite.

Make no mistake about it - Cole knows his limitations: "You know how people strive for perfection?" he asked rhetorically. "Nothing's really perfect."

BRANDON D. OLIVER