myHIN Blog

May 07, 2014

Why I Became Involved

Time really does fly by. When time picked up its wings my freshmen year, I didn’t realize how quickly it would land into my senior year. As I evaluate my time at NC State, I realize that I’ve had a great undergraduate career. This wouldn’t have happened unless I made the decision early to get involved.

Entering into any unfamiliar territory can be quite challenging. Everything is new and you don’t know what to expect. This is exactly how I felt coming into NC State my freshmen year. To counter my feelings, I decided to turn my fear into opportunity. An opportunity to take a chance at life. A few pitfalls are to be expected but getting back up is all that matters. Freshmen year was my chance to learn about this new environment where I would be spending the next four years of my life. I recall attending the African American Symposium in the summer and hearing student leaders share about their collegiate experience. The symposium really helped me learn about various African American organizations on campus. It was here that I was assigned a mentor with the Peer Mentor Program. You can say that I had a “big brother” who helped make my transition from high school to college rather “smooth”. He gave the spill about campus activities and groups, which made me feel “cool” at the time. We began to foster a positive relationship that helped me jumpstart my college career. Soon after school started, I found myself visiting the African American Cultural Center on a regular basis. Here is where I found support and engagement.

Throughout my time at NC State, I’ve been involved in various campus organizations. During my sophomore year, I decided to become a Peer Mentor. I felt that it was only right to serve as a guide to an incoming freshman. I saw the impact that the Peer Mentor Program had on me and I wanted another freshman to have that same positive experience. My first year was pivotal in setting the foundation for my GPA. Because I excelled academically, I got accepted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Gamma Beta Phi Honors Society. I not only wanted to be members in these organizations but I wanted to be a leader. I became the newly appointed Social Chair for Gamma Beta Phi in the spring of my sophomore year. I wanted to get my feet wet so I didn’t run for a high position quite yet. Alongside these organizations, I got accepted to serve as a University Ambassador. This opportunity would allow me to give tours each week to prospective students and work in the Murphy Football Center off campus. Serving in this capacity allowed me to practice my public speaking on a consistent basis.

My leadership roles really picked up during my junior year. I got initiated into the Eta Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated in the fall of my junior year. In the spring, I became the Vice President of the African American Cultural Center Student Ambassadors Program. To add another organization to the list, I became the Executive Vice President of the Poole Council. All of these leadership roles taught me how to work with people. From different attitudes and personalities, I had to remain focused on accomplishing the task at hand. I wanted to gain exposure working with people within my race and outside of my race.

Junior year also afforded me the opportunity to work on the @myHealthImpact team. Because people recognized me as a leader on campus, I believe they listened to what I had to say. With the project, I used that leadership and incorporated that into social media. By using social media, I have been able to spread awareness to various health disparities that plague my generation. All of a sudden, it hit me. There is power behind your voice. You never know who is being impacted by your actions or even by the words you speak. The quote is true, “somebody is always watching”.

As I journey into divinity school after graduation, I believe that all of my leadership experiences will pay off. These leadership roles have taught me how to communicate with others and how to lead by example. It is unrealistic to expect those who are following you to do what you won’t do yourself. Also, you can’t be a leader if you have no followers. A leader doesn’t have to speak on all their accomplishments. Instead, their work speaks for itself. I was determined to get involved so that I could be a role model for someone to follow. For that individual who made not have had a male influence growing up. For someone who wanted to be a leader but they thought it wasn’t the “cool thing to do”. I’ve hit some bumps in the road but I’ve kept moving forward. I’ve almost completed my race and now I’m passing the baton to those whose race has just begun.