I had seen posters and banners around campus of people who had graduated with Scholar-Citizen Initiative distinction but I had no Idea what the program was until the fall of my senior semester. When I first learned about SCI, I thought it was an amazing opportunity that Radford offered its students, but I was very disappointed to hear that the program is not one of the first things incoming freshmen are told about when they come to Radford. If I had known about SCI my freshman year, I would have joined so much sooner.
My scholar-citizen journey is a bit different because I enrolled in the program so late. But it shows what an amazing impact my professors have had on my academic life. Because of my professors, I was able to be a scholar-citizen before I even knew what a scholar citizen was. This is why I tell so many students that it is so important to get to know their professors outside of class. I would be nowhere without them. I was advised to take SCI courses and a careers course which gave me all of the tools I needed to complete this e-portfolio.
I also had no idea that my appointment as SGA executive secretary would help me complete the SCI requirements. SGA is a SCI affiliated club and because of this, I was able to finish an excess amount of community service hours. SGA has opened so many doors for me and I am so excited that I joined when I did.
I never thought I would have ever made it this far. I came into Radford wanting to start over, I wanted to reach a potential I was never able to in high school. After my father died I gave up on everything and allowed myself to believe greatness was impossible. My experiences at Radford have shown me that the word impossible itself, is made up of the words I'm possible. Radford University is the place where I found God for myself and I believe that one step has changed the course of my entire life. I was able to find a family and a purpose and I was able to take joy in asking for help and helping others.
Coming from the background I did has also shaped my life in ways I didn't even realize and given me a strength I never knew I had. It is challenging being from a family with different cultures but it has helped me recognize my own biases and fight to understand the viewpoints of others. This is something I was unable to see until I began working on this e-portfolio. My traumatic background has given me such a desire to share my story and bring awareness to issues on an international level.
The knowledge I have gained from working on this e-portfolio will be with me forever. It has taught me to make connections and also to celebrate my triumphs. I believe this program is something everyone should know about and experience.