Radford University was my escape: I originally didn't want to attend a four-year institution. My father passed away during my senior year of high school and I felt I wasn't mentally prepared enough to do well. My family pushed me into applying for colleges and I was accepted into Radford University. When I stepped on the campus I was in love especially since Radford was an escape for me from what I had known for most of my life in Woodbridge, Northern Virginia.
I was a Scholar-Citizen before I even realized: Coming into Radford, I initially had no idea what Scholar-Citizen Initiative was. I didn't find out until the fall semester of my senior year. I gained more insight about the program when James Perkins invited me to a luncheon with other young leaders. The purpose of the meeting was to find out how Radford could improve on informing students of all the amazing resources offered. At the luncheon, I mentioned that I wished I would have known what Scholar-Citizen Initiative was and how to apply. We discussed making sure that every freshman will from now on hear about SCI as soon as they walk on the RU campus
At the time I thought it was too late for me to apply for SCI, I was under the impression you could only sign up for the program during your freshman year. Dr. Tanya Corbin encouraged me to look at the requirements and apply. She did not think it was too late and she also did not think it would be impossible for me to graduate with distinction. We realized that I had already taken two SCI courses and was going to be taking my third in the spring. I also had already prepared an e-portfolio due to taking Political Science Careers with Dr. Paige Tan. I signed up for Scholar-Citizen initiative one week before the fall semester ended. My professors have done an amazing job in preparing me for so many things, because of them I was already a scholar-citizen before I even realized.
If you don't fight for yourself, no one else will: I believe one of the hardest things about being in college, especially for me, was making connections. I come from an immigrant family and every connection and opportunity I have been fortunate to acquire is from trying to figure it out on my own and acquiring help from amazing mentors such as my professors. You have to learn how to go after the things you want and also learn that if you don't fight for yourself, no one else will.
A mediator is always needed: My mother has always taught me to be resilient and determined. I think this is an incredible strength I have learned from her. I am willing to work hard and explore every avenue of help I need to in order to succeed in achieving my goals. I am also usually considered the peacemaker or mediator for whatever group I am in which is something that is always needed. There always needs to be a person who fights to understand both sides and mediates a compromise amongst conflicting parties. I recognize that as a mediator, I have to be very clear about boundaries because It can be easy for people to dump all of their hardships and burdens on me and I have to be careful to be firm because it is easy for me to do this because I want to solve everything.
The struggle of an introvert: I know that I need to work on my public speaking skills and confidence in particular. I am very introverted and when I am in nerve racking situations where I need to speak in front of large crowds I can tend to freeze and stumble over my words. I also can make myself feel inferior and make myself want to quit because I don't feel like I am as good or as smart as my peers. This is something I am going to need to work on as I continue in my studies and as I transition into the workplace. This is another reason I am incredibly grateful for the wonderful professors of the Political Science Department. Several of them are introverted and feared public speaking, but they have overcome their fears and want to help others do the same.
Insight Gained From Studying at RU: Being a student at Radford has opened so many doors for me. My involvement in Student Government Association and working in the Political Science Department has given me access to incredible mentors and role models such as Dr. Irvin Clark, Dr. Paige Tan, Dr. Tanya Corbin and many other influential figures.
I have gained knowledge of what it would be like to be an ambassador due to courses that offered mock negotiations and policy briefings. I was able to have the opportunity to see all of the hard work that goes into being a foreign policy advisor for a presidential election and also the hard work an ambassador has to do to prepare to represent their countries' viewpoints in a negotiation.
Taking a course in Political Science careers and helping run political science days also exposed me to people who helped me prepare a great resume. Because of all of these wonderful experiences I have been able to have at Radford, I was able to acquire an internship with the Smithsonian institution two consecutive times.