We all have that person in our circle of friends who can easily be classified as “our biggest fan.” You know, the one who always cheers for you the loudest, shares pride in your accomplishments, and constantly reminds you, well, how awesome you are. What a way to put a smile on your face and lift your spirits. My go-to girl for a pick me up is one of my best friends, Olivia. She never fails to tell me what a great job I am doing with my every endeavor. When I called to tell her I landed an internship at ABC, I could tell (from 900 miles away) she practically jumped for joy. When I ask her to read my blog pieces, I’m greeted with … [Read more...]

The college years are often associated with scrimping, sacrificing and eating copious amounts of inexpensive noodle-based dishes. Although studying and doing the best job possible at school is the priority, a life without any fun would take away from the overall college experience. It is possible to enjoy a little fun by yourself, with a partner or a group of friends without killing your meager budget. Use these strategies to make an occasional enjoyable outing off-campus a reality. Pool Your Resources. Five dollars isn’t enough for a night out, but if you and ten other friends pool your resources you could easily enjoy a couple pitchers … [Read more...]

Greek bystander intervention to prevent alcohol abuse. What do you do when you know your fraternity brother or sorority sister may have a drinking problem or is engaged in some form of substance abuse? I think this is one of the toughest and covert issues that college Greek leaders address each year. You don’t want to alienate your troubled Greek member and you don’t want to create mistrust within your college Greek student organization. Here are some tips to assist your fellow Greek before their substance abuse problem gets out of control. Tip #1 - Don’t Judge Whatever you do you should never make judgments or statements … [Read more...]

If we lived in a perfect world, crimes would never be committed. But since people are imperfect I guess that will never happen. Don’t be fooled into thinking that because you live on a college campus that you or your belongings are 100% safe. The truth is many crimes have the potential to happen on a college campus as anywhere else in the world. If you take the following precautions you can have a much better chance of preventing crime from happening to you. Social media - don’t tell! We live in a different world today. In our transparent world, the more you share the less privacy you have. Be aware that there are predators everywhere … [Read more...]

Congratulations! You have made it to your second year. We’re all excited for you but before we throw you a parade, here are a few tips that will help you get one step closer to your ultimate goal: Graduation. Tip #1: The “game” is faster. Don’t expect the same level of support form the previous year. At most institutions, after one year, your campus fully expects you to have the hang of being a college student. I know this doesn’t seem fair but this is the reality of the situation. The best way to get yourself back on track is to be proactive and reconnect yourself to your campus resources. If you are not familiar with your … [Read more...]

What’s the hardest part of achieving any goal? Most people will tell that it’s getting started! I once heard the great Les Brown say that you don’t have to be great to start but you have to start in order to be great. Nothing could be closer to the truth. Earlier this year, I was the opening speaker for the College Ready program at South Piedmont Community College. The College Ready program is a 4-week college prep course for under-skilled/unemployed adults returning to college. This event was exciting for me because I got a chance to inspire an often overlooked student population—non-traditional students. It was a two way street … [Read more...]

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being the keynote speaker for the NC4SGA Conference in Durham, NC. It was incredible and everything that I had hoped for! After the speech, I had an opportunity to speak with both SGA leaders and advisors and one of the questions that I was repeatedly asked about was one of the subjects within my speech. The subject was the question, “Are you a sell out?” In the speech, I talked about being a sell out for your student organization. But in reality we all sell out to something. However, for many of us we are a sell out for the wrong things. Now don’t get me wrong, I know we all have our quirks … [Read more...]

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of being the keynote speaker at a student leadership retreat at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, OH. One of the themes that I was asked to discuss was getting connected and staying connected to mentors. Here’s some of what was discussed in my presentation. Your college degree will get you to the door but your mentor will get you inside the building. Your college degree alone will not guarantee you a successful career. In fact, the first step towards graduating from college and ultimately becoming successful in your career is getting connecting with a mentor. Understanding why you need a … [Read more...]