To All My Nubian Brothers and Sisters, What’s Up!?
It is so hard for me to believe that I am just two semesters away from graduating and beginning the next chapter of my life. Not even a week into the official start of the fall semester, and already I have begun to think about the legacy I will leave behind at N.C. State, something I wish I would have pondered more as an incoming freshman.
In the fall 2010 semester when I began school, my sole focus was to make good grades in all of my classes. Although that is something good to strive for, in hindsight I am able to recognize that I was not approaching the college experience from a holistic viewpoint. Undoubtedly good grades and a high grade point average will get me far in life, but what will it do to better my community?
If there is one thing that I have learned at N.C. State, it is the importance of bettering your community. I am a firm believer that one’s community is both a reflection and extension of oneself, and therefore to improve yourself you must also improve your community.
I encourage incoming freshman within the class of 2017 to begin this fall semester with the end in mind. When your senior year rolls around, what will be the legacy you leave behind? What will you be remembered for? How will you leave your mark on this campus? How will you have bettered your community? These are all things you should take into consideration as you begin this journey into your college career.
To the class of 2014, we have spent the past three years building our legacies; now with our final two semesters ahead of us, we need to think about ways to not only leave our legacies, but also ways to make it easier for those who will come after us to continue to build upon those legacies and our N.C. State community. If you have not done so yet during your collegiate career, become a mentor, take on a leadership role within an organization you are involved with, become more active on campus.
I am sure the next two semesters will zoom by, but that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t make the most of them.
Peace,
Kierra Leggett
P.S. – To see what advice other AASAC Presidents had to offer first year students and the class of 2017, visit the nubianmessage.com.
