From Freshman to Leader: How to Make the Most of Your HBCU Experience?
By Anaya Balkcom
Every day I attend my HBCU I learn more about what cultivates a successful HBCU experience.
The HBCU experience is culminated by a multitude of experiences that provide a sense of community,
and brilliance. Over time, I’ve realized the factor that plays the largest role in this culmination of
experiences is student leadership.
Student leadership is a phrase that describes a student taking on a role in leadership. Since
organizations play a large role on my HBCU’s campus, this means that student leadership plays an even
greater role. When looking for organizations to join it’s best to look for those that align with your major.
This will allow you to learn more about the major, gain experience in the field, and connect with your
classmates. My student-leadership experience began during my sophomore year of college. I interned
under two vice-president leadership positions within two prominent communication organizations on
campus. I chose these organizations because they aligned with my major and I had a passion for the work
I was doing within it. These internships allowed me to view the organization experience from a leadership
perspective. Going from a member to a leadership role is a drastic difference.
While it is a drastic difference, it is not impossible. Being in this position just means that you now
have to look at situations from all aspects. As a member, we often tend to view matters from our own
perspective, rarely seeking out a difference in opinion. Whereas being a leader, you have to look at things
from a management perspective and a member perspective in order to ensure everyone is enjoying
themselves and being treated equally.
The road to leadership was not always an easy road. I’ve realized that in order to be an effective
leader you need to be willing to learn something new every day. If you would’ve asked me, freshman year
if I saw myself fulfilling a leadership role for an organization in the future, I might have said no. At the
time, I couldn’t even imagine how I would juggle leading an organization, my school work, and hanging
out with friends. Luckily Rome was not built in a day!
Over time I’ve learned ways to optimize the most of my time, allowing me to pour into the
different parts of my life without running empty. I have also learned that you need to handle life one day
at a time. You don’t need to learn the ins and outs of your position in a day. Let it come gradually, make
some mistakes, this will allow you to learn the value of the decisions you make. Remember this is your
first time, and give yourself some grace. If you’re a member of an organization, please make sure to grant
your leaders some grace as well. They work extremely hard to bring you the best experience while still
trying to foster their own memories.
Also, please remember student leadership does not end at leadership roles within organizations.
Student leadership is also lending a helping hand to a classmate, or sparking a discussion in class. Student
leadership to me means sparking change within your community and leading your classmates on the path
to success. Student leadership starts with a student willing to spark change and ends with other students
being inspired to carry on and cultivate the change.
