How to Leave Your Mark at UNC-Pembroke
Most colleges and universities have unique nicknames that are associated with their sports teams. Here at UNCP, the nickname “Braves” not only describes the athletics, but also the entire campus.
On campus, being a Brave isn’t just a catchy team nickname, but it’s also a tradition. At UNCP, being Brave means getting outside your comfort zone, trying new things, becoming an effective leader and ultimately leaving an impact on campus that generations to come will remember and benefit from.
Is four years at UNCP enough time to create a legacy? For some students, leaving a legacy comes naturally.
Some students have hit a game-winning home run or kicked the game winning field-goal in overtime. For others, it’s not so easy.
Facebook Memories, Scrapbooks, Resumes and LinkedIn
The first method to leaving an impact on UNCP is to look back at old Facebook memories, scrapbooks, resumes and LinkedIn accounts. What is the one thing that you wish was there, but isn’t?
For some students, it can be impossible to find extra time to be involved on campus. All students will find a few services they wish the university offered them.
The goal is to find out what that service is and be the voice of change. Or find something you are passionate about and turn it into a senior project. For example, students could help people out that were devastated by Hurricane Matthew last year.
An alternative is to join a club or organization on campus. Organizations such as the Public Relations Student Society of America and the Student Government Association provide activities of interest to students planning on entering the specific profession.
Connecting with others in your major is a good way to build a support network and learn from experienced students who have taken the courses and endured the scheduling issues you could be facing right now.
In addition, you can learn from experts in the field, attend conferences and apply for organization scholarships.
Be a Mentor
The second method to leaving an impact on UNCP is to be a mentor to a fellow student. There will always be a student that needs guidance. No matter a your classification, sophomore, junior or senior, you have been in the same position as that younger student at some point in your college career.
Going through college will be the most emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically draining experience for most students.
There is no better way to show what you’ve learned through experiences in college, than being a mentor to a fellow student.
There are various mentoring programs around campus. The Transfer Transition Peer Mentor Program has peer mentors available for any transfer students.
The peer mentors are versed in helping transfer students adapt to life at UNCP. They are knowledgeable about campus life and student resources.
The Mentoring Outreach Resiliency Excellence Program is a student lead organization devoted to mentoring students on campus and leading in outreach efforts to potential students and surrounding communities.
The university also offers various mentoring programs such as Lead Fellows and Minute Mentoring.
Create Lasting Relationships
The third method to leaving an impact on UNCP is to build relationships. Even though college is the most life changing experience for most students, it will also be the best four years of your life.
Throughout your college journey, you will meet tons of new people and develop relationships that will last a lifetime.
Since the campus population is so small, this is easy to do. Here at UNCP, the total student body is 6,269 while the student to faculty ratio is 15:1.
When the time comes for students to cross the stage at the end of four years, some simply feel anxious because they believe no one will remain in contact with them after college.
One way to ease that anxiety is by building a lasting relationship with a professor, roommate, teammate or classmate.
Take the time out of your day to tell the professor how much you enjoy their lecture. Stop by their office on a regular basis to talk. If you do this it’s almost a guarantee that the professor will never forget you.
Make sure that you take the time to show interest in your classmate, teammate and roommate as well. Check in on them on a regular basis.
Remember, the smallest actions have the biggest impacts. You never know what someone may be going through. You never know what type of impact you could have on their lives as well.
These three simple tasks are what being a Brave is all about. If you work hard to achieve these steps, then you will have a much bigger impact on UNCP than you would ever imagine.
