Dream school status. Distinctive by design.

My dream job is to be the U.S. ambassador to Jamaica, working for the State Department. I’ve been a political intern, and I have a fellowship with an organization doing political work. I think that politics is one way that I can impact the lives of others. My goal is to advocate for as many people as possible.

What leadership means to me is having the honor and responsibility of representing something bigger than yourself. Oftentimes, as a leader, you have the opportunity to sit at tables that most students don’t have seats at, and that means making sure and ensuring that you’re representing them but also putting your own personal views aside to really represent the consensus of the student body, the concerns of the student body.

I wanted to be a leader who would recognize pictures of my Airmen’s families 20 years down the line. I knew then that I wanted a career that encompassed my foundational values — and Miami’s virtues of Love and Honor. I knew I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself.

Miami has helped me grow as a leader by offering me a multitude of opportunities to mentor the undergrads. As an undergrad, I got to spend a lot of time with my faculty mentors and the graduate assistants that were helping me along the way. And now that I’ve stepped into those shoes, it’s amazing to watch the undergrads grasp the content that you're teaching them and just move forward in the lab. It’s amazing to see their eyes light up when they figure something out.

What has always been to my benefit is my judgment. And I think the way that gets honed is I do a lot of listening. You go and you seek out that counsel and advice. And that requires a certain level of humility to be able to admit that maybe others in a better position to advise or understand issues than you. It doesn’t make you necessarily [the] expert at all of the issues that come to you. It’s a very important and sacred trust. So, one way to exercise that is trust the people around you and listen to their viewpoints.

It’s important to have connections with your professors because they will give you that understanding of what your future could be. They can truly help you excel with that. At Miami, they’re very easy to meet. They always have office hours — you just pop in and say ‘hi.’ And it’s great to get to know them on a personal level, too.

Miami has been active in shaping my role and becoming a leader through my classroom experiences and organizations I’m a part of on campus. I have been able to develop my skills in teamwork, perseverance, and learning how to collaborate with others.