I started my Penn State education at the York campus, one of the university’s 19 commonwealth campuses, after graduating Columbia International College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It was my first time back in America since I left New York in 1997 and I knew as many people at the Penn State campus as I knew in America as a whole: none. For the first couple of weeks as a freshman, I limited myself to the comfort of my bedroom, where I did homework and spent countless hours on Skype, talking to family and friends – people I felt comfortable with, whom I could be myself around and did not have to worry about awkward moments. Although people who know me would describe me as: loud, crazy and possibly and extrovert, I am also very “observant” (I refuse to use the term shy) around crowds I am unfamiliar with. For this reason, I usually have a hard time adjusting to change. One thing that saved me during my transition from high school to PSU York and from PSU York to my transition this semester at PSU University Park is campus involvement!

At York, I began to meet new people and learn more about the Penn State culture as soon as I joined the Student Government Association (SGA). By joining THON, the modeling club, the dance crew, the Black Student Union and several other organizations on campus, I was able to quickly find myself and bond with others like me. This led me to join other clubs on campus my sophomore year, such as Lion Ambassadors, which acquainted me with a lot of staff around campus. It was almost like being “popular” in high school, but without the drama. I learned that I do not have to be a people-pleaser to be a people person and with that mindset, I grew more as a person than I ever thought possible in two years.

I was finally finding myself at York, doing what I love, getting to know everybody on campus, and participating in almost every organization on campus through the SGA. Then came University Park….with thousands of students, over 800 organizations, hundreds of faculty and staff, and just one me. It was like freshman year all over again, except this time I knew what to do: Get Involved. It is so easy to lose yourself in a school so big and a city so crowded, where everyone seems too busy to even breathe and professors are always on the go. It is so easy to think “no one will notice,” or “no one will care,” or “I am just one in a million,” but it is importance to remember that every drop makes the ocean.

I had convinced myself I would never make as big an impact as I did at PSU York, and even if I did, nobody will notice, but then I decided to try anyway. I wanted to take on this challenge to see how much I could do in a limited amount of time and to turn this distant super-campus into the warm 1800-student campus I was used to.

Today I am happy and have made progress. I have not achieved my goal yet, but I look back at where I was 4 months ago and I’m proud of how far I have come. All the self-improvement and the relationships I have built on campus have come as a direct or indirect result of my involvement. If there was one thing I could tell any freshman today, it would be: GET INVOLVED. If there was one thing I could tell any transition student today, it would be: GET INVOLVED. It is the best thing I have done for myself at Penn State, and I am sure there are many who can say the same.

Personally, I am involved with the organizations listed below, but I will definitely encourage people to get involved with any of the other hundreds on campus, including Greek life and Honors Societies!

• Council of Commonwealth Student Governments (CCSG): Where to start with this? You will see me talking about this in almost every blog I post, so no worries if you do not get the gist of it now. As I said in my previous post, it is made up of central staff (here at University Park) and the SGAs of all the 19 Commonwealth campuses.
• Students Engaging Students (SES): The name is pretty much self-explanatory, but I will go on to say that there will be recruitment for the spring semester! If any one likes to get peers involved, bond with great, motivated student leaders, and help out with community service projects, JOIN US! 
• Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council (LAUC): From the mentoring program to playing THON dodgeball together, this is one of my favorite orgs, because we know how and when to mix business with pleasure. We strive at having discussions after each meeting, to get our minds thinking critically about various issues. We have guest speakers come to our meetings, such as Dean Long, and we also sponsor events that benefit every student in the College of the Liberal Arts, such as the internship panel I spoke about in my previous blog.
• The National Political Science Honors Society (Pi Sigma Alpha): I recently got initiated, which I am very excited about, and we have a lot of great goals for the year. No spoiler alerts here because my lips are sealed!
• The Golden Key International Honors Society: I wish I could sit here any type that I am actively involved with this organization, but then I would be lying, so in order to avoid that, I will tell you that I have in fact attended a meeting and to say the least, you can expect great things of this group.
• Black Caucus: This organization aims to promote the positive and successful growth and development of black students at Penn State. For social purposes, it is a good idea to join a cultural group so that you are certain of one meeting a week where you know you can just sit back, relax and socialize with a good group!
• LeaderShape 2011: On-site coordinator. If you have never heard of LeaderShape, google it. If you don’t want to, here is a summary: Best five days of your life. In simpler words, it is a leadership training program, unlike any other. Applications go live next semester, so KEEP AN EYE OUT!

This went a little longer than expected, but that is only because getting involved is such a big deal to me, I think every word on this page is necessary to prove that point.

PEACE & LOVE ALWAYS. Stay Motivated. Stay Positive.