About Me: Honors Edition
Hello, everyone! My name is Rayna, and I'm majoring in communications with a journalism concentration! I'm from Mauriceville, Texas, and grew up in a lot of extracurricular events! On campus, you can oftentimes find me photographing events or just attending! When I'm by myself though, I love to listen to music or sing! I hope to strengthen my leadership skills in this community, and learn the skills to make each and every community I'm in more inclusive and welcoming to everybody! I'm so excited for this opportunity!
I am currently majoring in communications with a concentration in journalism. However, I am considering doing more research into public relations and nonprofit work. I aspire to learn more and go into social advocacy and to utilize my degree to aid in a nonprofit's necessary communication to raise the money and manpower to upkeep their missions. Alongside this, I am very passionate about youth mental health, especially in regards to faith, and hope to ultimately start my own nonprofit focused around this mission. For this, I would need to research into the statistics of youth mental health issues, along with information of how religion can help someone rather than hurt them.
However, I think one of the challenges I may face is how broad the communications field is, especially in contrast to how specific my goals are. I need to make sure to stay open-minded during my course of study.
To prepare for my future, I am part of the Texas Leadership Scholars program and an event officer for the Cardinals Activities Board. My experience in leadership, planning, and service through all of these programs will better prepare me for my future in advocacy.
Research
Leadership
My leadership goals for the next four years are to maintain my leadership positions in my organizations. I hope that this course and LU LEAD help me to strengthen my leadership skills and even develop new ones. Lastly, I hope to continue taking advantage of opportunities like these to ensure I can become the best leader I can be throughout my time here at Lamar.
I will measure my impact as a leader through not only the success of any team I lead, but by the development of my team as well. I will know I am successful if I can see some of those leadership traits start to appear in the people I lead. A leader does not only work to reach the goal, but to continuously better themselves and the ones they lead. Alongside that, I will know that I am successful in becoming the leader I want to become if I have developed relationships with the ones I lead and am able to foster a sense of trust between the parties.