With college back in session, students at N.C. A&T are taking time to reflect and look back on their summer and their goals for the Fall 2022 semester. Setting goals helps trigger new behaviors, helps guide your focus and for many students at N.C. A&T, it helps sustain momentum in life.
Sophomore agricultural business student Kaedun Brown-Weave spent his summer working as a camp counselor helping youth prepare for the upcoming school year while also taking time to enjoy himself.
Reflecting over his summer experience, he realized while helping the younger students he also could set a few goals to not only help his academic life but further his social life too.
“A goal I plan to accomplish this fall is to get involved with the modeling troupe,” Weaver said. “I also want to keep the same foundation intact that I had last year by meeting new friends and saving money.”
Sophomore agricultural and environmental science student Lauren Agnew rated her summer a seven out of ten. During the summer, Agnew had two jobs, one being a barista at Starbucks and the other being a cashier associate at TJ Maxx.
In the midst of her busy work schedule, Agnew stated that the highlight of her summer was spending time with her family in Indianapolis. She highlighted this moment because it gave her time to refresh from the overwhelming school year.
“In preparation for this school year, I wrote down my short-term and long-term goals,” Agnew said. “Two goals I hope to accomplish this semester are maintaining a 4.0 gpa and meeting as many new friends as possible.”
Sophomore chemistry student Lauren Haynes rated her summer an eight out of ten. During the summer Hayes completed an internship with one of her scholarship supporters and was able to get an insider’s look at what a corporate job looks like.
Knowing the challenging courses that she would soon be facing, Hayes also decided to get ahead for this academic school year by teaching herself the fundamentals of organic chemistry.
“I plan to achieve better study habits this school year and am on the path of finding more genuine friends on campus,” Hayes said.
Sophomore finance student Chandler James had an amazing summer rating, a perfect ten out of ten. This summer James experienced a full circle moment while giving back to his community by working at a basketball camp he attended when he was younger.
“Working at the basketball camp was a very rewarding experience by seeing the joy on the kids’ faces as they improved their skills,” James said.
But the camp was not his only experience. James also had the opportunity to study abroad this summer in Cyprus.
“My study abroad experience helped me become more self aware and changed my view on the world and the people around me,” James said.
Alongside James in Cyprus was a good friend of his, Caleb Boyce. Boyce, a sophomore computer science student, rated his summer a nine out of ten. Spending a summer in Cyprus can be a once in a lifetime experience. Boyce took the time to reflect on his view of the world.
“Traveling to Cyprus allowed me to see other cultures for the first time and changed my perspective on many things,” Boyce said. “I plan to take this new perspective and connect with more people on campus by joining more organizations.”
Sophomore business economics student Makai Ward also rated his summer a ten out of ten. This summer Ward accepted an internship in Plano, Texas working with Toyota in their insurance division department. He reflects on how this opportunity has set him up for a successful school year.
“With this new experience I believe that Toyota helped prepare me for this school year by providing me with exposure and the ability to apply new knowledge to get whatever job done,” Ward said. “I also took time this summer to improve my technical skills by constantly working on Microsoft Excel and I learned how to communicate more effectively.”
With midterms right around the corner, we encourage all Aggies to take some time to reflect upon their summer and establish any goals you may want to achieve throughout the rest of the school year.
