Born in Florida and raised in Massachusetts, I am a 24 year old idealist driven to change the world. 

 

I am, like most people, many things, but I think that the second part of the above sentence sums it up in a nice and neat little package. 

 

But it goes beyond that neat little package. There is a reason behind my idealism, my drive to change the world. It comes from my own past and my own  struggles.

 

On the surface, I look like any average person. Obsessed with my dog, who I refer to as my son (yes, that is he and I on the right!), I love Disney World and Disney movies, and my 90s/early 2000s nostalgia clearly shows what generation I'm a part of. I am a wrestling fan (shoutout to the #SAKliq, the Student Affairs wrestling group!) and I read books like I eat cake: voraciously and in large quantities. I am your typical #SAGrad that seriously enjoys personality testing like StrengthsQuest (Individulization, Input, Restorative, Connectedness, Developer), MBTI (INFJ, and I follow the functions theory, not the dichotomy) and others.

 

But underneath is a human being who is not afraid to talk about her struggles. I am very open about my experience with mental illness and my eating disorder. I know that people everywhere, no matter where in the country or the world you might find yourself, can relate to that. And when you erase the stigma of mental illness, you can create a deeper bond and understanding.

 

And that is my philosophy on Student Affairs. For me to be an effective professional, I feel there is no better way to do my job than to create a bond with the students I work with, regardless of our differences - there is something we can connect on. And using that connection, forging that bond, and finding ways to grow it... that is how I intend to change the world.

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Formerly known as Kayla Lemay!