Zebria Hicks, who goes by Bria, is a first-year student in the life sciences program who is also interested in zoology. She was born and raised in Greensboro, but her family has been in Charlotte for the past couple of years. Austin Butler interviewed Bria for the Digest.
What is your involvement on campus?
I am a work-study student in the African American Cultural Center (AACC) Library. I am also a Center for Student Leadership, Ethics and Public Service (CSLEPS) Ambassador. We staff tables at events and help with the Leadership Development Student (LDS) workshops and the Leaders for Change programs.
What are your perceptions of NC State as a first-year student?
NC State is definitely very educationally-driven. No matter where you’re going, you’re bound to walk past a couple of people studying. I also think it is cool that NC State has such a drive towards inclusivity. It is definitely inspiring to see all the different things NC State is doing to work towards it.
How has your adjustment to campus life been?
Easier than I expected, actually. I got the chance to attend the Symposium for Multicultural Scholars before school started, so I made a lot of friends that way, and it was really nice to come in and already have Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) as a resource. This made the transition a lot easier. The different clubs that I joined definitely made it more enjoyable to be on campus. I’m in Zoology Club, and as I mentioned before, I’m doing a lot of things with CSLEPS. My first semester, I was in a USC class, which isn’t really a club, but we all became really close in the class, so it sort of felt like a club and we would hang out outside of class.
What are your goals for your college experience?
Definitely to make it an experience – I want to try as many things as possible and to get out of my comfort zone. I also want to make an impact on campus, so that I can help other people coming after me to have the same experience that I did coming on to campus.
What is your passion?
I’m definitely passionate about what I’m studying – going into that field, you’re not going to get close to 900 lb. animals if you’re not passionate about it. But I’m also passionate about touching other people’s lives. I really like being a rock for other people and that is something that I’ve been able to do since being here.
What are your hobbies and interests?
I really enjoy reading and writing. Working in the library, I get to help pick which books we bring in or suggest them to other people. I also really like outdoor activities like hiking. I also love running.
Austin Butler is a communications intern in the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity.