LCC Graduate Alyiah Shackleford Receives Prestigious Governor Scott Leadership Award
Lenoir Community College graduate Alyiah Shackleford has been recognized as the College’s Governor Robert Scott Leadership Award recipient, one of the Great 58 in the North Carolina Community College System.
The North Carolina Association of Community College Presidents created the Governor Robert Scott Leadership Award to highlight outstanding curriculum student leadership and service. Gov. Scott served as North Carolina’s chief executive from 1968-1972 and then was president of the North Carolina Community College System for 12 years from 1983-1995.
While at LCC, Shackleford demonstrated outstanding leadership abilities by serving as the Student Government Association president. In that role, she also served as an ex officio member of the College’s Board of Trustees. She has also served as the SGA Parliamentarian. Shackleford was a recipient of the LCC Guarantee Scholarship, which invests in high-achieving students and the Gurley Scholarship, serving as a College Ambassador, representing LCC at events. She has also been recognized academically on the Dean’s List and is a member of the College’s Omicron Rho Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. A talented vocalist, she has been involved with musical performances during her time at LCC. She was a work-study student in the Financial Aid Department and a 2022 Graduation Marshal.
She graduated in May with an associate in arts degree and is transferring to East Carolina University in the fall to study Neuroscience and minor in Psychology. She plans to become a neuroscientist or a psychiatrist.
In reflecting on her leadership experience, she said “It has been an experience that has taught me to be the best version of myself, but that is not all true. The experience has challenged me to overcome boundaries I set to keep me safe. It has reshaped my entire consciousness and opened my perspective to more than one.”
“The experience has made me question myself more times than I can count because there was always a time when I would second guess my leadership skills and not believe I could achieve the impossible,” she said. “Leadership experience is meant to challenge those willing to take on tasks others see as impossible to complete. The experience is intended to reform perspectives, characters, and ideas. If a person can accept those tough qualities, they are on their way to being outstanding leaders because anyone can do it.”
Shackleford said that she considered her most outstanding contribution as a leader was “being there for my peers whenever they needed someone to talk to and understand their situations when no one else would listen. Many individuals find it hard to share and talk about their problems with people who are their family or people they go to share their concerns with, and this mostly happens when we come into our teenage years.”
“So being able to be there when they needed me the most was like a reward for being their leader. It felt good to know that they could come to me whenever they thought they were at a crossroads with their feelings, deciding, or just wanting to vent,” she said. “Helping them is why I chose to study in the field of psychology. I want to help individuals become comfortable sharing their stories and not feel that they must keep everything in because of the feeling of judgment.”
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