SMU is proud to be home to world changers, and it all starts with the moment a student decides to become a leader. We are proud here at Her Campus to present SMU’s Leading Ladies, taking charge and making a difference in the community.
This week, we had the pleasure of talking to Jaden Amilibia, one of this past summer’s 15 AARO leaders. In addition to the huge responsibility of guiding our newest mustangs, she is also a University Honors Scholar, a member of Student Foundation, and a member of the Delta Gamma sisterhood.
The role of an AARO leader is widely sought after, and Amilibia knew almost immediately she was going to work her hardest to earn the job.
“It started first semester when I actually ended up meeting my future Big. We were sitting and talking about what I did in high school and the leadership programs I had been a part of there. I was expressing how I wanted to be a part of that again to a larger standard here at SMU. She got very excited because, little did I know, Allie Rutherford, who was an AARO leader from the 2015-2016 year, was there too,” Amilibia recalled. “So she brought Allie over to have a talk with me about what the job meant and what all it entailed. I got really excited because I thought it would be a great way to get to know not only the freshmen but also the resources on campus.”
Over the course of the summer, Jaden helped welcome hundreds of students from around the globe, sharing SMU traditions and making memories she will remember for the rest of her life. One particular moment stands out in her mind from her first AARO session as the sole leader of a group.
“During our last small group, one of the students pulled out a note that we had been letting parents sign and send to their kids during the first couple weeks of class, telling them how proud they were of their student,” Amilibia said. “So I tell him I can deliver that for the parents and he says “No, this is for you.” I opened it, and everyone in that AARO session had written a thank you message. I looked at them and the tears just overflowed, I really didn’t anticipate it. Doing something that small really made my AARO experience and made me think ‘This is why I did this.'”
This memory rests among dozens of others from her summer of helping other and growing herself.
Down the road, Amilibia has big plans. Currently a sophomore here on the Hilltop, she is following the pre-med track with a major in biology and a minor in mathematics. And after SMU?
“I’m going to be stuck in school again actually,” she laughed. “Right now, my aspirations are to go to medical school, pursue a doctorate, and be a radiologist And if that doesn’t work out, I’d love to get a doctorate in education for biology and become a college professor. Either way, I want to get to medical school and put in the work there.”
Two bright futures for one bright student. Regardless of the path she chooses, she knows what she wants to do with her future.
“Ten years down the line, ideally, I’d like to be in the same sort of situation as I was in AARO, doing something where people come up to me and thank me for my work and dedication, or just knowing that I helped someone as much as they needed to be helped. I want to be in a place where I know I worked it for my entire life and I succeeded.”
While Amilibia is still with us, however, she gave this advice to all the women who are looking to step into a leadership role here in the community and out in the world:
“You need to get out of your comfort zone, but you don’t need to change who you are in order to do so. There are aspects of yourself you may not like, and that resonates with every single person, but know how to step out and knowing how to relate with other people without changing your morals or humanistic beliefs is what I would stress the most.”
Photo Courtesy of Jaden Amilibia
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