Meet Jecca Leonard; a Criminology major with a minor in Forensic Biology. Jecca is the president of Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority Incorporated which is the first multicultural sorority in the nation. In other words, the “Sophisticated Ladies.” Her overall interest as a president of her sorority is to have unity amongst all women and demonstrate to students on campus how women can empower one another to bring out strengths and uplift each other. Take the time out to talk to Jecca and she can share with you how joining her sorority has changed her entire college experience in the best way possible. Not only has she gained confidence, but professionalism and it helps her do strong in her academics as well. Jecca suggests any college student or incoming freshman to get involved and take advantage of every opportunity that is presented because you never know what you will gain from it. Keep up with the lovely Jecca by following her on Instagram at @Jelly_.k. You can also find her on twitter at @Jeccakayla.
This is Tara! Tara is a transfer senior from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania studying Art History at IUP. She transferred to IUP after being medically released from college athletics. Tara struggles with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Scoliosis daily. At a very young age she was told at this point in her life she would be in a wheel chair and would never be able to play sports again. Surprisingly, Tara was able to play D2 and professional field hockey and still runs/walks to this day. Ever since she was young, Tara suffered from anxiety and depression. After being medically released from a sport that she had a lot of passion for and forced to transfer schools, it set her depression off badly. Just until recently when she decided to make some changes to her life. One day Tara woke up and realized that this is the only life that she has and had to begin loving herself. Now, she uses her social media accounts as a platform to reach out to other individuals to pass on positive messages to and share her personal story.Tara explains, “life is not easy and I’ve been through some devastating events, but knowing how to healthily handle your mental health and situations is so important!” For her happiness today, Tara makes sure that she stays active and pours herself into her art. She also stresses the importance of self-care; “I cannot stress how important taking care and loving yourself is. Start now and you will be amazed at how different your thought process is in such a short time.” (I 100% agree Tara!) No matter what happens or what anyone says, you should always be your first priority and remember that you matter. Tara wants everybody to know that your worst days are setting you up for your greatest ones and your current situation is not your final destination. Never let your past define who you are and most importantly be kind to others AND yourself. You are a trooper Tara! To check out more about Tara you can find her on Instagram and Twitter at @Taranevitt
Dhameer Weaver is a senior majoring in Business Management and Accounting. He is 21 years old and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dhameer shares that there is too much negativity that floats around the neighborhoods in Philadelphia, but he is an individual who always tries to stay positive through it all. In that case, Meer started his own t-shirt brand which is called, “Stay Positive.” Stay Positive’s mission is to spread positivity to people in all environments that need it. In addition to his t-shirt brand, he recently started getting into music which has always been a passion of his. You can keep up with him on social media at @meerdsw and stay tuned as he progresses with his music as the time goes on. Best of luck to you Dhameer.
For those of you who don’t already, follow Chuck on Instagram at @_charlesadams and you can find him on Twitter at @__CharlesAdams. Charles, or “Chuck,” is a senior here at IUP and is the captain of the Track and Field team, which is a sport he has participated in for the last four years. Oh, and guess what? Chuck is one of the top highest jumpers in the nation. In addition to his presence on the track, he is also well known for his campus involvement. A plan of his is to do public speaking, sports broadcasting and become an activist. Chuck supports all organizations as much as possible on campus but more specifically likes to involve himself with minority problems and speak for those who feel as if they do not have a voice. Another goal of his is to not only bring social and minority problems to light but to create awareness and solutions for them. In addition to being the captain for IUP’s Track and Field team Chuck is also the president of the National Broadcasting Society(NBS) where they work on networking and connecting with alumni.
Meet Walt Pegues, a senior Communications Media major from Philadelphia, also minoring in Public Relations and Journalism. Walt is the wide receiver on the Crimson Hawks football team and was named All-PSAC conference two times in his first three seasons at IUP. In addition to being recognized on the football field, Walt is a student leader for the the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). In the last two years he has served on mission trips with FCA in Hato Mayur and the Dominican Republic. They were life-changing experiences that he will always remember, he shared. The Dominicans made such a strong impact that they made him appreciate the little things in life and motivated him to become a better person overall. Keep up with Walt and his mission trips and football plays on his Instagram at @Waltp34 and Twitter @Waltp22
Stay tuned to catch the next 5 Instagrammers that you should follow here at IUP!