This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Jefferson chapter.
Despite his busy schedule, I was able to sit down and talk with our celebrity of the week, Shakarr Hawkins. When I first met him at the New Student Orientation this summer, his desire to engage each of us in activities and his burning love for PhilaU made me excited to call myself a ram. One of the most unique things about Shakarr is that virtually everyone knows him. However, there’s no reason to feel intimidated. He’s so friendly and outgoing that I was excited to interview him and get to know him a little more!
What are your titles on campus?
RA in Ronson, FYE coordinator, Peer mentor, Orientation leader
What’s the most important thing you want people to know about you?
One thing about me is I’m really big on leaving a lasting impression. Not only do I want people to know me, but I want them to remember the difference I made. I try my best to make sure I’m helping others in some way in everything I do. My goal is to leave behind something great.
What are some of your favorite things about PhilaU?
PhilaU is just so unique – we truly are “powered to do.” Everyone here is so driven that we motivate each other. As I started to get involved on campus, I was given a lot of power. I had the idea to start a campus tradition by organizing a winter formal and spring formal. PhilaU is small but the amount of power and resources provided is really awesome and inspiring.
What are some of your biggest accomplishments in college so far?
I feel like I have really achieved my goal to focus on first year students. Your first year at college can make it or break it, so I try, in any way I can, to make it a good one. I feel like I really work with every student either as an RA, a peer mentor, an orientation leader, or an event coordinator.
What made you want to be on Royal Ram Court?
I love everything this role represents. The idea of being in a position of leadership is something I’ve been drawn to since I was a freshman. I’ve been involved in many different areas on campus for 3 years so I’ve been able to look back on people I’ve worked with for support. I feel like and it really highlights the hard work I’ve done on campus.
What are your plans for the future, both at PhilaU and beyond?
I want to accomplish big things this year. Right now my focus is on my residents to make their first year the best it can be. Another thing is I want is for formal to be bigger and better, and for it to continue to happen every year. I’m working on training other students to make sure the task is left in good hands.
As far as after that, I think it’s ok to not know exactly what you want to do. My thing is I don’t want to do just one thing, proven by my involvement in numerous activities. I like the idea of continuing to move forward, figuring out where to go step by step.