Tremaine, Tremaine, Tremaine… Who DOESN’T know this guy? Generous, fun, loving and so friendly! Tremaine Genias is our Campus Celebrity this week!
Name: Tremaine Genias
Classification: Senior
Major: Political Science
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Her Campus: So, why’d you come to VSU?
Tremaine Genias: Originally I was supposed to be going to Georgia State University, but my mother was afraid of the area of the school. Valdosta was one of the schools we visited for colleges and my mother loved the campus, so we made a deal: I’ll go to Valdosta for two years then transfer if I still wanted to. In the end I decided to stay.
HC: What all are you involved in?
TG: I’m in several organizations. I am a member Collegiate Men of Valdosta State University (CMVSU), Black Student League (BSL), Blazer Brigade, Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, Heart 2 Heart, Creative Media, and Caribbean Student Association (CaribSA).
I hold exec board and chair positions in three of them: Event Coordinator for CMVSU, Membership Chair for Creative Media, and Education and Culture Chair for CaribSA. Oh, and I also work for Catering that supplies food across campus. I know it seems like a lot, but I like to stay busy and doing something productive.
HC: What have you learned from being at this university so far?
TG: I learned a lot of things about myself as a person and being professional on this campus, and the majority of this knowledge came from outside the classroom. My freshman year taught me to be myself and love it, my decisions hold consequences, the definition of true friends, and that I’m able to do a lot more than I ever gave myself credit for.
Sophomore year taught me to get involved, how to follow, how to dress for different occasions, how to work in an organization, how to send professional emails, how to build a resume, and what a true leader looks like.
My junior year to my senior year now [has] taught me the most critical life lessons: how to accept rejections, not allowing several failures to stop me, accepting my flaws, admitting when I’m wrong, being confident, not cocky, humbling myself, being a leader doesn’t always mean having a leadership position, what people think of me is not my business, handle issues with others face to face, respect is earned, never let anyone see you down, not everyone has your best interest at heart, everyone is not my enemy, staying ambitious, always try something new, and that I’ve been blessed with too much to not make something out of myself. Even after that I still feel that I have a lot more to learn, and that’s pretty exciting.
HC: What has been the greatest challenge you’ve had to overcome since being at this school?
TG: After being at this school for almost 4 years I would say my biggest challenge I had [to] overcome is the constant judgment I received for just being me. You know how you just feel when you’re not wanted. I used [to] get that feeling around a lot [of] people on campus. Always hearing remarks like: he’s so extra, he needs to sit down, he [does] the most, and he’s a groupie.
As a person who tries to uphold themselves as a man and tries to do as much good as possible, it really sucked that I had so many people treat me like I did them wrong, and it had me starting to view everyone as a potential enemy instead of a friend. I finally got over this feeling thanks to my family and friends. With them I finally realized that people will be jealous of you because you’re able to do things that [they’re] afraid to do and that the most important thing is that if I like me then everyone else’s opinions don’t matter.
HC: Who is someone you admire here?
TG: There are actually quite a few people who I met here that I admire. They personally helped [me] become the person I am today. Nevel Phillips, Omar Cormack, Daquan Sims, Analicia Wallace, and Brian Hickey Jr.
Nevel was always about his business and always helped out a friend when able to; he wasn’t afraid to tell me what I needed to hear and always looked out for me even after he graduated. Omar was one of my RAs from my freshman year; the guy is a walking encyclopedia, always learning something new from when we have our talks. Daquan, who was also one of my RAs, is an amazing artist and amazing stepper. He’s the one [who] helped me realize that I have rhythm when he taught me how to step freshman year for Hall vs Hall, so he’s the reason to blame for me dancing all the time [laughs]. He transferred my junior year, but we still keep in touch and meet up when we’re able to.
Analicia is “Big Sis” [laughs]. She was also another RA I had freshman year. She was cut throat and she didn’t allow me to makes excuses at all. She informed me a lot about campus and activities. Even after she graduated I still have to give her monthly updates. Brian is like the traditional big brother. We hang out and have a lot of fun, always there to talk when I need to, calls me out on my wrong doings, and gets protective even though I’m twice his size. I admire him because he is one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met in my life. He is always himself and kind hearted, but can also be an extreme jerk at times. He is also the reason why I joined band.
HC: What is your greatest memory at this school?
TG: My greatest memory at this school was becoming a trending topic on twitter for about two days, because of a picture I took in the Bahamas. I literally had people from others schools recognize me for that picture. I found that hilarious.
HC: Three words to describe yourself?
TG: Jamaican, New Yorker, and Pokemon Master. That explains it all don’t you think?
HC: What’s something you’ve accomplished since being here?
TG: I truly don’t believe I accomplished anything major being here as of yet. I just did my part to help the whole. I do take pride in the work I do and how it affects my organizations and campus in a positive way.
HC: What’s your favorite thing about yourself?
TG: My favorite thing about myself is how I refuse to stay complacent. I constantly strive to learn more and be able to do more; everyday evolving little by little.
HC: Last but not least, what advice do you have for people who are afraid to be themselves?
TG: My advice is don’t limit yourself because of the fear of being judged by others. You take away what makes you special, what makes you unique, and for what? The approval of a group of people who will forget all about you in ten years’ time. By being yourself, you will discover talents you never knew you had, skills that can be nurtured, genuine friendships, and a feeling of self-worth.
I’m not saying it’s easy. Some people may not like the real you. Some friendships may be lost, but it is all worth it. You can look in the mirror and be proud of the person you are instead of walking up depressed and stress just because you have to keep up a façade. It really makes no sense. Life is already stressful enough. Why add more stress to it by pretending to be something I’m not? I want [people] to realize how liberating it is to be honest to yourself. It is euphoria that will keep [you] going throughout the day.
Tremaine is such a great guy! He’s always a great person to talk to! Don’t ever hesitate to talk to him!