Spotlight on Students is a feature that showcases WYWLA students 

and cool experiences they've had and/or recognitions received.

This month we highlight Senior Saliyah Jones and Sophomore Alexandra Tabor!

You were recently awarded the Lewis and Elizabeth Dowdy Scholarship at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Can you tell us more about this? 

The Lewis and Elizabeth Dowdy Scholarship is a full-ride scholarship that provides housing, study abroad, textbook fees, food, and stipends, allowing me four fully funded years of study. It is a scholarship through the honors college, meaning that I am both in the honors program and have the extra guidance from Dowdy. 

What led you to choose this college?

I chose North Carolina A&T because the honors curriculum will provide me with mentorship and experience, along with the money to graduate debt-free with a strong network for the future. 

What has been the most difficult part of your academic journey? 

The most challenging part of my academic journey has been the application process. While senior year can be fun and oftentimes less stressful than other school years, the sheer amount of applications can be overwhelming, and it was difficult at first to find a balance between planning for my future (applications) and maintaining my grades. 

What has been the most impactful part of your academic experience?

The most impactful part of my academic experience was gaining my scholarship. It was the most impactful experience because it solidified in my mind that I had succeeded in my grades and became the type of student and person I wanted to be. It gave me the ability to relax and continue on with my school year because I know that I no longer have to worry about the price of college. 

How has WYWLA shaped you as a young woman? 

WYWLA has allowed me to become a well-spoken leader in my own life. It was through classes and encouragement from teachers that I was able to learn to communicate well, and WYWLA has allowed me to grow and be confident when I interact with the world. 

What did the application process look like for the scholarship? 

After general admission to North Carolina A&T, if you are eligible (having a specific GPA), you are then encouraged to apply for the honors college. If you submit your application by a specific deadline, then you are eligible for other scholarships such as mine. When I was given my acceptance to the honors college, I was instructed to have an interview at the college during their honors weekend, where other honors nominees and I were interviewed. I spent two days at A&T, one day learning about the school and my specific college department, and the other doing my personal and group interview. Afterward, everyone takes personal headshots and is officially welcomed into the honors college, though it took approximately two weeks until I got the call of my scholarship acceptance. 

Did you apply to other scholarships? If so, were you awarded any others?

I also applied to scholarships at other universities such as High Point University and was awarded a Presidential Scholarship as well a Natural Science Fellowship, totalling about $23,000. I also applied and received scholarships from Catawba College for their honors program and for my environmental science major, totaling $43,000. 

What other colleges did you apply to?

East Carolina University 

High Point University 

UNC Pembroke

UNC Greensboro

UNC Asheville 

UNC Charlotte

Western Carolina 

Sweet Briar College 

Catawba College 

Appalachian State University 

NC State University 

UNC Chapel Hill 

What other colleges did you get into? 

East Carolina University 

High Point University 

UNC Pembroke

UNC Greensboro

UNC Asheville 

UNC Charlotte

Western Carolina 

Sweet Briar College 

Catawba College 

Appalachian State University 

NC State University 

What is your biggest academic success tip?

Make sure to have a good work ethic and find ways of studying that work for you. Once you are able to hold yourself accountable and know how to ensure you retain information (i.e. note note-taking strategies), you can then handle your classes while also continuously striving for outside growth and opportunities. 

What kind of tips would you give to students looking to achieve similar things to you?

Make sure to make strong connections with teachers or mentors to ensure that you have strong recommendations when you apply to places. Also, don’t be afraid to apply for opportunities even if you don’t think you will get them, because you never know what may happen. 

What would you tell your younger self?

Keep going and keep trying because things will work out eventually. 

What does being a Student Ambassador mean for you?

To me, being a student ambassador means being a welcoming model for new and current students, both academically and through character. 

What are the biggest challenges you encounter in your work as an ambassador?

I believe the biggest challenges I encounter as a student ambassador are the same things that drive me to the club and position in the first place, primarily creating connections. WYWLA is such a new place for everyone, and it can be incredibly intimidating, which causes some people to be rather closed off and guarded, which does pose a challenge at times. I do often find that those who are the hardest to create those connections with are those who you are able to forge the strongest connections with. 

What valuable lessons/skills have you learned from being an ambassador?

I have been a student ambassador since 7th grade, which now is almost four years ago, and currently serve as the co-president, and throughout my time there, I have learned so many skills. I have learned leadership skills in so many ways, communication, and throughout it all how to create relationships with people from all walks of life. Leadership is one of the most obvious as being an ambassador requires me to be a model for others and put myself out there to serve my community. Communication, secondly, plays into everything that I do, and learning how to talk to an auditorium full of strangers with confidence is something that I would have never been able to achieve without Ambassadors. Lastly, creating relationships is something that, just like communication, is incredibly important to all aspects of life, and by having the ability to connect with others, I have learned to make the most of my situation while leaving a lasting and positive impact on those I have the opportunity to meet. 

What do you love about biking?

There are so many things I love about biking. I really love the people, the connection I am able to have with myself and my bike, and most of all the fun of it all!

How did you first get into mountain biking?

I got into Mountain biking (mtb) through my parents. Before they had me they would do lots of not only mountain biking, but also plenty of other road riding, so when I was born my parents would carry me behind them all over the Raleigh greenways as they rode with friends (which funnily enough, lead to my first word being bike), and this continued until around 4th grade. Before that, I was no longer just being towed behind. Instead we had upgraded to a tandem, and would continue to ride very frequently. But after we rebuilt my first mountain bike, we decided to give it a try and I did enjoy it. It was never my favorite thing at first, but as I have gotten older my love for the sport has only grown. 

What makes the GRiT program so valuable to you? What have you learned from being a GRiT ambassador?

For those who do not know, I currently race for NCICL (North Carolina Cycling Interscholastic League) and inside of that we have a program called GRiT or Girls Riding Together, which is focused on providing female riders with community, since mountain biking is a male dominated sport with only about 23% female student athletes. What makes the program so valuable to me is the community that I have with GRiT; the girls who I have met there are some of the best friends I could have possibly asked for and the experience I have gained is irreplaceable. As a GRiT ambassador, I have learned many things but the biggest is how to support younger girls who also ride bikes and how to build a safe and supportive environment that lasts past the one day and instead persists through a season. 

What does a race day look like for you? 

A race day starts right around 7 am on a Sunday, typically in a rental house. I often get up and go get something simple for breakfast, while making sure to drink lots of water and electrolytes. I joke with my family that I have a ‘race day uniform' before I’m actually in my bike gear, which consists of a pair of baggy workout pants, my Trailhawks jersey, my GRiT hoodie, my converse and finally, my headphones. I am always listening to music until I get to my team tent, as it helps me wake up and prepare myself for the day ahead. We normally have to pack up the rental house as well so alongside preparing for my race I am helping clean up around the house. Once we leave the house and arrive at the venue, I get everything out of the car that I need for the day (so my Bike bag, water, etc.), and head over to my team tent. Once I'm over there, I switch into my bike gear and normally eat something small like an apple sauce before going to do my warm up. After I warm up for normally around 15 minutes, I head down to staging for my wave and stand with my team and cheer (mostly scream) for my friends on other teams as they walk up to the start line. Once your name is called, you pick your position and then wait for normally 10 minutes (it varies). The other two groups in front of me go, and then you finally are right at the line. They give you normally a few warnings, 1st a 3 minute warning, a 2 minute warning, 1 minute, 30 seconds and finally a ten second warning. While you're waiting I often am talking to the girls next to me, and singing Hurricane in my head to calm down, finally the horn goes and everyone starts. It's normally a grass start and it determines the order into the woods. The start line is probably one of the most stressful things, as there are a LOT of people and lots of cowbells and other various noise makers. Things do calm down for a bit as you hit the woods, but there are always hot spots where there are lots of people yelling and cheering. You ride as hard as you feel like till you finally hit the end, and then the grassy finish, with, again, a ton of people cheering. And that's it! You're done with the race! We normally stay after depending on how I do, and the rest of the day you get to hang out and help out tear down the course and hang out with friends. I often take pictures, until it finally ends with the podium, where everyone gets their medals and you finally get to go home! It’s a lot.

What is your favorite trail?

My favorite trail is probably Brown County in Indiana. I love the awesome flow lines, and the scenery is so beautiful! 

What is the hardest part of mountain biking? How has this made you stronger?

The hardest part about biking is the mental aspect of it all. Of course there is the physical aspect but in comparison it really feels like ease. Specifically in a race, it is just you and your bike, there is nothing else that is forcing you to keep riding. This is specifically apparent when you're alone in the trail, and I often find myself talking to myself to keep going. Mountain biking is hard, truly, but it makes you so much tougher in the end. Learning to be able to keep going even when you feel that pain in your legs or you see something that scares you is a very valuable experience. 

What makes community service so important to you?

I will be brief with this one. Community service is so important to me because community is exactly what fosters us all, and I believe that giving back to that community allows us to help build others up as well.

Any advice or words of encouragement for anyone who wants to get more involved in their community?

I would say, just try it out! There is no harm in giving things a shot, often people will appreciate the help, and it builds your own character!