Central State University junior Darriel Russell lives by the maxim of, \u201cThe best way to predict your
\nfuture is to create it.\u201d Originally from the Bahamas and majoring in
\nAccounting and Management Information Systems (MIS), Russell is an Honors
\nCollege student working toward eventually becoming a certified public
\naccountant (CPA).<\/p>\n
\u201cI always knew that I wanted to go abroad to school,\u201d Russell said
\nabout her transferring after the peak COVID-19 period from the University
\nof The Bahamas to Central State during the Spring 2022 semester. \u201cAt
\nfirst, I came on a partial scholarship, but now that I\u2019m an RA (resident
\nadvisor) and in the Honors College, I\u2019m here on full scholarship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell has been an RA and part of the Honors College since the Fall 2022
\nsemester. She was also a Spring 2023 initiate of the Beta Xi Chapter of
\nAlpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and has, over the course of her being a
\nMarauder, acted as audit intern at such high-profile firms as Deloitte and
\nErnst & Young.<\/p>\n
When Russell was in high school, she first seriously studied a series of
\nsubjects including biology, accounting, commerce, and Spanish. She quickly
\nrealized, \u201caccounting was the one subject that I just got right away. It
\nwas so easy to me. Even though it was like a different language, I
\nunderstood it so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Job security is another aspect of the accounting field that made the
\nprofession so alluring for Russell.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially since I came from a single-parent home and being an
\ninternational student, it gives me a sense of security,\u201d Russell
\ncontinued. \u201cAs for management information systems, it comes down to the
\nfact that I really like to learn new things and had started coding on my
\nown. It was second nature to me. So, that\u2019s why I picked that major up,
\ntoo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell furthermore believes that, after taking part in her internships,
\n\u201caccounting is the first step into the many different things that I can
\ndo later on.\u201d<\/p>\n
As an Honors College student, Russell was accepted into and took part in
\nthe Harvard Division of Continuing Education Leadership Workshop
\noffered on campus in September. Typically reserved for elite business
\nprofessionals, this was the first time Harvard worked with a Historically
\nBlack College or University (HBCU) on facilitating such workshops.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first heard about the workshops, I was a little hesitant out of
\nnervousness for applying,\u201d Russell admitted. \u201cBut then when I thought
\nabout it, I do see myself as a leader on campus. And I knew that going into
\nthis would help me become a better leader. So, why not?\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell was proud of herself for being accepted as one of a handful of
\napplicants ultimately welcomed into the program. She felt it was a
\n\u201creally good workshop that taught me a lot about thinking before I act
\nand that my actions have a great impact on others.\u201d<\/p>\n
The most important lesson that Russell garnered from the workshop was the
\nnotion that \u201calthough we all go through a lot of the same things, every
\nindividual perceives what\u2019s happening in their own, different way. Not
\neverybody is going to think the same way you do. And, so, being a great
\nleader is about being aware of other people\u2019s emotions and learning how
\nto accept that, while not judging people for how they feel during a certain
\nsituation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite being relatively new on campus, Russell currently enjoys such
\nleadership roles as the president of the International Student Organization
\nand membership chairman and financial secretary for her sorority.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing all the way back to high school, I\u2019ve always loved being
\ninvolved in extracurricular activities and being very active in my
\ncommunity,\u201d Russell said. \u201cThat kind of molded me into the leader I am
\ntoday. Getting to go to Central State was very important to me, and beyond
\nthat, I really knew I wanted to be a student leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Russell first saw being a leader in high school and college as a
\nmeans of leveraging opportunities for financial aid and scholarships, she
\nsaid she now feels her drive is more about her seeing her purpose in life
\nas helping others and the communities where she lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, now, it\u2019s about helping others grow the same way that leaders
\nI\u2019ve had throughout my life have helped me grow,\u201d Russell said.<\/p>\n
Through her time at Central State, Russell feels she has been aided on her
\npath by being seen through the eyes of the Institution as a true
\nindividual. She does not think Central State \u201csees me as just another
\ninternational student or Bahamian. Professors and other faculty here have
\nreally worked with me one-on-one to help me gain my internships and take
\nadvantage of other opportunities like the Harvard Leadership Workshop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel that Central State really helps mold you by taking you from where
\nyou are to where you can go to make you better. The faculty wants to know
\nwho you are, what you want, what your goals are, and the ways to make you
\nas an individual person better. They do whatever they can to help you
\nachieve that next level.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Central State University junior Darriel Russell lives by the maxim of, \u201cThe best way to predict your future is to create it.\u201d Originally from the Bahamas and majoring in Accounting and Management Information Systems (MIS), Russell is an Honors College student working toward eventually becoming a certified public accountant (CPA). \u201cI always knew that I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[202],"class_list":["post-10359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-headline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10359"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10360,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10359\/revisions\/10360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10359"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=10359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}