Balancing being a senior, an involved student and senior class president is no easy feat, yet Briana Lenard is doing it all. Lenard is spending her senior year dedicated to giving back to her fellow students, preparing for her post graduation endeavors and ending her Kean career with a strong academic standing.
Lenard came to Kean as a transfer student, but was still committed to making the most of her time at Kean. She knew that in order to do this she had to put herself out there and get involved. Being a transfer student, Lenard did not have as much time to leave her mark at Kean, yet she has shown everyone that it is possible as long as one puts their mind to it.
Lenard attributes her involvement to her Transition to Kean (T2K) course, which is required for all freshmen and transfer students. This course is designed to help students get acclimated to their new peers and environment in both the academic and social settings. Her professor stressed that one should not just try to enhance their academic transcript, but also their Co-Curricular Transcript as well. Lenard took this advice and went to Cougar Link, where she found organizations to best fit her desires.
After reaching out to the Office of Student Government on Cougar Link, Lenard received a welcome response and began getting involved with them. She continued her involvement with the organization throughout her junior year, and soon enough it was time for elections. Putting oneself out there can be daunting, but Lenard received encouragement to run for senior class president from the junior class president at the time, who now holds the position of executive president of Student Government.
The role of senior class president involves a lot of behind the scenes work, which one may not be aware of. Lenard is often attending meetings, corresponding with groups and people via email and collaborating with peers. Her position is intended to plan events and programs targeted toward seniors to give them a memorable and informative last year at Kean. She plans on aiding the seniors in their post graduation endeavors through academic programs, whether it be through professional advice or the mental preparatory aspects of accepting that one is a college graduate.
Being senior class president comes with a lot of learned skills that are sure to help Lenard in the future.
She said, "This role will help a great deal with my leadership skills. I was born to be a leader in my own capacity."
Besides being involved in Student Government, Lenard is the treasurer of The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), which is an organization that focuses on academics and leadership. She is also a member of the Haitian Student Association (HSA), which embraces and educates students on the culture of Haiti.
Lenard is a mathematical sciences major, and continues her involvement on campus by being an Exceptional Educational Opportunities (EEO) tutor, where she helps students with math. She explained that this is a great opportunity for her as she used to struggle with this subject and now she gets to help aid students accomplish academic success in math.
Through all of her involvement, especially as senior class president, Lenard has shown that it is possible to make the most of one's Kean experience even as a transfer student.
When asked what advice she would give Kean students, she said, "Be patient, make the best of your college experience and study hard."
