My Path to Becoming a Future Leader
My name is Lialie Mustafa and I am a Marketing Communications major on track to receive my Bachelor’s degree in the winter of 2021. I heard about Berkeley College from the high school I attended (Clifton High School) since they had a guest speaker from Berkeley come share his success story. After visiting Berkeley for a tour, everyone there made me feel so welcomed—there was a family atmosphere which I enjoyed instantly. I also attended a really large high school with over 700 students in my graduating class, so I wanted a change of scenery and the size of the Woodland Park campus was perfect for me because it is not too large or small. The classroom sizes also appealed to me because I enjoy being able to have a one-on-one connection with my professors and the opportunity to ask questions.
Enrolling into the Honors Program at Berkeley was one of the best decisions I have ever made! Although it is a challenging program and may take a while to adjust to maintaining the proper Honors Scholar image, it is very rewarding. Honors students are exposed to theme-based interdisciplinary seminars where we can enhance our research writing and oral presentation skills. We also provide community service to the College and surrounding communities. Being an Honors student has allowed me to network with so many great individuals, participate in multiple community service initiatives, and has given me the opportunity to speak about my positive Berkeley experience at different events.
In addition, the professors at Berkeley are amazing! Not only have all of them worked in the fields in which they teach, but they always make it a priority to help you succeed! For example, during the time that Berkeley was first transitioning to all online classes in March due to the pandemic, everyone was stressed out. Although I have taken online classes before, I felt very overwhelmed for what was going to come. It was helpful to have the support of Professor Pattie Cowan, who let students know that everything was going to be okay and that we are all in this together.
My hopes and dreams for the future are to land a great internship in my last semester, and of course, to graduate! I would like to go into the field of social media marketing or market research and then continue my education toward an M.B.A. I feel like Berkeley College has prepared me for the next steps in my life because every single course that I have taken so far has been relevant to my major. Also, Berkeley has offered me so many great resources like career seminars and guest speakers who have helped me improve my outlook on certain topics such as leadership. I feel like I have grown to be a strong leader thanks to the support system at Berkeley College.
