NSU Horizons Fall 2010

Mikaela Myers Mikaela Myers was drawn to NSU by the opportunity to join the rowing team, allowing her to continue a sport she participated in throughout high school in Perrysburg, Ohio. But she was also able to expand her horizons on campus in a wide range of interests, including studying art and founding an undergraduate student organization. As an art major, Myers earned second place for her char- coal figure drawing at last spring’s On the Wire: Second Annual Juried Student Exhibition hosted by the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences’ Division of Performing and Visual Arts. In addition to rowing, Myers’ other extracurricular activi- ties include being a member of the Leadership Roundtable Scholars and founding an undergraduate chapter of the Gay Straight Student Alliance (GSSA). “Knowing the importance of having a support group around you, I thought it would be helpful to start the GSSA,” she said. Myers serves as the GSSA president and grew the organization to approximately 20 members in its first year. She is working with graduate school chapters of the GSSA to bring the AIDS Memorial Quilt to campus. GSSA also participated in a fund-raiser last year for Red Hispana Florida, an HIV/AIDS organization. As a sophomore, Myers is living in The Commons Resi- dence Hall in the L.E.A.D. community, where she aims to network with other student leaders, building on her already- established foundation of campus involvement and leadership. Ulysse Charles Ulysse Charles cried on her first day after moving on campus at NSU. By the next day, she was making friends and beginning the transformation from shy girl to confident young woman. The youngest of seven children living in Miami, Charles had to convince her mother to allow her to live on campus. Her mother reluctantly approved, and Charles became the first in her family to leave home to attend college. “I wanted to have a new experience, to try new things, and open up to new people,” said Charles, now a junior living in The Commons. Charles met a hall mate on the elevator her second day at NSU, and that led to a social network that has helped her become more self-assured and outgoing. That confidence has carried over into the classroom and in all aspects of her life. “I was pretty shy in high school, but living on campus I’ve met new friends and formed study groups,” said Charles, an athletic training major. “I’ll talk in class now—I wouldn’t do that before.” n Student Profile 29 horizons From left to right: Kristina James, Yberka Cabrera, Craigrison Ferguson, Freire Alcantara, Jada Buckner, and Ulysse Charles at The Commons Residence Hall For more information on residential life, visit www.nova.edu/reslife .