Student orientation leaders are showing the new freshman or transfer students the ropes at Sac State. Most of them become orientation leaders to give back to the experience that they first enjoyed at their orientation that set their college plan in motion. What many people fail to realize is that these leaders are not only pursuing their undergraduate degrees, but Sac State has set them up for higher education such as Master’s and Doctorate degrees as well.

Andrew Shaw, an active and fit newly graduated Sociology major from San Leandro, states that he wants to pursue higher education and plans on one day climbing the ladder to becoming the president of a university.

“I’m actually pursuing my Master’s degree in higher administrative education at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, and then after that I want to pursue my doctorate, and I want to work in higher ed… and eventually [be] president of a university,” Shaw indicates.

Likewise, Emily Patterson, a Gossip-girl loving, Sacramentan Theatre major is pursuing higher education in film production to eventually become a TV producer. Emily vocalized that, “My goal is going through the theatre department program and then eventually graduating, going onto stage managing; from stage managing going up to production managing, moving over to television instead of Broadway, and then from television moving up to producing.”

Emily also talked about her love for production as well as acting, and if given the opportunity, she would ideally like to become like Beyonce, “Because she is “flawless”. She added that, “I have a love for behind the stage, and I have a love for on the stage. Both of them are amazing, and I’d be happy to do either one.

Students are becoming more inspired than ever to pursue higher education and work towards their dreams and goals. Although, from the time we are kids to the time we perish, or goals and dreams may waver, our first instincts may be right. Andrew wanted to be a superstar athlete as a child while Emily wanted to be an actress. Andrew has let that dream fall by the wayside, but he says he will never stop working out and being active, and Emily said that there is still a chance of her staring in her own show. The new Oprah Winfrey?

No matter what they have wanted to do in the past, student orientation leaders are not only leading others, but they are leading themselves into their dreams and goals and pursuing them full throttle.