Your first year at NC State is an exciting journey of self-discovery, new connections and personal growth. To help guide your way, meet these orientation leaders — some of the very first friendly faces you’ll connect with on campus.

Having recently walked in first-year shoes, they understand both the thrill of new experiences and the challenges that come with them.

Get to know a few of them and hear their firsthand advice on how to take advantage of year one with the Wolfpack — and set a solid foundation for your time at NC State and beyond.

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

Ollie Lee

• Major: Biochemistry
• Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

What advice do you have for incoming students?

“Every student organization, institution and campus partner wants to hear from the new first-year class. They’re looking for fresh eyes, community members, club participants and employees — and no one will turn you away just because you are a first-year student. In fact, most organizations are ecstatic to work with new students who have a genuine interest in learning more, especially people who they can see continuing to work with them. So, step out of your comfort zone more each day. The more you practice taking the small steps to put yourself out there, the easier it becomes.” 

What challenges did you overcome in your first year? 

“I had quite a few hurdles to jump over in my first year, but having to drop classes due to poor grades hit me the hardest. Your confidence in your ability to be successful on your own is crucial in college, and when that confidence is low, it makes academic, social and personal success almost impossible. I had to take time to connect to the resources I needed to succeed — and understand success was 100% in my control. It required changing my mindset. Only then was I able to make progress in developing good academic habits.” 

What was your favorite first-year experience?

“My favorite part of my first year was living on campus. Especially because NC State has such a large campus, it feels like living in your own miniature town or community where I was close to every event, class and store that I needed access to. It’s hard to walk across campus on any given day without running into some kind of student event looking for participants, and that can certainly help break up the monotony of classes halfway through the semester. The best thing you can do for yourself is to take a second and choose to participate.”

Grow New Routines

Suri Traylor

• Major: Marketing 
• Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

What advice do you have for incoming students?

“Be open to and accepting of failure. I know it sounds like a silly piece of advice but I think it is one of the most beneficial things that you can know going into your freshman year and beyond. You may realize that old patterns and paths are failing you in college. Also, what works for you may not — and most likely doesn’t — work for the people around you. Be open to learning and creating routines that work for you, whether it’s your academic routine, self-care or extracurriculars.” 

What challenges did you overcome in your first year? 

“Being far from home was one of the challenges that I faced throughout my freshman year of college. It was an adjustment from seeing my family daily after school to going through a whole day’s routine and not being able to debrief and connect with them at the end of the day. 

But one of the ways I learned to overcome and manage it was by writing down the big things that would happen throughout my week and debriefing with my parents on Sundays. So I was able to still connect with them and get their advice like I would when I was in high school. At first, I felt like I wasn’t ready for such a big change as college. But as I continued to grow and create patterns and routines that worked for me, I began to feel confident that I could live on my own.” 

What was your favorite first-year experience?

“My favorite thing from my first year at NC State was by far the community that I built around me. I have such a great group of people around me that uplift me from different areas, majors and interests — and who keep me learning and on my toes. We could go to football and basketball games together but also study together and help each other because we were in different majors and had different strengths. So that was by far the thing that I cherished the most about my first year at NC State.”

Put Yourself Out There

Brooke Bennett

• Major: Social work
• Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina

What advice do you have for incoming students?

“I tell all of my incoming students at orientation to leave their dorm rooms, especially in the first month of moving in. You never really know where you will find ‘your people,’ so the only way to figure that out is by leaving the residence hall. Also, during that first month, I got more free stuff than I ever have, so even if that’s the only reason you leave the dorm, go. You are still getting exposure to campus life, and maybe you’ll be happily surprised with who you meet!”

What challenges did you overcome in your first year?  

“One of the hardest things I faced my freshman year was honestly my statistics class. I’ve never been a math person, and this was the first college-level class I had taken. It was definitely rough. Even though that course was hard, I knew I was capable of passing if I really tried. So I used basically every campus resource you can think of: the Academic Success Center, study buddies, office hours and Quizlet for solo studying. I locked in more than I ever had, and it paid off because I passed that test with a whopping 89%! I was actually so proud of myself because I genuinely did not think I was capable of anything above a 60. After that, I saw what I really could do when I used all those resources and put my mind to it.” 

What was your favorite first-year experience?

“My favorite thing from my first year at NC State was how many people I got to meet! Anybody who knows me knows I love to talk, so when I came to a campus with this many students, I was so excited. I met more people this past year than I feel like I ever have before. Most people really are just waiting for somebody to talk to them, so they don’t have to be the one to initiate the conversation. So one way incoming students can make the most of their year is to put themselves out there. Talk to anyone and everyone, and don’t let the thought of ‘that’s embarrassing’ stop you, because at the end of the day, there are so many students on this campus that one ‘embarrassing’ moment will never be remembered. So you might as well take the risk.’ 

Embrace Spontaneity

Evan Krom

• Majors: Psychology and social work
• Hometown: Guilford, Connecticut

What advice do you have for incoming students?

“Be open to trying new things. In my first year at NC State, some of my most memorable experiences came from going outside of my comfort zone and trying things that seemed foreign to me. On top of that, I would also tell new students to try to meet a new person every day. NC State students are fortunate enough to go to a large university where there are more students than one could imagine. Meeting a different person every day and hearing about different experiences helped me feel more connected to the university and my peers.” 

What challenges did you overcome in your first year? 

“One of my most challenging experiences in my first year of college was in a class of mine. Many students will struggle with a class at some point in college and the best way to manage it is communication. Whether it’s communication with TAs, professors or advisors, talking about how you’re struggling and finding a solution is the best way to deal with academic challenges and succeed in the classroom.”

What was your favorite first-year experience?

“My favorite thing from my first year at NC State was the athletic events. Whether it was football games and rushing the field against Georgia Tech, celebrating the cross country national championship, beating Chapel Hill in men’s basketball or watching the men’s soccer team make it to the national championship, I always found myself at these events celebrating and connecting to NC State. 

New students can create these experiences by going out and trying new things, seeing new places and meeting new people. From my experiences at NC State, the most memorable moments are the spontaneous ones that aren’t planned and ultimately leave a lasting impact on your college experience.”

Ask for Help Early

Julian Wilkerson

• Major: Electrical engineering
• Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina

What advice do you have for incoming students?

“Don’t wait until you’re struggling to ask for help. Build the habit early. Figure out how to learn in college, which is different from how you learned in high school, as early as possible. That ‘figuring it out’ period is expensive if you wait until after a bad grade to start it.”

What challenges did you overcome in your first year? 

“I got a 20% on my first [physics] exam and had no idea how to recover. I genuinely didn’t know how to study for a class like that, since nothing from high school had prepared me for the pace or the way the problems worked. 

What turned it around was throwing everything at it: I started going to office hours consistently, found people to study with, used the tutoring center and put in the extra hours instead of hoping it would click on its own. By the final, I scored a 93 and ended up with a B- in the class. Honestly, it felt less like relief and more like proof that a bad start doesn’t have to predict the ending, and that I was capable of figuring out how to learn something that had initially made me feel completely out of my depth.”

What was your favorite first-year experience?

“My favorite part of freshman year was an electrical and computer engineering course, Intro to Signals, Circuits and Systems. Something about actually seeing circuits work, building the intuition for how current and voltage behave instead of just doing math on paper, made engineering click for me in a way lecture-only classes hadn’t. A lot of that came down to Professor Elena Veety, who made the material feel worth caring about rather than just something to survive. My advice for a new student chasing their own version of this: Pay attention to which classes make you lean forward instead of checking the clock, and don’t be afraid to talk to that professor after class or during office hours. A lot of what made it my favorite was the relationship with the professor, not just the subject.”

Don’t Be Afraid To Change

Mary-Riley Locklear

• Major: Criminology
• Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina

What advice do you have for incoming students?

“Get involved! This can be joining club sports, getting a job on campus, joining clubs — but it can also look like frequently visiting student centers in Talley or showing up to events you see on campus. I would also say not to be scared of just talking to people. Everyone comes in scared of making new friends and connections. Just chat to the person you’re sitting next to in class, someone in the dining hall or even the people you always see in Talley. Everyone wants some type of connection, be that person.”

What challenges did you overcome in your first year?  

“During my freshman year, I realized that I was not passionate about the career path I was pursuing anymore. It was a struggle for me because I have always been the type of person who knows my path and what I want in life. When I got to college and realized that I actually didn’t know exactly what I wanted next, it was extremely hard. Then I was also scared to change my major and pursue something different. However, with the support of people around me, and a couple tears shed, I decided to switch my major and career path. Now I am on a path that I am genuinely interested in and excited to pursue because I truly want it. Switching my major was so easy thanks to NC State and there is so much support and encouragement from my community I have here at school.”

What was your favorite first-year experience?

“The greatest experience I had my freshman year was attending the Multicultural Student Affairs Symposium for Multicultural Scholars. I got to experience three days on campus before everyone moved in, was given incredible mentors who I still have a bond with to this day, and learned about so many organizations and resources on campus. Best of all, I made so many connections with my first-year peers as well — many of whom I am still close with currently. Symposium was my launch pad to my college career here at NC State and I cannot recommend it enough to incoming students. It’s something I will never forget!”

Try Everything Once

Kylah Paugh

• Major: Political science and a minor in nonprofit studies
• Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

What advice do you have for incoming students?

“Try everything once. Go to a club meeting, sporting event, anything at least once. College is a time for growth and discovery, so always try your best to take advantage of the opportunities provided and discover something new.”

What challenges did you overcome in your first year? 

“During my first semester, I struggled a lot with managing my mental health. My family was my main support system, and without them close by, I thought that support was gone. But I decided to reach out to my friends here and resources like Building Brilliance and Campus Health. They taught me new ways to manage my mental health — I am forever grateful that I utilized my new support system at NC State. My sense of belonging strengthened as I learned that my peers faced similar struggles — and also overcame them.”

What was your favorite first-year experience?

My favorite extracurricular at NC State is the PackGuard Winterguard Program. I participated my second semester on campus, and intend on participating next season. I was able to continue the performance art that I love, make new friends, work out and gain a renewed sense of confidence. It was an honor to represent the university at competitions and create an amazing production. 

Seek Balance for Your Well-Being

Victoria Sema

• Major: Mechanical engineering and a minor in aerospace military studies (Air Force ROTC)
• Hometown: Youngsville, North Carolina
  

What advice do you have for incoming students?

“Try not to overwork yourself and, instead, take the time to enjoy the moment. When I first started college, I tried to do everything at once because I felt like I was running out of time. I wanted to join a lot of clubs and get involved as much as possible, especially as an engineering student where you’re constantly told you need experience. I also overloaded my classes because I was trying to change majors into mechanical engineering as quickly as possible, but that ended up causing me to burn out early in the year. 

My second semester, I treated it like a fresh start and focused more on balance. I only kept what I needed academically and added a few things like intramural soccer and rock climbing to help me de-stress. Once I started prioritizing my well-being along with my academics, I was way more balanced, managed my time better and honestly enjoyed college a lot more.”

What challenges did you overcome in your first year? 

“One of the hardest things I faced during my first year was learning how to study in college. In high school, I was used to doing well in STEM classes by practicing problems, using active recall and studying in a very structured way. But in college, you have to go beyond just memorizing and instead try to actually understand concepts deeply and connect them across topics, which took me a while to adjust to. 

At first, I kept studying the same way I always had, but my grades weren’t where I wanted them to be and it honestly felt discouraging. What helped me the most was using NC State resources, especially office hours. Being able to sit down with professors, ask specific questions and walk through confusing topics made a huge difference. Once I started doing that consistently, I became more confident, less stressed and felt like I really belonged here.”

What was your favorite first-year experience?

“One of my favorite experiences from my first year was joining New Student Programs (NSP) as an orientation leader. It gave me something outside of engineering that really helped me grow as a person. They really emphasized choosing your attitude every day and staying positive, which honestly changed how I approach college and life in general. Through the training and class, I got to step out of my comfort zone, meet new people and build friendships that made the experience really fun and memorable. 

Being part of NSP also gave me a break from the constant pressure of engineering and academics. I’ve always enjoyed leadership and talking to people, so this gave me a chance to do something I’m passionate about while still growing in a different direction. It made me more excited about my time at NC State and helped me find balance. For new students, I’d say find something you genuinely enjoy outside of your major, because that’s where a lot of your best college memories come from.”