Keys to Success

Everyone has a favorite spot on campus at Northern Kentucky University. For Cedric Evans, it’s the Center for Student Inclusiveness.

“Every time that I am on campus, I make sure that I stop by the Center to engage with other students and staff,” he says. “This is the most sociable place on campus where everyone comes to have lunch, meetings, study and engage with one another.”

Cedric, who is a junior majoring in organizational leadership and minoring in sociology, is from Calumet City, Illinois in the suburbs of Chicago. In high school, Cedric was active and involved in many clubs, activities and sports.

When the first-generation college student decided to attend an out-of-state university, he looked for a school that was outside of his community and comfort zone.

“NKU was the perfect place! I love the campus,” he says. “NKU offers class sizes that create an opportunity for one-on-one teacher and student interactions. The students, faculty, staff and scholarships is what kept me here at NKU. I am not the same person that I was when I entered as a freshman. NKU has taught me a lot of skills, tips and leadership opportunities that have made me grow as a student and person.”

Even though NKU initially felt unfamiliar, Cedric found a support system in the Office of African American Student Initiatives (AASI)—specifically, NKU R.O.C.K.S.

“NKU R.O.C.K.S. is important to me because it allows me to be comfortable in a student space that is designed for me to be successful,” he says. “Being with NKU R.O.C.K.S has exposed me to resources, opportunities and skills to be successful here at NKU. Being mentored by African-American students who serve in leadership roles, exhibit academic excellence and can relate to my personal experiences has served as a key role to my success. By seeing others be successful, encourages and motivates me to reach my fullest potential.”