Get to know Pullman Scholar Asia Muhammad,’16, a psychology major at Saint Leo University.
Three words Asia feels best to describe her personality: humble, outspoken, caring
A lesson college has taught Asia (outside of the classroom): How to make her dollar stretch
Like many students, Asia’s transition to college had some ups and downs. She remembers feeling lost at times while adjusting to her new home and life in Florida. Realizing there were areas where she wanted to improve, Asia committed to working hard and reaching out to others for help when needed. She quickly learned how to write college-caliber papers, prepare for tests, send professional emails, and, the ever important time management lesson: not staying up all night to finish an assignment. Although Asia’s first semester at Saint Leo University had some challenging moments, her perseverance and drive to do her best carried her forward.
Now a sophomore, Asia is majoring in psychology and is passionate about a future career in counseling. Through one of her classes, Asia had the opportunity to visit a juvenile detention center, where she gained a first-hand understanding of some of the circumstances young people are working through, including violence, drug use, and lack of a stable environment. From this experience, Asia became interested in a career that would provide her opportunities to help youth facing similar circumstances.
When she isn’t reading for her classes, enjoying Florida’s weather, or working at Saint Leo’s Admissions Office, Asia is participating in campus activities and working towards her goal of giving back to others. An active member of the Caribbean Student Association, Asia helped make 100,000 meals for families in Africa for the Feeding Children Everywhere event. She also had a hand in facilitating Saint Leo’s Jammin’ for Life fundraiser, which promoted the importance of safe sex and raised money for a hospital in Tampa that provides services to people living with HIV/AIDS.
In addition to participating in activities on Saint Leo’s campus, Asia is passionate about sharing knowledge and engaging fellow students in discussion. As part of a Focus the Nation presentation, Asia and fellow classmates discussed the history and impact of race and politics in society. Asia is also incredibly proud of her multimedia presentation, “What is Good Hair?” in which she researched, interviewed, and discussed the history and culture of African-American women’s hair.
After graduation, Asia plans to work toward her goals of helping others and giving back by completing a year of service with City Year (a member of AmeriCorps) and then attending graduate school for counseling or education administration. Wherever Asia’s plans take her after graduation, we know she will continue to better the world with her perseverance and ambitious spirit of giving!
