21 Under 21 Series: Elayna Lyndsey Locklear

Hometown: Maxton, NC

Major: Exercise and Sports Science Major, Speech and Hearing Sciences and American Indian and Indigenous Studies minors

As a Native I am often faced with the stereotype that we are "of the past" and are "primitive". We are often overlooked and disregarded. For the beginning of my college experience, I allowed that to hinder me. I felt unworthy and incapable, but that is absolutely not the case. I am breaking the statistics with being a Native college student in general, but to also have the opportunity to serve in leadership roles shows that not only are Natives capable of arriving to college , but we are capable of thriving in college. I hope that the work that I do can show other young native women and men alike that just because we live in a system that was built to break us and marginalize us, we have the power to not let that be the end. We have the power to move forward for our people and our progress. They tried to eradicate us, but we are still here. That means we need to make our voice heard and live to leave an impact.

My work on campus is quite varied and I have found myself working in a variety of different settings and with many different people. As President of the Alpha Chapter of Alpha Pi Omega, I have the honor of leading strong beautiful women to walk in sisterhood and make the path wider and better for the women to come. As an orientation leader I was able to encourage incoming students to embrace their story, because their story is just as important as the next. As an Admissions Ambassador, I have the chance to show prospective students the opportunities that Carolina has to offer. As an Enrich tutor, I get to reach out to those beyond our campus borders to provide encouragement and assistance in grasping the English language so they feel more comfortable in their everyday reactions. Although each of these things differ from one another, one thing about them holds true for me: My goal as a UNC student has never been about what I can accomplish, but about how I can serve others everyday. Serving others for the betterment of their future... that's what makes all of this worthwhile. It's never about me, its all about those around me.