Troy opens IMPACT Leader applications
Any student interested in becoming an IMPACT leader must be a full-time student taking 12 or more credit hours, have a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA and be set to graduate after December 2027. They must also attend one of three interest meetings on either September 28, September 30, or October 1.
“Before I applied to be an IMPACT leader, I could have never guessed how much that summer would end up meaning to me,” said Olivia Barron, Coordinator of Student Engagement and Leadership at Troy. “Not only did I meet incredible students over the summer, I also got to spend it with 13 other leaders that became my best friends.”
As an IMPACT leader, students have the chance to create a summer that means a lot to the incoming freshman as well.
“Some students are leaving home for the first time, and they might be nervous, scared or unsure about starting college,” said Jamarion Willie, a previous IMPACT leader and a junior electrical and electronics engineering major from Huntsville, Alabama. “Our job is to make them feel welcomed, help them make friends, answer their questions and show them that Troy can become their home away from home.
“Sometimes, one conversation or one small act of kindness can make somebody feel like they truly belong.”
According to Barron, it doesn’t always take great effort to show the students that they belong. Sometimes all it takes is a smile to get a student, or their family, more comfortable with the thought of going off to college.
“With over 100 students typically attending each session, I may only be the person that smiles at them during check in,” Barron said. “There are other times when I get to meet a student's family and promise them that they have people who value and care for them at the university.
“I love that I help not only students, but families as well, feel seen before even starting classes. There is no doubt they can be incredibly successful and make connections here, but it is helpful to hear those words and know that we have confidence in them.”
It’s not always as simple as smiling and being nice, though. As an IMPACT leader, students will be expected to serve as incoming freshmen’s point of contact for anything they may need help with at the start of their journey.
“We get to serve as their leaders, advisors, counselors and friends for their session because they have a lot of needs coming in, some that may not be fully laid out in a job description,” said Kristen Lambert, a former IMPACT leader and a junior accounting major from Atmore, Alabama. “The leaders get to make connections with students that are coming from all walks of life, but they all chose Troy as their new home.”
For Willie, this aspect of the job is what made it so special to him. He’ll forever have an impact on the students in his group.
“It was truly the greatest feeling ever knowing that I played even the smallest part in somebody else's college journey,” Willie said. “It means so much to me.
“If I could go back and experience IMPACT all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
IMPACT can also play a major role in developing more than just leadership skills in students, especially with such a long, selective interviewing process.
“It is some of the best interview experience you will get, no matter the outcome,” Lambert said. “These interviews require you to think fast on your feet and show your true leadership style and personality.”
Any student interested in applying to be an IMPACT leader can go to troy.edu/impact and scroll to the bottom of the page. The deadline for application is October 2, the day after the final interest meeting.
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