Back in black and gold
By Anthony Langley (B.S.’15/MC)
You might recognize Summer Griffin (B.A.’16/GPA) from the numerous Rowdy Rams photos of her wearing a flower crown at basketball games. When she’s not at work, as a logistics coordinator for K Line, she can be found on the soccer field coaching a rec league with the Richmond Kickers. She’ll be back on campus and taking over the VCU Alumni Instagram starting Monday as Homecoming 2017 kicks off.
Why did you choose to attend VCU?
I loved the campus after getting a tour in high school! I had never seen a school that was set up throughout the city the way VCU is, and I knew it would be a nice change for me to go from living in Suffolk, Virginia to living in a “big” city like Richmond. Also, the amount of diversity that I saw on my tour was something that I hadn’t quite seen at any other school. Lastly, we have an incredible homeland security and emergency preparedness program that isn’t available at every school; it was the program I was interested in studying, and I had read great things online about it.
What was your time like at the university?
VCU has provided me with some of the best years of my life. I was very active on campus. I was the leader of the Rowdy Rams, I was on STAT’s Leadership Council, and I worked for VCU for three years as a Gold Line caller. I was also in a College Panhallenic Council sorority for two years.
All of these different outlets that I was involved with provided me with leadership skills, long-lasting friendships and amazing memories. One of my favorite memories was walking in the Homecoming parade my senior year, waving VCU flags throughout the city. I went to the tailgate that year and enjoyed one of my last basketball games as a student. Homecoming is such a magical time at any university, but I’m super excited to celebrate Homecoming as an alumna for the first time!
What sparked your interest in homeland security?
My interest in homeland security sparked from the events of 9/11 and the way the country was affected by it. I was very young when it happened, but it stuck with me and made me realize I wanted to help prevent something like that from happening again.
After being in the homeland security program, I realized I had an interest in policy and its effect on the country as well through the courses I had to take for my degree. In the end, I took more political science courses and got a minor in the field.
How has VCU tied into your career path?
VCU showed me how important it is to not only be a good leader, but also a good leader within your community. VCU and Richmond are all about community involvement, and I’ve learned to really appreciate and truly care about that. Getting to where you want to be in your career takes a lot of patience and hard work, and I’ve been working toward being in a position where I’m becoming a leader and servant to the Richmond community.
Categories Alumni