She’s a track and field student-athlete, a member of SPURS Sorority, an admissions office intern, a referee for intramural sports and the vice president of the African Student Association. Oh, and she’s also the president of Student Government Association. It would be an understatement to say that Joy Areola, senior human resource management major, is involved on Trinity’s campus.
The many hats that Areola wears on our campus lead to a pretty busy schedule. She said that her sophomore year she had to take a step back from some of her extracurricular activities, but as a senior, she has less on her plate academically.
“I mean, especially just last year, taking a semester off of track, learning that skill of saying ‘no’ and prioritizing myself and putting myself first, that’s what gives me the energy to keep going,” Areola said. “It’s what helps me continue to enjoy all the things I’m doing.”
As SGA president, Areola works closely with Allison Waters, SGA vice president, and she said the two of them have dealt with a lot of leadership learning moments together. They recently worked to change the Student Activity Fee structure, and they’ve had to navigate the university’s current changes, too.
“It was a lot to juggle at first with other responsibilities and jobs, but I’ve had a lot of fun doing it, getting to meet new people and obviously working with the senators,” Areola said. “It’s like its own big family.”
When she’s not leading SGA or taking part in her various other endeavors, Areola passes her time in a variety of different ways.
“Recently I’ve really enjoyed going to the Pearl and just chilling on the grass there. Sometimes I go for a drive with the windows down. You honestly might hear me around campus blasting music. And then I’m also kind of a wine girly, so I’ll go and find a nice dinner spot and just enjoy some time for myself. I do a lot of reading there as well.”
As a graduating senior, Areola talked about how she feels Trinity has prepared her well for post-graduation. She said that when she came to Trinity, she was on the more introverted side of things, and she was ready to slide under the radar for four years.
“When I got to Trinity, I realized everybody here is really high achieving. They’re really dedicated and passionate about the things that they do. I guess that kind of rubbed off on me pretty immediately,” Areola said. “That’s what spurred me on to get involved, and, I guess, to shoot for higher heights than I ever really expected I could go for.”
Areola’s advice when it comes to Trinity is to not limit yourself. She said that it can be easy, especially when you’re 18 to 22 years old, to not put yourself out there.
“Fear is what gets the best of a lot of people, and it got the best of me for a good while. It still does. I won’t lie, I’m scared to graduate and to make a decision about grad school or a job, and I have to remind myself that putting myself out there is what got me to where I am today,” Areola said. “I tell people, it’s okay to shoot for the big thing. It’s okay to shoot for the stars. Trust yourself, have confidence in yourself, and even if things don’t work out, don’t be afraid to pick yourself back up and go out there and do it again.”
