One Aggie’s Key to Academic Success: Treat It Like a Job

Shortly after his freshman year, Houston native John Maye, Jr. ’11 took time out for a reality check.  Earning  very high marks in his summer courses made him wonder:  Could he get grades like that during the regular semester and still stay involved on campus?

“I realized I was over-involved,” he admits.  “I decided academics had to be my first priority; I needed to apply myself more than I had in the past.  I knew I was capable; it was time to put my best foot forward, be the best ‘John’ I could be.”

His solution?  Treat school work like a job.  The way he saw it, that meant improving his time-management and organizational skills, organizing each day to take advantage of his most productive study times, and paring down his outside-of-the-classroom involvement from participation in five organizations to a leadership role in one.

“During my freshman year,” he explains, “I participated in ExCEL (Excellence uniting Culture, Education, and Leadership), the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Club, African American Leadership Institute, the Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference, and M.E.D.A.L.S. (Maximizing Educational Development through Academic Leadership Skills).  As of now, I have narrowed my organizational participation to Co-Executive Director of ExCEL.”

The results have been more than satisfying:  John now earns all A’s and B’s.

Man with a Plan
John came to Texas A&M University determined to fulfill a long-time dream of a career in Computer Engineering.  According to family and friends, only one thing stood in his way:  “I’ve been told I talk too much,” he reports, smiling widely, “and like people too much to ever sit at a desk and write codes all day.”

That being the case, John now hopes to go into Management Information Systems, combining his interest in computer systems with business, earning at least a master’s degree.  (The fact that MIS also offers some lucrative career opportunities makes the field even more attractive.)  He has already had a taste of the business side of things:  His high school was a business administration magnet school, and John has interned with public relations firm Marion Montgomery, Inc. for the past three years.   There can be little doubt the experience he will gain as 2009-2010 Co-Executive Director of ExCEL, a student-run program geared toward helping first-year students make a smooth transition from high school to life at this top-tier research institution, will add to his growing skill set.

Passing It On
As it turns out, ExCEL played an important role in John’s own adjustment to life at Texas A&M, even contributing to his favorite Aggie moment.

“My favorite Aggie moment to date would be my first Yell Practice.  When the ExCEL participants went to Yell Practice together, we were just a large group of people who didn’t know each other.  We took pictures with each other on Kyle Field, greeted one another, played a giant game of 'Never Have I Ever' at the Commons, and capped it all with a trip to IHOP.  By the end of the night, we were friends.”

This year John will work with fellow Co-Executive Director Tayler Torry, 12 other Executive Staff Members, and 22 Team Leaders to help next year’s incoming ExCEL group get a running start on university life and experience their own favorite Aggie moments.

Asked why high school students should think about attending Texas A&M University, John has this to say:  “There are many opportunities at this school.  In addition to benefits like the Aggie Network and a great education, Texas A&M will teach you a lot about who you are.  When I first decided to come to this University, I was skeptical because of diversity.  I thought I would come, get a degree, and leave without looking back.  Now I can say I’ve spent time with people I won’t want to leave, and I’ve had much more fun here than I ever thought I would, interacting with different communities and enjoying random exciting moments with my friends.  I can say the school has exceeded all my expectations.”

For more information on ExCEL, the Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference, and M.E.D.A.L.S., please visit the Department of Multicultural Services website at http://dms.tamu.edu.

For more information on the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Club and the African American Student Leadership Institute, please visit http://nphc.tamu.edu/aasli.

Contributed by:
Kathy DiSanto, Communications Specialist
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs