Toinette Powers \u201921 loves to make herself uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After growing up in Thomasville, N.C., Powers charted new territory by becoming the first member of her family on track for a college degree. She wasn\u2019t settled at NC State long before she pushed the boundaries of her comfort zone even farther by traveling to Mexico\u2009\u2014\u2009her first time outside the U.S.\u2009\u2014\u2009on a service learning trip as a Caldwell Fellow. That experience, in which Caldwell Fellows spent time with elementary and middle school students, put Powers on a path to a double major in international studies and psychology that also has taken her to London and Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On each trip into an unfamiliar situation, Powers says she uses her initial discomfort to grow and connect. \u201cWhen you\u2019re uncomfortable, you are able to learn the most because you don\u2019t have that much control,\u201d she says. \u201cYou have to figure it out the best way you can. It\u2019s less about other people\u2019s differences; you\u2019re trying to find more of each other\u2019s similarities while also being able to recognize those differences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s less about other people\u2019s differences; you\u2019re trying to find more of each other\u2019s similarities\u2009. . .\u2009<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
That ability to connect and adapt to new situations came in handy when Powers first arrived on campus. She had to shift her identity from being the oldest of four siblings who often helped her single mother with parenting duties to being a full-time student who needed to focus on herself. As a first-generation student, she was eager to soak up every minute of her college experience. \u201cI would make sure I talked to every single professor about every little thing, because I didn\u2019t want to miss it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her enthusiasm for education was instilled by her mother, who attended college for a few months but was never able to finish. From an early age, Powers tried to set an example for her three younger siblings, who she says are poised to follow in her footsteps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For her own future, Powers wants to find a way to blend her academic interests with her desire to keep challenging herself. First will come graduate school, and then, she hopes, a lifetime of \u201cuncomfortable situations\u2009. . .\u2009I feel like that\u2019s where my growth happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The<\/strong> NC State Alumni Association founded the Caldwell Fellows and supports its scholarships, stipends and programming.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n