February Scholar of the Month: Ajah shares about COVID and her Junior Year excitement

Hello! My name is Ajah Pinckney and I am from Philadelphia, PA. I am currently a junior at the 1st HBCU, Lincoln University, and I am majoring in Health Science. My goal after I graduate is to become a nurse practitioner. I am a first generation college student. I love to sing, dance, shop, travel, eat, and sleep. Although my college experience on campus was cut short my freshman year due to COVID. Due to COVID my college experience went by fast because I didn’t have my sophomore year on campus and now I am a junior. My junior year has been a little bit rough for me, but I am still having some fun and doing what I have to do.

What have been the most rewarding activities/academics you participated in?

During my freshman year on campus I wasn’t involved in anything because I was just trying to enjoy my first year there. Now that I am in my junior year I am involved in more activities and have gotten to know a lot more people. At school I am a part of a new dance team that was created this year (Inferno dance company), The National Society of Leadership and Success, and S.T.A.R.S (Sisters that are Respected Seriously).

Tell us about an unexpected turn during undergrad.

Something unexpected that was very new and challenging for me during this school year was balancing my school work, homework, classes, my organizations, events/parties and AWU all at the same time. I can say it can be very tiring , hard, and a lot of decision making. It is definitely a fun experience and it keeps me busy. I believe that I handled it very well because I still passed all my classes, attended all my meetings, and still had time to have fun. I just mainly tried to balance everything out and put what was important first and then everything else fell into place smoothly.

What is some advice you have for incoming freshmen/underclassmen to help them navigate their college experience?

Some advice that I have for the incoming freshman/ undergrad is to have fun and enjoy your college experience! A lot of people today wish they had gone to college and they miss out on a lot. I say be involved as much as you can and get to know people. Definitely don’t overwork yourself if you can’t do it all and surround yourself with people that are going to help and motivate you. Stay focused and positive! There is nothing that you can’t do if you just put your mind to it. Also, making good decisions are very important and will help you during your whole college experience.

What are you most excited about for this semester?

Honestly the thing I am excited about for this semester is finishing my classes and passing all of them. I am also excited for my dance team and my S.T.A.R.S organization.