When I toured the University of Oklahoma my senior year of high school, I knew it was where I wanted to be. Even though I wanted to go to college out of state, I decided to attend OU in order to be a little closer to my hometown and I couldn’t resist the beautiful campus.

After attending Camp Crimson, I knew I wanted to be involved. The first few weeks of school, I applied for a bunch of Campus Activities Council events, including CAC Concert Series. Sadly, I was not accepted. I was a bit lost on campus because I didn’t feel like I belonged. All my friends were in sororities and other clubs and I spent most of my time with my roommate and a few friends from high school. Unlike many people’s freshmen experiences, I was not having a good time, but things started to look up and have continued that direction!

I decided to focus on my classes and set my sights on becoming a Resident Adviser. After attending the spring class and going through a rigorous application process, I became an RA for the 2010-2011 year! On top of that, I also became a Teacher Assistant for Freshmen Programs and a writer for the Life & Arts Section of the OU Daily. The spring of my sophomore year, I interned with the Norman Arts Council and got to help with some of Norman Music Festival. I was finally around people with similar interests as me and was figuring out how to get around campus.

As my junior year approached, I became interested in CAC Concert Series again.  After talking with the incoming chair of Concert Series about how to get more involved with the organization, I became one of his Vice-Chairs! I couldn’t believe that this opportunity was all mine. I got to help musicians load and un-load their equipment, learn the inner-workings of Concert Series, and help lead a group of like-minded students who loved listening and sharing music as much as I did.

At the end of my junior year, I applied, and was chosen, to be CAC Concert Series Chair for the 2012-2013 school year! I couldn’t believe that just three years ago, I was not chosen to help out with Concert Series, but now I got to be chair and lead a great team of students. I also accepted a position with Lindsey + Asp, a student-run advertising and public relations agency in Gaylord College and became Creative Director for Sooners Helping Sooners, a new campus organization that aids students in emergency situations in order to lessen the burden and hopefully keep them at OU.

With just one semester left at OU, I can’t believe all the great times I have had here and all the people that have changed my life. At first, I was a bit confused and upset because I thought there wasn’t a place for me on campus. I am here to tell you that there is! OU has a great community of students and faculty. Once you seek the right people and began working for the opportunities that line-up with your passions, the prospects are endless. As you’ll hear many times in your life, don’t give up on what you really want in life. I promise that it will all be worth the struggle and you will come out on top. I am living proof that the weird, awkward girl on campus can be involved in the best organizations on campus and I challenge you to find your place while at OU! I could not be happier with my time here.

Leesa Allmond
Oklahoma City, OK
May 2013
Advertising Major