Lantwan Traylor’s 3.73 grade point average and the Bachelor of Arts degrees in sociology and psychology that he will receive from Arkansas Tech University on Saturday, May 12, are evidence that he has learned his classroom lessons well.
His two years of experience as co-chair for student organization Because We Can have proven that he is prepared to apply those lessons in the real world.
“I have the ability to make a difference,” said Traylor, an honor graduate of ATU. “I have learned what it means to be a leader and that a small change can have a big impact. I hope that by receiving this award it will encourage other people to become active and strive to make a difference.”
Traylor will be presented with the 2018 Jill Lestage Brown Service Leadership Award during Saturday’s commencement ceremonies at John E. Tucker Coliseum in Russellville.
“I want to make my family proud,” said Traylor, who is the first member of his family to graduate from college. “That is what is most important to me. I want to be an encouragement to my younger siblings and my cousins. If I can do this, so can they. It’s been very rewarding, but it’s also been very challenging. In these last four years, I learned to challenge myself, take risks and get out of my comfort zone.”
Mt. Pleasant, Texas, is Traylor’s hometown, but he spent his formative years at Rogers Heritage High School in northwest Arkansas.
“My senior year of high school, my English teacher talked about Tech and said it was a good school to pick,” said Traylor. “So I applied at Tech and a few other schools. When I came (to ATU), I knew this was definitely it. Seeing the school and talking to the staff, I knew this was the place for me.”
Living on campus helped Traylor become active in the opportunities for personal development that exist beyond the classroom at ATU.
“The first way I was able to get involved was in my residence hall,” said Traylor. “My resident assistants helped bring me out of my shell, and they encouraged me to get involved with the residence hall. I became treasurer for our hall, and I was encouraged to become an R.A. I also heard about LEAD Academy, and I completed all three phases of that program. I learned about leadership styles and my five strengths. That’s what introduced me to becoming a leader.”
During his sophomore year, Traylor earned the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, Ga., as part of Arkansas Tech’s Alternative Spring Break program. While in Atlanta, Tech students volunteered at several homeless shelters. It was through that experience that Traylor connected his newfound leadership skills with another new passion: serving others.
“It’s one thing to hear about it, but it’s another thing to experience it first-hand,” said Traylor. “We had a chance to talk to some of the people who were experiencing homelessness. It broadened my perspective, and it made the issue feel real.”
Traylor returned to ATU primed to become a leader for one of the university’s largest and most active student organizations, Because We Can.
He describes participating in the food recovery program through which Because We Can members and Chartwells, Tech’s food service provider, distribute extra food from ATU’s Chambers Cafeteria to local relief organizations as his most fulfilling achievement.
“Food insecurity affects our area and the world around us,” said Traylor. “Some people don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Knowing all of that food goes to help the community makes me proud.”
Once the food recovery effort was on solid footing, Traylor and his Because We Can peers took on a new challenge: opening a food pantry for members of the Tech community.
The path to the creation of the Green and Gold Cupboard began in August 2016 when Tyson Foods, Inc., announced a $67,760 grant to Because We Can to begin the program.
In April 2017, Because We Can signed an agreement with ATU that gave the student group permission to access and utilize the university-owned facility at 1019 N. Arkansas Ave. so that it could become home to the food pantry.
The real work began that summer in preparation for a fall 2017 opening.
“We didn’t realize at first what all it would take to get that done,” said Traylor. “Last summer, I was there putting together shelves, cleaning, painting and helping get it ready. To see it all put together now is rewarding. I’ve been able to volunteer at the pantry this semester, and it’s great to see students and staff come in and to be able to help them. Food insecurity is happening on this campus, and it feels great to be able to help provide for my classmates.”
Graduate school and a career in social work are Traylor’s plans after graduation. He also intends on taking a year off from school to volunteer in aid of others.
“To me, leadership is being someone who takes initiative,” said Traylor. “It’s about doing the right thing when no one is looking, and it’s about making the right choices. While I’ve been here at Tech, there have been leaders all around me. One of the biggest challenges for me is not comparing myself to others. I want to be the best I can be, but my strengths are different from other people. I want to use my strengths to help others and take my own path.
“People are people,” continued Traylor. “We all have our own struggles and strengths. At the end of the day, we’re all the same. We have more in common than we think.”
