Haynes had overcome many barriers before, so she was determined she wouldn’t let this get in the way of something she was very passionate about.
After a long year of hard work, the organization received the “Organization of the Year” award from the Student Govern-ment Association as a club that “values the ideals of leadership, collaborate[s] and outreach[es] with and to fellow student organizations and dedicates themselves to serving serve Reinhardt students in a meaningful way and which has made significant contributions to the Reinhardt community or beyond.”
This made Haynes feel as if she had made a difference on campus and affirmed that the organization is taking the right step towards diversity.
Since D.R.E.A.M.S. is a pro-African American group, she sometimes worries that it scares away those of other ethnicities. The organization chose to include “African Amer-ican” within the acronym so that they could demonstrate that many African Americans can conduct themselves in a positive light and steer away from negative stereotypes.
To make the group more diverse, how-ever, Haynes has brought many students from various backgrounds, colors, and nationalities to the group and has made them feel as if they are a part of a family.
Being involved in D.R.E.A.M.S. made Haynes realize that she wants to be a part of more things on campus. She recently tried out for the cheerleading team, was offered a position on the homecoming committee, and was able to be a part of many of the events across campus. The social butterfly has now fully come out of her cocoon to be a more positive person.
She now looks back on everything and realizes that she has become a wonderful woman and a better role model for her brother. Being at Reinhardt has given her the opportunity to be more open-minded as well as the opportunity to meet people that she would have never known back home—people
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