Terrell Shealy Jr, a first-year electrical engineering student at Florida A&M, opened some doors to new opportunities as a freshman.
Hailing from Jacksonville, Shealy, 19, debuted as a Rattler and made a name for himself over one full academic year.
Shealy always knew his college career path. Some family ties run in his family, as his older sister graduated from Florida A&M University. It is no secret that Shealy knows his way around campus like the back of his hand. It took a little while for Shealy to use that knowledge to his advantage. As soon as his first semester started rolling, he joined FAMU Orange and Green Guides.
OGG is a group of team members who give tours and are highly knowledgeable about the university, its academic programs and traditions, providing insightful information about the student experience at FAMU.
Shealy explained how joining OGG made a difference from then to now.
“Welcoming incoming future freshmen to the campus to give them a sneak peek of what it feels like to be a part of the college of love and charity gives them a slight advantage,” Shealy said. “My sister had me up and down these hills. Knowing this campus well is why I want to share my knowledge with others.”
However, Shealy still needs to be satisfied. Weeks later, Shealy became part of the Student Government Association as a student liaison.
While getting involved in different organizations, Shealy maintained his academics and kept his 3.0 GPA. He was still having spare time on his hands when not busy.
His primary focus was service. Community service was vital in building a solid resume through his first year. Shealy volunteered at FAMU DRS Elementary School.
While volunteering, he made sure to help the kids in any way, shape or form, tutoring, etc. Aside from OGG, Shealy wanted to be a part of a much larger team that would open the eyes of young men and women to pursue a career at FAMU.
He was glued to the orientation leaders team, which reminded him of a lifetime experience during his orientation. That is when through OGG’s connection, Shealy becomes an orientation leader himself.
OGG and OL have similar roles, but OL is an expert in campus life, services and resources that goes into more depth and is essential for new students enrolling in FAMU.
Shealy took that role upon himself to become part of the OL team for the 2023-2024 academic school year.
FAMU became the first historically Black university to host the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop. In this event, Shealy and his OL team helped out.
Now that Shealy’s name holds weight, he joined a pageant for the National Society of Black Women in Medicine.
As their first ever Royal Court pageant, Shealy became Mr. Pink for the 2023-2024 school year.
Kamari West, his pageant brother, gave Shealy his flowers as he congratulated him on a successful pageant run.
“To see Terrell win was a great achievement for himself. We put a lot of time and energy into this pageant,” West said. “I am glad my pageant brother earned a right to be on the court.”
Shealy has one solid resume for his first year on the hill.
Taylor McKay, Shealy’s close friend, applauded him for all his efforts and accomplishments in his first year.
“Terrell is like a little brother to me; seeing him accomplish so much in his short time here is something to BRAGG about,” McKay said. “l am extremely proud and ready to see what the future has to offer him.”
As Shealy freely expresses his ideas throughout the FAMU community, there is always room for improvement in his work. As Shealy continues his academic career, there is room for more achievements on his resume for more new opportunities.