If you ever stop by Crossroads Café throughout the week, you’re quite likely to see a perky piece of sunshine with a smile on her face, and Irish crème mocha in her hand, and probably a Hamilton song stuck in her head.
This special human is Victoria Redmon, one of the most positive, dedicated, and passionate leaders that Appalachian State has to offer.
A junior here at ASU, Victoria majors in social work and has a minor in non-profit management.
While Victoria’s love for service and social causes is apparent in her education path, she also dedicates most of her free time to being a leader and improving the lives of those in her community and beyond.
Through her involvement and leadership in a vast number of on-campus clubs and organizations like SOUL, the ACT office, and Zeta Tau Alpha, Victoria lets her passion for service and community shine.
A native of Watauga County, Victoria started her freshman year at Appalachian knowing that she wanted to get involved immediately.
“I wanted to be a SOUL so bad!!” Victoria exclaims when asked what she was most excited about during her freshman year. “All of the orientation leaders seemed to have it all put together. They were just so cool.”
During her freshman year, Victoria applied to by a Student Undergraduate Orientation Leader and got the job. That summer, she spent months encouraging incoming ASU students and making an impact on their first impression of the university.
After two seasons of being a SOUL, Victoria calls it “her favorite gig in the universe.”
“You really have the chance to impact someone’s college experience. The first few days at school are really important, and orientation can make a big impact on how a student enjoys it.”
When in positions like SOUL, Victoria says that leaders have the opportunity to “set people up for success and give people motivation to be their best selves.”
Most recently, Victoria took her mentorship abilities to PHC, as she served as a Rho Gamma for the recruitment season and helped young women find their homes in Greek Life.
Anyone that knows Victoria can see the effect that she has had on her orientation students. Lunch or coffee with her often means meeting several of her former students that greet her with smiles and hugs.
“I love watching them grow throughout the years.” Victoria says of her students. “I still follow them all on Instagram!”
Victoria also uses her leadership abilities through her constant service experience with the ACT office and Grandfather Academy, which is part of the Children’s Hope Alliance.
Last spring, Victoria was a peer leader for the Alternative Service Experience to the Bronx. Victoria says her involvement with ASE and the ACT office has allowed her to begin her lifelong dream of helping people.
“Coming to App and getting involved with the ACT office really gave me the freedom to serve people. The core values of ACT and ASE align with my own, which encourages me to express those values while serving others and living everyday life.” She says. “It’s a cool way to live.”
To those that are wondering how to get involved on campus, Victoria would say “Just go for it! Try everything. If you have an opportunity, like going on an ASE, you should take it and run with it.”
Victoria hopes to be remembered at Appalachian as a leader who consistently gave her all, particularly to the things that she is passionate about, like service and SOUL.
“Those are the things that I love the most about Appalachian. Just the ability to get involved… like, leave Yosef a legacy!”