Campus Celebrity: Lloyd Laing Jr.

Name: Lloyd Laing Jr.

Major: Accounting

Birthday: April 7th

Year: Senior

 

 

We sat down with Lloyd Laing, one of MSU’s very own student leaders. We’ve got the inside scoop on this star’s college experience, life, and goals. Always looking for the positivity in any situation, Lloyd can be found around campus with an upbeat smile framing his face. So fellow collegiates take a quick study break or a procrastination break and learn more about why Lloyd is campus celebrity worthy.

 

HCM: Who is your shining star? Celebrity, family etc.?

LL: When it comes to family it’s my mom because of her strength. I’ve never seen a woman so strong. All I can say is she truly makes the impossible possible! She literally makes the impossible possible!  When it comes to celebrities, it’s Naomi Campbell. Not only because she’s Jamaican like me but it is also because she doesn’t put up with BS. And I feel that her straight forward attitude reflects my life. I don’t put up with BS.

 

HCM: What makes a real role-model?

LL: A real role model is someone who stays true to themselves, stands up for what they believe, even though everybody else might possibly be against them. For me if I feel like I have to do something this way or execute it this way, I will do it that way. I will not be swayed or influenced by other people’s opinions. Too many people these days are too wishy washy. So whichever way the wind blows, they will blow that way. I’m a root, I’m grounded. What I believe in is what I believe in, whether you’re my friend or not.

 

HCM: What is your favorite color? 

LL: My favorite color changes every day. I normally alternate between red, blue and yellow. But occasionally it’s been white or black. But if you ask my favorite color right now then I’d say yellow. My favorite color for the day usually goes with my mood for the day.

 

HCM: What is your favorite food? 

LL: I have to give a shout out to that Jamaican food. My favorite is definitely Jamaican cow foot and oxtails.

 

HCM: What was your initial goal for college? Has this goal changed?

LL: My goal was always to be true to myself which meant to excel in school and be the best person I could be. Make sure that each day that I’m giving more than I gave yesterday but not to the point that I’m not having fun because I’m the type of person where yes, I believe success is important, but at the same time my mom always taught me you can’t stress yourself out too much about certain things.

 

HCM: What’s your favorite spot on campus to unwind or absorb campus? 

LL: I’d say on one of the benches near the pathway to College Hall. I really like sitting there just to relax, especially during spring because the cherry blossom trees begin to show. I love sitting there with no distractions and just enjoying the scenery. Another one is the area near Partridge Hall, the business school. It’s right out in front with those huge square blocks of  concrete where you can sit down. I just enjoy observing the campus and seeing others enjoying campus life.

 

HCM: Most memorable moment at college?

LL: As an RA I would say it’s a series of moments because I’m not a halfhearted RA. I literally care about the bonds with my residents. Being that I am a very transparent person, which has worked as a good and bad thing for me, people can always see how I feel about them or how happy I am. I can’t be fake with my emotions. So last year a situation had occurred in my life where I was distraught. When my residents found out about it they all showed so much concern for me and all of them gathered around me to give me a group hug.

 

HCM: Any songs on replay? If so, what are they? 

LL: My favorite song right now is by Ariana Grande called “Love me Harder.”

 

HCM: In regards to college as a whole, what will you miss the most about MSU? 

LL: The thing I would miss the most about MSU is the community. I won’t say that we are the best school in terms of affordability or other areas that pertain to a university but one thing that we do have is the community. We accept the LGBTQ community and we have a fair amount of diversity. But one thing I notice about Montclair is that we hold doors for people. And the thing is people might say “Yeah that’s not much.” But if you look around in the next few days, you’ll see if others see someone coming, they’ll make sure to hold the door for you. It’s an amazing, although small, thing because people don’t really care much about common courtesy these days. So it’s nice to see that reflected on our campus.

 

HCM: Now, although we told you why we chose you as the featured campus celebrity for the week; why do you think you are campus celebrity material? 

LL: I feel like what makes me campus celebrity worthy is that whomever I meet or come in contact with, there’s never been one person who says they don’t know who I am. To me I always want to impact people from the first moment that I meet them. People always ask me why I am always smiling or why I am so full of life. My favorite thing is to tell them that when I was in kindergarten my teacher told me “Lloyd, never stop smiling.” As a kid I had to ask why and she told me that “because your smile will make the world happy.” And I realized that when I’m smiling and living life the way that I want to live it, people around me are happier. So I realize that when I’m upset, I have to step back and make myself happy. Not because I can’t wallow in my own unhappiness but I always try to put my normal self out there because I see how it makes other people happy. And you never know how someone else’s day is going so if you just give them that extra smile or a joke then you can make their day better.  

 

We here at HCM thank the busy student and dedicated RA, Lloyd Laing, for taking time out of his schedule to sit down with us for a few minutes. But, before he left us, he passed down a few philosophical words to live by: “Some people think inside of the box, while others think outside of the box but I think there is no box.”