Haley Cummins
B.S., magna cum laude, Strategic Communications, 2021
Executive Assistant, World Relief
“Being an Alfie Scholar calls upon me to use my voice, speaking up for others as well as injustice. There is also a responsibility to take the principles that I’ve learned and to manifest them in my community and the world around me. ”
Notable: First-generation student, Additional language: American Sign Language
2019 Civility Research Project: Bullying: An Evolution in the Modern Age
Transfer Institution: Highline College, Associate of Arts, 2018
Service & Work:
Academic Coach, Community Network Council, 2018–2019
Student Ambassador, Umoja Black Scholars Program, 2016–2018
Team Lead, Community Leadership Consultant, Center for Leadership and Service, 2017–2018
Awards & Honors:
SU Shine Award, 2020
President’s List, Seattle University, 2020
Vice President, Tau Sigma Gamma Mu Honor Society, 2020 – 2021
Member, Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society
One of 100 Young Local Changemakers, Bill and Melinda Gates Discovery Center, 2019
Alfie Scholars Cohort 2019
Highline College Legacy Leadership Award 2018
Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2016
Haley’s Story
I came into this world strong and determined. Even as a little girl, I was always sure of what I wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it. In middle school, I was bullied, and this diminished my identity and self-worth. I struggled academically in high school because the curriculum did not interest me, and I didn’t know how or whom to ask for support. I lost my voice, and I didn’t know how to get it back. Just before graduation, a trusted friend introduced me to Highline College. I enrolled, and this was the beginning of rediscovering my voice and rebuilding my sense of identity. My revelatory path commenced when I became a member of the Umoja Black Scholars Program. I learned African Americans were more than just slaves; we are writers, doctors, lawyers and more. I discovered that I share in the richness and beauty of those who have gone before me. I determined to view myself as a black woman who is smart, capable, and driven. I took advantage of other opportunities to help foster my identity as both a leader and a scholar. I earned my place on the Vice President’s Honor Roll, joined the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and applied for and secured a position as a Community Leadership Consultant in the Center for Leadership and Service (CLS).
I finished the one-year Umoja program confident that I would be successful at anything. I started my second year without my Cohort, taking four classes, working two jobs, and attempting to balance it all. I quickly realized navigating Highline without the support of my Cohort was going to be lonely and difficult. I self-advised in registering for classes, not taking into account the load associated with each. I continued taking the classes and working both jobs to save for the next quarter. I burned the oil at both ends every day. Slowly the pressures of work and school began to impact me. In one quarter my GPA dropped to an all-time low of a 1.8 GPA, my student leadership position was in jeopardy, and my teetering self-worth would soon come crashing down. This was truly one of the lowest points in not only my academic career but also in life. I quickly realized I had built my identity on accomplishments instead of the solid foundation of true character. I focused more on what I did rather than who I was, and I needed to regain the values I learned in Umoja. After I lost my on-campus job, I was offered a job as a Teaching Assistant in the Honors Program. This job allowed me the flexibility and support to work fewer hours and to focus on my grades. Part of my job was to help students cultivate their voices in creating their personal statements. This work inspired me to reconnect with my own dreams and to pursue them.
After a devastating winter quarter, I was determined to apply to be the 2018 Highline College Commencement Speaker. My confidence was shaky after everything I had been through, but once I put my mind to it, there was no stopping me. That spring, I applied, went through a lengthy interview process and ultimately was selected as the commencement speaker. That June, I stood in front of 5,000 people, and in one of the scariest moments of my life, I gave the five-minute speech. That day some of my wildest dreams came true.
To anyone who is reading this and wondering if you can do it, YOU CAN. For all the ups and downs life has thrown at me, I never would’ve thought I would be here today as an Alfie Scholar, but here I am. If you feel that pull in your heart to follow your dreams, then just do it. Do not let failure be a hindrance to your success but rather a hurdle that you simply jump over to get to your dreams. Whatever you do, do it in love, and most importantly always follow your dreams because you are worth it!
Goals:
I want to consult with organizations and help them to see the value of including the underrepresented in their decision and policy-making processes, especially the decisions that have a direct impact on the underrepresented.
On Civility:
Civility is more than just an act; it is about how we choose to show up every day as individuals, choosing kindness, compassion, and care and adopting civility as a way of life. Civility can even mean sacrifice, putting the needs of someone else above our your own. However, before we can do any of this, to be civil, we must first look within ourselves. We must examine our hurts and pains that have sometimes caused biases or even hate if left unchecked. It is imperative to admit when we are wrong, ask for forgiveness when necessary and extend forgiveness even to ourselves. I believe that this internal work creates the courage to do the hardest most essential work, which is to stand up and speak out. This means exercising wisdom in what you say, how you say it, and considering the impact it may have on the other person. Dr. Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” The truth can be hurtful, and it is not our job to avoid it when it is ugly, it is our job to speak the truth in love so that hearts can be opened and lives can be changed. I believe that through this work civility can be demonstrated in our striving for a more humane and just world.
