For Ariana Prete, a sophomore double major in political science and English, a limited number of hours in the day is not enough to keep her from excelling in her busy academic schedule and holding positions in multiple organizations on campus.   

For some students, a double-major may be enough to fill their time, but Prete needed more. Though she is only a sophomore, she is the secretary for the intramural council and was appointed the community service specialist for her sorority, FMU’s Alpha Delta Pi.   

“I was able to be appointed secretary of the intramural council as a sophomore because I became involved with intramural sports at the beginning of my freshman year,” Prete said. “When I applied for the intramural council this year, I had the highest GPA out of all the applicants, which was the deciding factor to make me secretary.”  

For her secretarial position, she takes the minutes and reviews the agenda, and for her position with her sorority, she organized a Halloween event for the Miracle League.  

Despite the packed agenda, Prete still keeps her eyes on the prize with her academics. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the honors program. Prete’s reasoning for coming to FMU was related to her academics.   

“I chose FMU because the honors program here has a lot of opportunities, and it is a smaller campus so I am able to connect with my professors on a more personal level,” Prete said.   

Academics are important to Prete because her ambition is not limited to her college career; she has big plans after graduating.   

“My future goals are to go to law school and become a prosecutor,” Prete said. “I want to help people feel safe in their communities and find justice for those who may have lost a loved one.”  

Her dream of becoming a prosecutor started her sophomore year of high school. She originally planned on being a prosecutor for the military but changed her mind after a week in Fort Jackson.  

“I realized that I wanted to do more for people in my community in legal terms instead of militant terms,” Prete said. “I always enjoy my government classes and learning about how lawyers could bring justice to families by working to put criminals away. This inspired me to want to do the same and bring closure to friends and families who maybe have lost loved ones.”  

Her drive brought her to where she is today, but she attributes all she has accomplished to two key figures in her life: her parents.   

“I would like to shoutout to my mom and dad for always believing in me and pushing me to do my absolute best,” Prete said.  

Though her ambition and successes may seem like the product of superhuman drive, Prete is still subject to the human trial of stress. She is no stranger to the harrowing feeling of increasing deadlines, overly filled schedules and varying demands across all aspects of life; however, she has learned how to manage it.  

Prete incorporated small habits and goals throughout her everyday life to help relieve stress. She enjoys playing sports or card games with her friends. She feels that anything she finds joy in can help to clear her head of stress.  

“For any struggling students, I would suggest fitting at least thirty minutes of something you enjoy every day into your schedule,” Prete said. “This helps me to relieve stress and to keep a positive mindset when school gets tough.”