Meet Future Traveling Nurse and Campus Leader Alondria Buggs

By Sarah Manley, ’20 ΚΑΘ

Hometown: Florissant, MO

High school: Hazelwood Central High School

Major and Minor: Biology major with a nutritional sciences minor

Sorority: Alpha Gamma Delta

What made you decide to come to Westminster?

To be completely honest, the scholarship I earned here and my amazing admissions representative is what brought me here, but the relationships and quality education I have received here is what has made me stay.

What led you to choose your major and minor?

We have a strong biology department with ties to a nursing program through Barnes-Jewish nursing school. Since I am not able to obtain my nursing degree at Westminster, I figured that a biology degree would be a nice foundation to fall back on in case my career as a nurse comes to an end. As for my minor, I had taken most of the nutrition classes on campus and was intrigued by the information I was learning in them. After a meeting with Amanda Gowin, I was convinced to pick up a self-designed nutritional sciences minor; I do not regret either decision.

What is a fun fact about yourself?

I absolutely love to give hugs! I think that embracing another person says everything you feel for them without struggling to find the “right” words in the moment.

What have you been involved with on campus throughout your time at Westminster?

My freshman year, I was obsessed with volunteering at every CAB event I could. I would like to believe that my dedication led me to my position on CAB beginning the spring of 2016. During my sophomore year, a friend asked me to be his proxy at a SGA meeting, my first SGA meeting, and it was fairly interesting to see students and faculty communicating in an effective manner to fix the issues on our campus. I was sworn in as a senator for SGA during my junior and senior year. Another position I had on campus, and dare I say my favorite, was a seminar mentor with the First Year Experience program my senior year. If it was not for CAB and the recruitment process for Greek Life, I would not have met most of the people I know and appreciate on campus.

What are some things you enjoy doing in your free time?

If I am wanting to isolate myself, more than likely I am watching Grey’s Anatomy (again) or something Disney. Beyond that I am usually hanging out with my closest friends on this campus, and we are usually playing the card game Speed, starting a new show together, or just baking cookies as a not-so-guilty pleasure on random nights.

What is something that stands out to you about the Westminster experience and education?

Something that I have noticed about the Westminster education and experience is that there is always something to be learned in every experience. For me, it never fails that I am always learning something either about myself or life in general. I feel that each experience is an opportunity to push us forward if we allow it, whether it’s acquiring a new skill or finding a way to implement something new in our lives as we are being pushed forward. As far as education, the classes for my major are tough, but if they weren’t, then I would not be a progressing student. I feel that I would be stagnant with a low work ethic and not prepared to do well in my next program. The Westminster experiences and education prepare us for what can be next.

How have you evolved from a learner to a leader?

I feel as though I learned more in my leadership positions compared to before I was in the positions. I learned things in the moments that I had to practice them, if that makes sense. I learned effective communication when discussions were being had and everyone had an opinion, and I learned patience when the personal buttons are being jammed, consideration for others when I felt I was not being considered and the list goes on.

What are your career aspirations?

My dream career is to be a domestic traveling pediatric nurse. My family has encountered many amazing nurses from our various hospital stays, and they are the reason I aspire to be them. I want to be able to be what they were for my family in our scariest times for other families. I don’t think that I can accurately put into words how much I want to be a nurse.