“I think we shouldn’t lose hope, and we should channel the inner parts of our ancestors and the people who have paved the way for us to be here today.”
Lydia Kelley is a CSUF and UCLA graduate student. She did her undergrad studies at Fullerton, where she also served as President of her sorority, Sigma Kappa, on the Board of Directors, and as President of ASI.
Kemdi:
Hi Lydia, thank you again for taking the time to sit with me today for this interview. Could you tell me a little bit about your history with Cal State Fullerton? What made you decide on your major?
Lydia:
I think for me, the thing that stood out was the communications programs. There weren’t a lot of notorious ones I felt like Cal State Fullerton had a very diverse program, and that it offered many different areas that you could study in a different emphasis, and I knew that at the time I wanted to go into broadcast journalism. So I chose Fullerton because I knew there were a lot of connections that could help leverage my industry experiences.
After my 1st year. I started working in the Daily Titan newsroom, and I thought I wanted to do broadcast journalism. I was covering breaking news and sports, but I decided to shift over to Public Relations because I knew I wanted to get a little bit more of maintaining a Brand’s image and kind of that experience in corporate Pr. So I switched over, and then I kind of had a whole career shift, because I started getting involved in student government. That’s where I found my newfound love for public policy, and I started working in a board of directors role for the College of Communications. I was also in my sorority at the time, so I was president of my sorority.
I’d worked my way up starting as a delegate representing our cohort or our class. I ended up going into the Board of Directors, which then prompted me to run for ASI president. I started in student government, and that funneled my career and everything to kind of where I’m at now. I finished up in 2023, and I’m now pursuing my master’s in education.
Kemdi:
Can you talk a little bit more about your experience with Daily Titan and Ally Global?
Lydia:
Fullerton requires an internship, and I think it’s a great way to get your foot in the door. So I started with Daily Titan and worked with them for my entire freshman year. I started, covering breaking news on campus, and the 1st story that I had assisted on was the campus murder which is so crazy to think about.
I got to do a lot of really good stories, though. I got to cover our basketball games. I was there when we beat UCLA back in 2019 for men’s basketball. Just really great stories and being able to cover a lot of breaking news. Then I shifted to the social media side. That’s when I became a social media editor and I was able to cover all of our social media stories. so running the giveaways, the prizes, and all that, basically community engagement aspects of engaging with the students.
Then I noticed that we had an internship requirement for our program, and I had just switched to public relations. I had 40 hours to find an internship. Luckily, my professor reached out and said hey, I have a connection in West Hollywood, Allied Global Marketing. It changed so much for me because I still freelance for them to this day. It opened a lot of doors and opportunities. I was able to work on projects with so many different companies because they represent a lot of different companies whenever there are upcoming film and television releases, red carpet events, and screenings. O one of the accounts I got to work on directly was for Disney, all the upcoming Disney movies and promotions and things like that. They also let me hop around and get to know a little bit of Los Angeles, which I think ultimately prompted me to come to UCLA and have a little bit more of the entertainment background, but also be able to explore policy areas as well. So I just feel it helped me get very well-rounded. I’m still really close to the staff and everyone in LA today.
Kemdi:
So you talked a little about your involvement with ASI, both as President and Board of Directors, did you have any experience previously that had prepared you for this role?
Lydia:
I ran in high school, and I always tell people this, because if I had never run and never did it, I would have never been the person or where I am today. I ran in an election in high school to be the student body treasurer or something. I didn’t win and it discouraged me because I am very passionate, and I think from a young age I always knew I wanted to lead, help people, and make a difference. I went to a very privileged high school where there were a lot of people from different backgrounds who may not understand and just have specific positions of privilege that I think as a woman of color I didn’t have. When I got to college I just found this new confidence, because Cal State Fullerton is very diverse, and I saw a lot of people that looked like me and had similar lived experiences that were upheld and talked about. For me, it opened a new door to want to get involved in student government.
A lot of my friends are in student government. A lot of my sorority sisters were involved. So I was able to run as a board of directors thanks to a mix of different people from all over the campus, and that got me in the door as a board of directors. I thought about the ASI Presidency because I thought, I’m sorority President, how can I leverage this connection and get more involved to help students at Fullerton? I ended up running with another person that was also in Greek life, and I think, having Greek life and that experience helped because we were able to get fraternity and sorority life involved and just leverage those connections.
Kemdi:
What was it like to work your way up through the ranks of ASI and how would you describe your work/life/school balance at the time?
Lydia:
There were a lot of challenges towards the end with work, life, and school balance because it was May 2023 and I was about to graduate. I’m traveling every month to Sacramento and DC. I went to a CSU campus each month, trying to balance and make sure I was preparing for graduation and commencement, and all of those events and things, I think, were a bit challenging also. I feel I was held to a higher standard number one because to my knowledge, I believe I was the 1st black female student body president that Cal State Fullerton has ever had. I’m mixed, I’m half black and half white, but I think you know, being able to represent the largest CSU of over 40,000 students and have that impact and being able to lead as a person of color is big.
At the time, we had the wellness initiative that we were launching. I was speaking to Joe, the current president a couple of weeks ago, and they just passed it through the board of directors. It’s just nice to see that our work has continued on with wellness and the Wellness initiative and being able to help students. I think at the end of the day, there’s so much more to me than a position title, a paycheck, and the image of it all. I think it’s really about helping students because we’re under a lot of threat with, the current political space. Our students rely on financial aid and having students who come from low-income backgrounds and underserved minority communities. they need someone to speak to. I’m that person who has similar lived experiences and shares some of those similar identities, so being able to be the voice and sit on committees was very powerful. I think there were challenging times, especially because I’m a woman, and you know some committees were all males or some committees were all predominantly white males, or sometimes it was all faculty or all staff, and you’re the only student. If you’re on like a search committee, or Academic Senate, there’s a lot of weight in your voice, because you are the only student, and I think it’s powerful.
I felt very supported in my role and empowered and encouraged, and I was not afraid to speak up. If you know something had ever happened, or if someone had ever, asked for my opinion on a committee, I was more than happy to be able to provide and just ultimately represent the students.
Kemdi:
Speaking of helping students. What advice do you have for people who aspire to reach leadership positions similar to the ones you once held?
Lydia:
I think for me, remembering your why and what you want to do. A lot of people want to be in a leadership role so it gets competitive. You may feel discouraged about an election or a campaign. That’s when you focus on your why and what is bringing you and keeping you here. And who are you trying to help? Who is the community that you want to represent? So advice that I would give is to start with the why.
It’s also so important to build your connections right when you’re in school, making sure that you’re making those connections with your professors, and leveraging your network, because ultimately it’s not just you running you are running with your whole army of people that support you. Having your community and having that space where people can support you and be able to, help leverage a campaign, you know who’s going to be there, standing outside when you need votes, or who’s going to be there, supporting you and speaking to your word and your character. You want to make sure that you have that experience just by being able to connect with people and support people.
Kemdi:
Speaking of leadership, what would you say your top 3 leadership qualities are? Also, what leadership style do you think is the best?
Lydia:
I just took a class at UCLA this past quarter on leadership. I think the style that sticks to me the most is servant leadership, because it puts the needs of your constituents, the people you’re serving, before your own. As a leader, you may have a great idea, or say that this this specific policy will benefit a certain group of people. But you have to go out and survey and engage the public and have those conversations and make sure of the people and the policies that you’re putting in place.
I think servant leadership is the one that allows you to best utilize your resources and also make the best decisions for the whole group. It’s giving attention to everyone around you and being able to have empathy and understanding, even if you haven’t had the same lived experience as someone. It’s asking how can you put policies and practices in place to support that group of people.
In terms of the best qualities, Number one. be ready to hustle because you’re going to get told no, so many times. You’re going to have so many doors closed on you. After I graduated from Cal State, Fullerton, I applied to UCLA for my master’s in public policy, which is what I’m currently doing now. Originally, I applied right out of graduation, class of 2023 student body president, and sorority President, so I had the resume. I applied to the program, and I didn’t get in, and that discouraged me so much. But at the end of the day, I used that discouragement, and I used that no to turn it into a yes, and I did everything that I could. I met with the director of student affairs. I met with the Director of Admissions. I met with all the people that I could. I started researching the professors that I wanted to be taught under, and I ended up getting a full-ride scholarship to UCLA for my master’s in the next year, and I realized, that door closing was just an opportunity to show me that there was something so much more and so much better. It showed me how much I had to put in the hard work for something. Don’t let closed doors and no’s discourage you, because at the end of the day, you are going to get your yes, you’re going to get an opportunity, and a door is going to open
Number 2, I think, being humble, getting my rejection letter, I think, humbled me so much, and I’ve had this different kind of aura of energy around me because I feel very humbled in knowing that you can’t. You can’t let yourself like you can’t let positions and titles and things get to your head. You have to just sometimes sit back and humble, and know like moments of grace, and also celebrating your wins and celebrating yourself, but in a way that is also humbling and is respectful to others, and I think that’s really what that whole experience had kind of taught me.
Kemdi:
You speak a lot of the setbacks you encountered throughout your journey, how important was your support system in helping you persevere through those challenges?
Lydia:
Right now, I’m doing something that I don’t know anyone else has ever done. There isn’t a blueprint for me, so I rely a lot on my support system. I’m pursuing 2 masters. I’m at UCLA for a master’s in public policy in my 1st year, and I’m doing my second year at Cal State Fullerton for a master’s in education. I’ll be graduating this May 2025. So I’m in 2 different master’s programs at 2 different schools 2 hours away. A lot of back and forth.
I knew that this opportunity was meant for me and everything aligned for me to have the scholarships, the funding, and the housing, everything was just ordained and aligned. I do rely on that support system, because, you know, there are times when I have 10 homework assignments in a week, or I’m in Midterms week. I know next semester will be a slash quarter. I’m going to have my comprehensive exam, which is your final exam for Cal State, and I’m also going to be in Midterms week at UCLA.
It’s a lot of words of encouragement. People text me and say, hey Lydia, I hope you have a great day today, you’re doing great, or some of my friends will send me audio messages, or they’ll just call and check up on me, and just ask me how I am. How are you as a person? I think for me, my family is huge. We have our family group chat that we text in all the time. Both of my cohorts are great. I have a great study group and very supportive professors. They know that I’m in 2 different programs, my academic advisors. Having those people around me who support me, I think, means everything.
Kemdi:
What self-care techniques do you use to de-stress and bring yourself back down to earth when things get too overwhelming?
Lydia:
The most important thing is having your happy place. What is the place that you can go to and just feel happy and not have to stress? It should you feel calm. You’re relaxed. Everyone has a happy place. I’m in Westwood and my happy place is the beach, I live 15 minutes away from the beach on a good day when there’s traffic it can be like 30. I love the beach, and I will just go and sit on the beach and I’ll watch the ocean, and the waves, and I don’t have to stress about school. I can just relax and take in nature and just have gratitude for all the things that I’ve already accomplished, and also remind myself that it’s okay to celebrate the things that I have done because a lot of times, especially in an environment like UCLA, you compare yourself to others. This person has this, they have a fellowship here, they have an internship here, they have a scholarship from here. I always remind myself in my happy place of just peace and taking in everything. So that’s the 1st thing.
I think the second thing, too, for me is the gym. I know this is like fitness and health, and I like making sure I’m taking care of myself. My overall. Mental health and fitness are huge, so I always take time and make time to care for myself whether that’s, you know, going to the gym, working out, or taking a fun fitness class. La has so much opportunity here. So there’s something for everyone. So that’s what I’d say is the most helpful for me.
Kemdi:
You talked earlier about switching majors, how did you go about figuring out what you wanted to do, and who helped you throughout that process?
Lydia:
I didn’t just wake up one day and say, oh, I want to go into public policy. Politics is my area. I think over time when I was in student, both in the student body president role and my sorority role, I saw things that I wanted to change. We need more women of color in our sorority. Hey! How can we better support our black students at Cal State Fullerton? I don’t know how it is now, because I think Cal State Fullerton is doing a fantastic job with black student success. But there was an issue where black males were literally on a downward pattern of dropping out of this school, you can look it up online. So I think a lot of the questions that I have can be solved through public policy because you can set policies and practices of better supporting a group of people. And I love that about policy. A lot of these things that I would see as student body President, or I’d visit other campuses and say, Oh, my gosh! We need this at Fullerton, or, Oh, my gosh! How is this working for you and your students? It opened the door, and then when I got to go to Sacramento and meet with different offices, I was like, this is amazing.
So then I got an internship with 2 local Congressional offices. I started in my hometown with Congresswoman Norma Torres. and then I moved to Congresswoman Katie Porter’s office in Orange County, where I was able to manage constituent casework with Federal agencies. I was able to help people with Uscis, which is the immigration services I was able to help them get interviews, and I mean I was told no a lot more times than I was told yes. But even the one person or the one group of people that I was able to help, really made an impact on me, because I was able to manage casework and help people who serve in the military with the VA benefits, and just work with all these different Federal agencies to help constituents directly in the district that I reside in. And I just really felt like the impact there. And so I think, go where your heart calls you
I love writing, I could have been a journalist for the rest of my life, and I probably would have been a pretty damn good journalist, but I didn’t feel challenged. I wanted to go somewhere where I felt challenged. I want to be in a room where I feel like I’m the dumbest one because I can learn and grow.
Kemdi:
Speaking of UCLA, it’s a popular place for protests. Were you on campus during the Palestine protests last year?
Lydia:
Wasn’t. So I’m a 1st year here. I just started in the fall, September. So all of that had happened. I knew that I had been accepted when I saw them. I was in my 1st year at Cal State for my master of education program, but I was watching closely on the news, and I think it very much is a hub for political activism. And it is obviously like we’ve seen things in the media. This is a hub for you to share your voice and have that platform.
How could the institution have handled things better? Or what could policies be in place? What kind of policies could have been in place to better support students? You know there’s so many questions that I have. How are people allowed to come from outside of the campus that are not even part of it to pepper spray students like, you know, there are so many questions that I have, that I think policy, not to say, is the solution. But I think it’s a part of it.
Kemdi:
Has your work with Katie Porter and Norman Torres inspired any further political aspirations?
Lydia:
Yes, my dream job, at the end of the day, is to go into policy analyst work. I think after this, do policy analysis, I’d love to do it right now. I’m doing international affairs. emphasis. I just accepted a fellowship for the summer to do work for the Federal Government and international affairs. It’s the David Rosenthal Fellowship. I don’t know anyone who’s gotten it before, that I know personally, but I know it’s a very prestigious fellowship, so I’m excited. I just got that this week. I’d love to do work for the next 20-30 years in some sort of international policy analyst role. I’d be able to work on a global scale of helping people in 3rd world countries with education and helping women because I’m all about women’s empowerment. I’d love to go that route. There’s also a part of me that sees law school in the picture.
I think my life has prepared me for a career in the government, I’ve always felt there’s something bigger within me. I don’t know exactly what it is. I can’t tell the future, but I’ve always felt like I’m destined for something great. Currently, I have 12-hour days,7 am- 7 pm several days a week. I think for me having that balance and having that life, I’m used to the hustle.
Kemdi:
In terms of public policy and systematic change, what topics are you hoping to work towards in your career?
Lydia:
I like global affairs because I want to explore an entity that I haven’t experienced right now. My area of interest is education policy. I’m doing a master’s in education. Education policy is great. I think there are so many areas of improvement in education, and I think education truly is at the forefront of everything. If you think about it. education is the tool that prepares you to go on to take on the world, and if I can help people internationally with education and resources and access to tools that can help them.
That’s when I know I’ve done my job or my purpose because I sit back and think about people who don’t have the right and I am reminded of the rights that I have today and my ancestors who died for the rights that I have today. Being able to vote, and participate in elections civic engagement is so important, and it breaks me to hear that people are like, Oh, I didn’t have time to vote or Oh, I’m not interested in politics when it’s so important. It’s at the forefront of everything that we do because education number one is a powerful tool, right? I think It serves the greater good and investing in your education.
It changes the trajectory of one’s life, being able to have that access and being able to be educated on topics. I love kids. I love working with youth and K through 12 schools. I think kids are just so innocent and it really can impact the way that they’re engaging because I know Orange County public school districts. I was just on a call right before this talking about how the Orange County School district voted to ban critical race theory in the classrooms. Critical race theory is at the forefront of teaching students about our history Making sure that students see people who look like them in books and making sure that they know that they are seen and heard in the classroom.
Another area I’m passionate about is women and women empowerment. I work in the sports industry as my day job. I work for Titan Athletics as the community engagement coordinator. in the sports industry. If you watched the Super Bowl, every single commentator who was sitting on that panel was a male. There’s not a lot of space or voices and women have to often fight, to have a space and have a seat at the table and to be heard, and we’re often held to higher standards of having to perform or taking time off to raise a child, or, held to these different standards when men are just held to a completely different standard.
Kemdi:
You kind of already answered this but where do you wanna see yourself in 10 years?
Lydia:
I see myself doing some federal work, some global policy analyst positions, or maybe a director position in some sort of community civic engagement. I love the community aspect, and I think it’s not just policy I like. You need to be able to have a personality and engage with people. I do see myself like I would love to do some keynote speaking events, speak at some colleges, speak at some events, go to conferences, travel, and publish some research. I think the world is limitless, and I don’t ever want to put limits on myself, because you never know where life will take you, and where you’ll end up.
Kemdi:
A lot has changed in the past few months in terms of politics, how do you stay optimistic in the face of so many sweeping changes in government?
Lydia:
I’ll say what I said with the election results. For me it’s not a matter of political party you can be a Democrat, you can be a Republican, and you have a right to that. That’s what is beautiful about America, that democracy. I think this election was a matter of right versus wrong, not a political party. If you have someone who is not fit to be even working at McDonald’s, how can they be the President of the United States?
I think for me what we need is hope. I’m reminded of the words of my grandmother. I wrote my statement for UCLA about how my grandparents were very much involved in the civil rights movement and the work that they did. My grandfather was working at a law firm the day that Martin Luther King was murdered. He was the only one in an all-white office.
He was like hearing cheers from the office, and he was like, Oh, what happened? They were all cheering for his death. I think about how far my grandfather stayed in that room and continued to stay to get a paycheck. and I’m reminded of the work that they’ve done. They would participate in the sit-ins and the walkouts, and as we’ve seen, history is just repeating itself. I think we shouldn’t lose hope, and we should channel the inner parts of our ancestors and the people who have paved the way for us to be here today. There are beautiful moments, and there are good people. I’m reminded that we all need more love and more community.
I feel very empowered here in LA, and whenever I come here, come back home, after being in Fullerton for a couple of days. I’m just reminded when I’m driving through the city, and I’m passing through the downtown of the power and the opportunity that there is here to be able to make a difference, and I think that feeling of energy, of just like it feels right.
Kemdi:
In closing, you mentioned before that it was difficult to pursue your career path because there was no roadmap to what you wanted to do. Do you have any advice for anyone in a similar circumstance?
Lydia:
Yeah, I think honestly take advantage of every opportunity. I always tell people to pull the student card, people love students wherever they go. So always take advantage of the student card. Students get discounts on things. Students get things a lot. You kind of get a card you get to pull as a student, and I think, take advantage of that. You’re already paying for tuition like you’re already here. Go to all of the networking events also. Don’t be afraid to talk to people, because I know it can be intimidating. That imposter syndrome is so real. Oh, my gosh! Do I belong in this space like I’m going to go up to this super well-known researcher, or I’m going to go up to this person that’s working at this firm I want to be at, and I think you have to not be afraid to go after it, and you have to not be afraid to engage with people that intimidate you, even if it’s scary.
At the end of the day, that connection could create an opportunity for you and others, the people around you, and the people that you’re going to school with. I know so many people who are just living a great career after Cal State Fullerton. I think those connections could open opportunities for you to get into the work that is meaningful for you, and that will make a difference. So utilizing those connections, don’t be afraid to go to events. Put yourself out there, and get involved. It can be so easy, especially at Fullerton, because there are so many students. After being at Cal State Fullerton for almost 6 years, I got a chance to get to know the campus on a deeper level. There are so many faculty and people who care for students.
Kemdi:
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today Lydia. I wish nothing but the best for you in your career. Is there anywhere our readers can reach out to you?
Lydia:
Thank you so much. You can find me on Instagram @lydiagkelley and LinkedIn as Lydia Kelley.
