As President of the National Resident Hall Honorary (NRHH), member of the Resident Hall Association e-board (RHA), and photographer for Pearl Magazine, Donalda Leveille hardly has a free moment.

Leveille is double majoring in Political Science and Journalism with a minor in Media Arts. She started out as the Of the Month (OTM) coordinator of NRHH and worked her way up, becoming president this semester. NRHH recognizes other organizations and people who are committed to improving our campus. However, just being a member yourself is already an accomplishment, since either another member or your Residence Hall Director (RHD) can nominate you. On Mar. 25, they will be doing just, as they are holding their induction ceremony to recognize and honor both old and new members.

When asked what inspired her to get involved on campus, Leveille said, ‘I was always involved in high school, so it just came natural to me. I started going to LEG and had so much fun, that I decided to not stop there. It’s always better to be busy than to be idle.’

Many students find it hard to juggle school, clubs, and their personal life. Leveille advised, ‘Don’t let your extra-curricular activities get in the way of your academics. It’s important to have a balance. You have to be organized.’ Her advice to students was to make a to-do list. ‘When I start to get overwhelmed, I make a list of everything I need to do and deal with it one thing at a time.’

She still makes sure to save some time for things she really enjoys doing as well, whether it be reading or one of her biggest loves – art. Drawing since the age of six, she thinks it was ‘The Lion King,’ which first inspired her. Her talent got her into the Fashion Institute of Technology. However, following her parents desires, she instead came to SBU. Leveille, with no regrets, still made it work, allowing her love of art to come through in her photography. ‘I’ll always be an artist at heart,’ she remarked.