From the classroom to the workplace to the volleyball court, being a leader requires more than just technical knowledge and expertise. It requires a willingness for self-discovery, an eagerness to help others and a drive to make a positive impact. Honors College alum Nya Buckner, ’22, embodied these principles during her time in the Honors College and continues to positively impact the Oregon State University community today.
Nya attended high school in Arizona before coming to Oregon State University, where she was on the women’s volleyball team, serving as team captain. After four years, she earned an Honors Bachelor of Science in biology and microbiology, with minors in chemistry and psychology. After initially intending to pursue medical school, Nya’s involvement with the community opened her mind to new paths and opportunities. She found that “the more hands-on experiences I got, the more I found the idea of medical school wasn’t ticking the boxes for me.” Nearing the end of her undergraduate studies, Nya realized that she found the most joy through giving back to the community. She actively participated on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Honors College Council and in this engagements discovered her love of learning about and advocating for others. She decided, “Let’s put medicine on hold. I can always go to med school, but I don’t want to do that now and regret it later.”
After graduating in 2022, Nya began a Master of Education program at Oregon State specializing in adult and higher education. Fueled by a belief in the power of higher education to change lives, Nya found this program to be a great next step in pursuing and developing her passions.
She also became the chief of staff for the Associated Students of Oregon State University executive branch. In this high-level student leadership position she works with university administrators and collaborates with other cabinet staff members to implement student policies and programming. She describes her experience as a journey of discovering more about Oregon State University and addressing the issues students face. She also sees her work as the practical extension of her graduate program, where she continues to engage in higher education diversity, equity and inclusion programming. She says, “I think it is amazing how everyone’s journey led them to OSU, and now we’re all here together.” Recently, Nya received the Oscar Humberto Montemayor Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for her work with ASOSU. Looking forward to the next academic year, Nya is hopeful to continue promoting these values.
Nya values her honors education because of how she feels it prepared her for the world outside of Oregon State. She recalls, “I think the Honors College prepared me to persevere. There was a point in my undergrad when I didn’t want to complete my honors degree and felt it was too much. I did not think I could do it, but with the support they gave me, I was able to find my path and tailor my curriculum to my interests.” Nya still names her thesis defense as one of her favorite memories of her undergraduate years, calling it a “core memory as it proved that I could do hard things.” Nya’s thesis, “A Comprehensive Analysis of NCAA v. Alston and its Implications for the Collegiate Sports Model,” explored the historical and policy contexts of providing benefits to student-athletes.
When considering a future after her graduate program, Nya only has one thing in mind: helping others. She adds, “I am not set on one particular career path or field, but I want to feel like I’m actually helping people.” Her advice to students is not to be afraid to try new things and expand one’s comfort zone. Nya recommends, “If you’re trying to find your path, often you can’t find it, but that’s because you may not even know it exists. It is always worthwhile to try new things and see what else is out there.”
By Jax Richards, Honors College Student Writer
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