During the summer before her senior year in high school, Kayla Royster ’19 toured the Randolph-Macon College campus. It was, as she puts it, “love at first sight.” She had applied to eight colleges, but after visiting RMC and meeting with Admissions staff (“They answered my questions and made the application process easy,” she says), Royster joined the Yellow Jacket family.

“Coming from the small town of Clarksville, Virginia I felt right at home in Ashland,” says Royster, a psychology major. “Randolph-Macon is also dear to my heart because its original location, Boydton, Virginia, is just minutes from my hometown.”

First Steps
Royster has long had an interest in knowing how the human mind works, so choosing her major was easy.

“Psychology is also the first step in achieving my goal of becoming a pediatric occupational therapist,” says Royster, a member of RMC’s Pre-health program.

Like all new RMC students, Royster was introduced to the college’s four-year career program, The Edge, during a summer orientation session and during Welcome Week. The Edge, a personalized career preparation program, helps students acquire a competitive advantage in reaching their career or graduate school goals. Resources available to students include workshops, advising, internships, and access to an engaged alumni network.

“Since that time, I have met with staff from The Edge to create a résumé,” says Royster. “I also attended an internship seminar and an ‘etiquette dinner’—an opportunity to meet with professionals while sharing a meal. I look forward to attending more Edge programs and events.”

Life on Campus
Royster is an active part of the RMC community. She is a member of Habitat for Humanity, the Service Fellows program, the Honors program, and Relay for Life. Her work with the Service Fellows is especially gratifying.

“We made stress balls for children at Gandy Elementary School, and we will be helping with the Big Event on November 20 by cleaning up the town of Ashland as we connect with residents. Volunteering in the community truly touches my heart.” Her desire to help others is one reason why Royster chose her career goal. “As a pediatric occupational therapist, I will assist children who have had damage to the brain, enabling them to live as close to a normal life as possible.”

Royster is grateful to be a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship and the Dr. Shelton Hardaway Short III and Dr. Jean Renner Short Scholarship.

“I am so thankful,” she says. “I look forward to exploring all that RMC has to offer, and as an alumna I hope to give back to the college, just as the Short family has. I’m getting a great liberal arts education at RMC, and I’m also making great memories along the way. I am so proud to be a Yellow Jacket.”