When Fredrick Neric first started at AACC, he drove to campus, attended classes and left. “That was essentially it,” he said. “Until I got to the (Student Government Association), I never realized how close we are as a community. … It's literally in the name.”
His involvement as vice president in the student group initially started after being recruited by a friend. Neric had never been attracted to leadership roles before but said he’s glad he stepped out and tried something new.
One of his favorite events was students coming together to make blankets for local shelter dogs. “It was so fun. … It is so cool to know that we did something for our community,” he said. “That's my favorite part, helping out the community.”
Neric recently received an award for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion around campus. “I feel like it’s just essential.”
With the SGA, Neric has learned all about the variety of clubs at the college. “It's given me such a chance to have connections that I wouldn't think would have been possible,” said the Arundel High School graduate.
Neric initially attended AACC because he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after high school. “It was appealing to take classes before going fully “all in on something.”
“AACC has allowed me to fully expand my ideas and what I want to do in the future and given me the time to find out who I truly want to be,” he said. “I feel it is so important right now.”
Though still exploring career paths, one of his favorites is communications. “A lot of the classes have been so thought-provoking. … It's very heavy, but it's so needed to be worth exploring.”