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When Zack Buster started at AACC, he was taking all his courses online while working at Chick-fil-A. He was studying communications, but he wasn’t really sure why other than he had taken a personality test that suggested it would be a good fit. As he became more involved and talked to professors, that gradually changed.
“I mean, firstly I'd have to thank Sharon O'Malley in the Communications department. … I have to credit her with really bringing me out of my shell a little bit and allowing me to be a better version of myself,” he said.
Getting more involved started with O’Malley’s invitation to a party for the Campus Current, the student newspaper. He decided to check it out, not knowing at the time it would open the door to a whole new college experience for him.
“I felt like I fit in. I felt like I belonged. I was like, ‘Oh, is this what college is supposed to feel like?’ It's not supposed to be sitting behind a screen and just raising your hand in class every now and then. It's getting involved and it's redefining yourself as the college motto says.”
Buster challenged himself to break out of his shell. He eventually took over as editor-in-chief of the Campus Current, honing his communications skills. But he didn’t stop there. He was elected president of the Student Government Association in his second year at AACC. And he’s a legislative intern for Maryland Sen. Alonzo T. Washington.
These experiences have challenged the self-described “extroverted introvert.” But the roles he’s taken on have helped him gain confidence and learn his life’s purpose is to make a positive impact in the world. He might not have discovered that if he hadn’t come out from behind the computer screen and gotten involved on campus.
“Life's fun. There's a lot of ups and downs in life, but you only get those ups and downs by going out there and experiencing it.”