Each semester, a new set of NC State students graduate, an occasion commemorated by a large commencement ceremony. Lindsay McMillan, a fourth-year studying communication and arts entrepreneurship, was selected to be the student speaker for NC State’s fall 2018 commencement.
During her time at NC State, McMillan was involved with multiple organizations on campus, like SPEAK, the African American Student Advisory Council and Wolf Village Council, as well as singing in a gospel choir. Having secured an internship for more than a year and even created her own business, McMillan is nothing but insightful and qualified to stand on stage and address her fellow graduates on Dec. 19. Dean Phillips, a senior lecturer in the Department of Communication and one of McMillan’s favorite professors, spoke about McMillan.
“Lindsay is smart, caring and engaged,” Phillips said. “I am proud to have taught her in a number of classes. Get ready, world, a game-changer is coming your way.”
Back when McMillan was in high school, she said that she didn’t know much about NC State while applying and looking at colleges. In fact, she never even heard of it until her junior year.
“Surprisingly, I had no idea what NC State was or what it specialized in, at first,” McMillan said. “When I started to get more interested and look more into it, my adviser told me she didn’t think I would get accepted. But here I am, about to be commencement speaker at my own graduation.”
When McMillan first came to NC State, she wanted to be a marketing major, in order to pursue her dream of opening up her own businesses. But as time went on, she realized marketing was not the best fit for her, so she transferred into public relations. Fortunately, McMillan was still able to complete her dream of starting her own business, a brand called The Magnolia Effect.
“The main mission of my brand is to validate under-represented examples of beauty, make the diversity of self-expression known to the public, and value and uplift all people,” McMillan said. “It is very important to celebrate the diversity that surrounds us.”
McMillan spoke about what inspired her to start The Magnolia Effect.
“When I was young, I struggled with body image issues,” McMillan said. “I didn’t see a lot of people talking about this prevalent issue in our society at the time. I wanted my feelings to be validated, and I felt like they never were. So, I wanted to do that for other people. I want others to feel love and develop the confidence to celebrate who they truly are.”
McMillan, being immersed in art for a large portion of her life, works hard to sell her own Magnolia Effect T-shirts, sweatshirts and other accessories, which she draws and designs. In addition to selling merchandise, McMillan loves to blog about her everyday experiences, or her thoughts on beauty and all its intersections. McMillan is currently developing two new projects.
“One of my projects under The Magnolia Effect is a blog series called ‘Afro-mations,’” McMillan said. “Under this project, I work to interview other black people on campus and ask them about their personal black experience. It is important to know that the black experience isn’t a monolith. I was often picked on as kid for doing the things I enjoyed doing. There is not one way to be black. This project is one way I can display that idea to others. In addition, I will also be doing a YouTube series. Here, I plan to talk about my journey, certain mantras and goals that I have for myself.”
In tandem with The Magnolia Effect, McMillan is also an intern at Black Girls in Media Inc. As the public relations intern, she helps promote many events and communicates with multiple other businesses to see if they would like to get involved. McMillan further explained what Black Girls in Media Inc. does and its overall vision.
“Very often, Black Girls in Media Inc. throws events for black women in media positions to come and network with each other,” McMillan said. “We give advice, sponsor friendship and also make connections, so that black women can get jobs and upward mobility. In my role, I write campaign plans, press kits, and my boss is actually trying to create chapters of Black Girls in Media Inc. at universities, so I am currently drafting a handbook. I have been in this role for almost a year, and I am so honored.”
When asked about how she decided to apply to speak at commencement, McMillan reflected on Phillips and how much of an impact he made on her college experience.
“Dean Phillips was probably one of my first professors on this campus that actually saw value in me immediately,” McMillan said. “He was very celebratory of the writing I was turning in, and I took more of his classes to learn and be more immersed in his teachings. He is definitely a character, and I am too, so we were able to connect very quickly. He was the one who recommended me for the commencement application. I was honored he did, and in return, he was really excited to hear that I got it.”
For her commencement speech, McMillan wants to inspire and teach her fellow graduates a life lesson that she has often struggled with in the past.
“The central topic of my commencement speech is how I viewed my success at the beginning of my college career, and how I view it now,” McMillan said. “My speech focuses on and is centralized around the mantra ‘all your accomplishments deserve to be celebrated.’ This was one thing I always struggled with. I used to be so focused on the things I wasn’t doing, which made me turn a blind eye to all the things I was. No one should feel down, because we all have many small and/or large accomplishments that are valid and celebratory.”
In addition to her speech, McMillan offered some advice to undergraduates and those who may not be graduating this semester. She emphasizes making the most of one’s time in college, and how NC State is a great environment to be in.
“Contrary to popular belief, there is a place for everyone here,” McMillan said. “The Wolfpack really does look like what you want it to look like. You can be yourself here, and you will be able to find your niche. Campus is huge, and there are so many people doing so many things. I know it’s easy to get overwhelmed – I know I did when I first arrived here – but always remember there is a place for you here.”
McMillan offered one other piece of advice.
“Your worth is there, even when you don’t think it is,” McMillan said. “You deserve happiness wherever you are, you deserve to be proud of yourself, you deserve love and a safe place. You deserve an environment where you can prosper. You can create that for yourself anywhere.”
