Ally Wells
Meet Ally Wells
Senior management major Alexandria “Ally” Wells frequently uses the word “adventure” to describe the wide variety of experiences she has enjoyed during her time at ETSU. The Long Beach, California, native, who spent her teenage years in Memphis, has been involved in many aspects of campus life. Among her most meaningful adventures at ETSU are participation in Quest for Success, a college transition program for underrepresented students; LeaderShape, an intensive retreat focused on team-building and leadership skill development; and her 2017 Alternative Spring Break trip to Alabama, where, in addition to helping children in an after-school program, she visited sites significant to and met individuals who were instrumental in the Civil Rights movement. She graduates in May, and while she awaits a response to her application to a prestigious law school, she also has an interview scheduled with a postal and logistics company in Atlanta.
Q: You are currently the attorney general in the Student Government Association. How did you get involved in SGA?
A: Honestly, it was an accident. Someone I know was running as a senator, and I thought, “You know, I could run as a senator.” But I had missed the deadline for application to run for election, so I was like, “Well, I guess I’m not doing it. Fate has told me.” But there was an open forum for people who were running for SGA … and I just showed up. They gave me three or four minutes to do my spiel. I ran as a write-in candidate and didn’t get elected, but I was appointed that August. So it all worked out in the end, but it was an adventure to get there!
Q: What makes tutoring with TRIO Programs so meaningful for you? 
A: One of my students needed help with business statistics. I realized she had given up already. I was like, “What? You’re just starting! You’ve got three more years to figure this out. You can’t give up this early!” I tutored her two times a week for a whole semester, and I saw her grow – I saw her do better in her class, as well as become more confident in her subject, and now she’s a tutor in TRIO. So I really liked to see that progression. Plus, I really like the staff. It’s so fulfilling. I almost thought it was selfish, to a point, but then I saw these other people doing better. I love TRIO!
Q: Tell us about your experience as a charter member of ETSU’s newest sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi.
A: It was an adventure – I didn’t realize what I was getting into. I joined because a friend said, “You should totally come to one of our events.” I thought, “Okay, the worst thing that can happen is I don’t like it, and I can just leave.” But it turns out it was a game night, and I love games. I had such a great time, and a couple of days later, they extended me a bid. I really enjoyed it that first semester. I was going to meetings and went to our philanthropy events, but I wasn’t really invested and engaged until we did an event called Stroll Like an Alpha, sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, which had me spending four or five hours in one day with these people to win this competition.
Q: What has been the greatest thing for you about being part of the Marching Bucs color guard?
A: People bond when they suffer together, and that’s what band camp is – being outside for 10 hours a day. It brings you all together, but I didn’t really have that experience my junior year, when I was working as an RA (resident assistant at Buc Ridge) and got special permission to do bits and pieces of band camp. But this year, I did the whole shebang, and liked it a lot more. I liked seeing our new members become invested in this thing we helped create. That was very fulfilling, seeing how successful this program had become in such a short amount of time. This year we had around 200 members – that’s a lot for a band that’s only three years old and wasn’t expected to even start until 2016. I had such a great experience, especially with the new football stadium. Being part of the first band to perform in Greene Stadium was incredible.
Q: What is one thing very few people know about you?
A: I did hula dancing when I was younger. Where I lived in Long Beach, there was a very high number of Samoans and Tongans, and a lot of Pacific Islanders. There were a lot of Hawaiians, specifically. I’m Samoan and white, and my grandma really wanted me to experience this. She said, “This is part of your culture. You need to go do this.” I was 6 or 7, and thought, “No! I don’t want to go to dance class! That sounds dumb!” It turns out, I’m pretty good at it. So I did that for five or six years, and it was one of the best things I’ve done in my life. It was so fulfilling. I love people, and I really like performing. There was a cultural aspect I didn’t fully understand until I was in it, and there was a performing aspect, and those aspects kind of “smooshed” together to create this thing I became so passionate about.