“Good. Better. Best. Do not rest until your good is better and better is your best.”
This is a quote that new Alabama State University graduating senior Ariana Buck lives by.
For the senior communications and recording technology major, her four years at the university have been one of growth and development.
Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Buck exchanged the “fast-paced” city for a slower, more secluded one in Montgomery, Alabama.
As the youngest of two children, Buck came to ASU following her mother, father, and grandmother’s footsteps. Her parents, Gregory Buck and Nuntiata Buck, met at the university where they fell in love.
During her tenure, Buck has met some very influential people in her life. One of these has been her advisor Michael Bean. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced many into confusing and unknown territory, Bean aided Buck as students returned to campus and helped her back on track with her classes. He fought for her to get into classes she was originally told she could not get into. She credits him for being a big factor in her graduating in the spring 2022 semester, something that had been in question in the past.

She looks back on her time at the university with many fond memories. One of them was her first time going into the Tullibody Fine Arts building on campus during her freshman year. As a lover of art, it was a great experience for her.
“Where I am from, there are a majority of white people,” Buck said. “So seeing Black people actually being in the arts and having to look up to somebody and say ‘that is an artist my age’ is pretty cool to see.”
Buck was always into art when she was younger. She would hang out with artists, go to a lot of museums, and have a lot of art in her room. She even had the opportunity to go to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago after graduating high school. Buck chose to attend ASU instead.

“Doing art 24/7 is cool, but not for me. I like to do it on my own time, so when a teacher is telling me ‘turn in this assignment it is not my thing,” Buck said.
She was also a student-athlete in high school, participating in softball and swimming, where she was a state champion in both. She loved going to football games too, something that she continues to enjoy while at ASU, especially for the band.
Despite coming to ASU as a freshman, biology pre-health major, she soon switched over to communications and fell in love with recording technology. Coming from a musical family where everyone played some kind of instrument, Buck’s decision seemed inevitable. Ever since she started working in recording technology, she has consistently shown improvement.
Along with being in the communications department, Buck has been part of a few organizations on campus as well. As a freshman, she was a part of the university’s Street Team, a hype organization for ASU events. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Buck has been active on campus for the organization as well. She is also a member of ASU Sound, an independent record label at the university.
With everything she has done at the university, Buck has surely left a mark on those she has interacted with, although she may be too “humble” to admit it.
“I am the only female in my department, so I know that is a big difference because I am in music,” Buck said. “A lot of females do not do music. They sing. I am behind the scenes, so I make the beats, I master it. I do what I need to do. I dabble in everything I can get my hands on.”
She has also been one of those people you can count on to make you laugh or put a smile on your face. Labeling herself as a “jokester,” Buck has enjoyed making people laugh ever since she was a kid. With her laid-back personality, she has built many great relationships at ASU.
In her four years at ASU, Buck has noticed some of the challenges the university needs to address. Her first is the need for the university to put more into the staff and make sure they are equipped to do their job the best they can.
Another issue she has dealt with is the students and the culture at ASU. As a legacy student, she knows the “old ASU ways” and does not feel that it is the same anymore.
“State has changed because of the students,” Buck said. “They are not really motivated to be a part of the ASU way but the people are what make up the place.”
She does not put all of the onus on the students; however, believing that the administration has to “give students something to be happy about.” One of her ideas was movie night on the quad, one of her favorites during her earlier years.

“Everybody wants to outsource, but there is just enough right here. You just have to ask, and you have to know people,” Buck said.
She also feels like the alumni could be more involved. She would like to see them more often than just when there are big events or big football games. It is something that she would like to change but is not sure how. Because of this lack of visibility, she has expressed some hesitation about joining an alumni association.
Despite some of her issues with the university, she owes a lot of her growth to ASU. Buck explained that coming to the university from the “melting pot” city of Milwaukee was a “big jump” for her. Being so far away from home forced her to grow up because she could not depend on her parents to do things for her.
“You cannot call mom and dad and say ‘can you help me do this?’ No, it does not work like that. You have to get up at 7 a.m and go to the financial aid office, get your balance clear, then go to class,” Buck said.

Her mother’s quote, “Good. Better. Best. Do not rest until your good is better and better is your best,” details her journey at ASU nicely. When she came to ASU she was “good.” During her time at the university, she got “better.” Now that she is on her way out she feels like she is at her “best” and can succeed at anything she does.
She has made a lot of progress in her music, saying that she is making her favorite music right now. Throughout her time at ASU she has had the opportunity to work with other artists and producers, which has heavily influenced her growth as an artist. She has done a lot for someone who did not really like music until she came to ASU.
When she faced challenges at the university she always kept a few things in mind. First, no matter how dark and bleak things looked, “there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.” Second, she was never alone when she had problems or needed help with something.
“I had a bunch of people around me. I had a good group of friends. I knew somebody that knew somebody to help me do what I needed to do,” Buck said.
It is because of her support system, love and passion for music, and constant desire to do better than Buck has worked her way to where she is currently. Upon graduating on May 6, Buck plans on moving to Nashville, Tennessee, and working at a radio station, continuing to produce music. She plans on being a notable name in the future.
“Just know you’re going to know Arianna Buck for sure in the future. Just know that name. Keep it in the back of your brain. I will be in a little fine print at the bottom. Those people make the most money,” Buck said.