In the coming weeks, Karington Allen will be rightfully awarded her bachelor of interdisciplinary studies, with concentrations in criminal justice and sociology, by University College. Though her time as a student is coming to an end, her appreciation for her studies and institution continues to grow with each passing day.
“It is so important to be proud of where you come from and to have pride in the people around you,” Allen said. “I am so proud to be an Alabama State University Hornet. Like, it is the ASU, my HBCU, and I love it with everything that I have.”
Allen is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, where she lived for most of her childhood. She is the youngest of four children to Mingo and Karyn Allen, who were both attendants of ASU themselves. Allen’s upbringing was characterized by community and service as both of her parents are active in Greek culture, her mother being a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and her father a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. This community involvement set the tone of her passion for years to come.
“They always had us out helping people and doing all that we could,” she said. “They instilled that desire in me to do that for the rest of my life…. One of the main purposes of my life is to pour into others and help in any way I can.”
Allen graduated from Dothan High School in 2018 with her sights set on ASU. As a fourth-generation Hornet, she knew that no other university could be her home away from home. Her varied interests and love for general academia led her to enroll as an interdisciplinary studies major, where she could explore the wonders of multiple topics of study.
“Being an interdisciplinary studies major just allows me to try a bunch of things while still staying on track,” Allen said. “And I love that so much. It allows me to take a unique approach every time I do assignments, when doing internships, and handling issues. I can always pull pieces of information from my different minors and disciplines.”
Her widespread involvement is also exhibited through her extracurricular activities. Allen served on the SGA Publicity and Awareness Committee for the 2019-20 academic year, served as a Build-A-Hornet Mentor, the 2019 president of Enactus, the current president of the Pre-Law Society, the Success Networking Team (SNT) Coordinator for the National Society of Leadership and Succuss, and as the Health and Wellness chair and Community Service chair for Collegiate 100. While class builds knowledge, she believes that her involvement in these programs has built character and professionalism.
“All of these organizations have, in some form or fashion, shaped me in some way and allowed me to get to know like-minded students and network with them and professors,” she said. “I have really built lifelong connections.”
Through extracurricular involvement, Allen recounts her favorite moment as a Hornet. As the Community Service Chair of Collegiate 100 she coordinated collaboration with Capitol Hill Healthcare, an elderly assisted living facility, for their “Letter to an Elder” event in February of 2021. Along with others of Collegiate 100, she made posters and wrote heartwarming letters to the senior citizens of the center as they faced restricted visitation due to COVID guidelines. Allen received a video of the elders’ smiling faces as they read their letters, which allowed her to relive the feelings of humility and gratitude evoked by the service.
“To just be able to reach out to them and connect in the way that we could, it just so amazing and it made my heart so full,” she said.
She has established connections with many ASU faculty over the years but especially appreciates her relationships with Delilah Dotremon, Ph.D., and Sabrina Crowder, D.M.
Allen considers Dotremon to be a mentor and motivator as she not only encourages Allen to think bigger but also holds her accountable for her faults. She especially remembers her initial interaction with the professor, when Dotremon called her cell phone to tell her that she needed to be more intentional and specific with her career goals after showing uncertainty in a discussion post. Similarly, she thanks Crowder for the professional polishing and development offered. Allen credits many of her leadership qualities to her time spent working under Crowder in the Office of Career Services.
“I just really appreciate the way these women have poured into me and how they genuinely want to see me succeed,” she said. “That is something that I will never take for granted.”
Though she has had a positive experience as a Hornet overall, it was not always pleasant. The COVID-19 pandemic completely altered her reality as a college student searching for opportunity and experience. Despite this, she assures that she would undergo all those frustrations again if it kept Hornet Nation and the community safe.
Institutionally, she was plagued by the lack of consistent communication between the ASU administration and students and the lack of standards placed upon students. She remembers the fall semester 2019, which was dampened by several fallen Hornets. Allen was, and still is, taken aback by the absence of personability and intimacy in the messages and support offered to students.
“The students could have used more personalized communication from the faculty and staff,” she said. “This was actually somebody’s life. This was actually somebody’s friend.”
She also wishes for an increased standard of excellence and accountability across the student population. During her time in the Office of Career Services, Allen explains that she has come into contact with too many students who were not making the most of their potential or the opportunities offered. She hopes that increased encouragement, communication, and standards would not only improve relations between faculty and students, but also the overall culture of the Hornets’ Nest.
“It is not to say that the students we have are not already amazing, beautiful, and intelligent,” she said. “But the truth is that everyone is not tapping into that. Not everyone is taking their academia as seriously as they should.”
Overall, Allen appreciates the many opportunities that ASU offers to its students, whether it be access to influential people, exclusive programs, networking opportunities, and more. She considers these moments to be chances to “elevate” if such a student chooses to. Because of this, among many other reasons, she has been happy to be Hornet.
“ASU holds a special place in my heart, and I could not be more proud to walk across the stage, receive my degree, and have it say Alabama State University,” she said.
Post-graduation, Allen is set to begin the community planning master’s program at Auburn University, where she will focus on real estate and sustainable development. This is her top-choice program at her top-choice graduate school. More immediately, she will participate in an internship with the United States Department of Transportation under the Federal Highway Administration.
“Those are my professional plans,” she said. “But, in terms of my personal plans, I want to breathe.”
As she wraps up her time at the Hornet’s Nest, she only hopes that she has made her family proud. Her accomplishments make her think of J. T. Jackson, her late great grandfather who was a war veteran and well-recognized scholar.
“My favorite quote is, ‘I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams’,” Allen said. “I can only hope that he is proud of what I have done and what I have become.”
She advises rising Hornets to keep and maintain an open mind through their time at ASU. She emphasizes that ASU has a lot to offer its students, but it takes an open mind and self-motivation to capitalize on such.
Though it may be difficult at times, Allen’s story shows what happens when a student does just that.