Guest: Victoria Grigsby
Estimated reading time: 18 minutes
Robin Lee: Welcome to the Honors Spotlight Podcast. I’m your host, Robin Lee, and today we’re featuring Victoria Grigsby, a Buchanan Fellow who recently graduated in December with majors in political science and German. During her time at MTSU, Victoria made a lasting impact, earning numerous awards, representing the university in commercials and on billboards, and pursuing opportunities that took her far beyond campus, including a Fulbright experience. She’s a shining example of how honors students combine academic excellence with leadership and service. In this conversation, we’ll look back on her journey, explore the lessons she’s learned, and hear about the exciting path she’s charting for the future. So welcome, Victoria.
Victoria Grigsby: Thank you. It’s good to be here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, and what brought you to MTSU.
Victoria Grigsby: So yeah, my name is Victoria Grigsby. I’m from Lincoln County, Tennessee, a very rural area bordering Alabama, and I decided to come to MTSU. Back in high school, I had a lot of friends who were going here, but I also thought it was the perfect distance away from home. But then close enough. I can go back whenever I want to. So that’s kind of what brought me here. At the time, I was a first-generation student, so I was a little unsure of my path, but I feel like being here at MTSU has really helped me find that.
What inspired you to pursue political science in German as your majors?
Victoria Grigsby: So yeah, I have a double major in political science and German, and I started out originally just in political science. I got interested in that from AP government, primarily back in high school. I also took AP US history and AP Euro history, and those classes really got me interested in government and its processes. I’m a big nerd for it. I love like looking at election data and just all sorts of stuff. And so that was a real passion of mine. I started learning German when I was about 14 or 15 during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, back in 2019, I started, and I mainly did it out of boredom. I decided I wanted to learn a language, and my family had lived in Germany in the past, so I was like, that’s a great thing to do. I’ll learn that language. And I just found a real passion for it. And then, Dr. Langenbach, in my sophomore year, convinced me to add it on as a double major.
Robin Lee: Okay. And you came here when you first started as a freshman. You were not a Buchanan fellow. That was something that you got later, correct?
Victoria Grigsby: Yes.
How did you first learn about the Buchanan Fellowship, and what did it mean to you to be selected?
Victoria Grigsby: Yeah. So, when I first came to the Honors College, I was hearing about the Buchanan Fellowship and, of course, the amazing Buchanan room up in the library, studying there all the time. And so I was aware of the program, and I knew that it was for students with certain ACT and GPA, but I hadn’t heard about it before I came to MTSU, and as soon as I learned about it, I thought, wow, I wish I had learned about that and applied for it before I came here. But, um, my, at the end of my freshman year, I believe there was an opening in the fellowship for my year, and so they asked me if I was interested in it and if I was doing all the requirements for it. And I was just over the moon, so excited. I couldn’t believe I was getting it. It’s really helped my college journey. It’s allowed me to really focus on school, which was just amazing.
Robin Lee: That is awesome. I know there are other students who, every now and then, someone will end up dropping out. And so, they have an opening. And so it’s awesome that the students get to know their advisors through. The advisors can reach out and say, Hey, you’d be a perfect fit for this and offer that up to students.
Looking back, what was your transition like when you came into the Honors College, or even as a Buchanan fellow?
Victoria Grigsby: Yeah, so I actually I remember that in my senior year, that last semester, I was looking at MTSU and deciding if I wanted to do honors or not, and I got kind of mixed reviews. I think a lot of the people who told me no hadn’t been in an honors program, so they didn’t understand the value of it. But I decided that it sounded cool to me at the time. I was like, oh, honors, I would like that. You know, that sounds like something I’m interested in. But I found it to be really, really helpful. People said it would be more work. I never thought that it was harder. I just thought it made everything better. Smaller class sizes and just the community of it all really helped a lot. And so it became something that I’ve recommended to a lot of people. Like Honors is not harder, it’s just more focused, and it’s smaller. So, it helps.
Robin Lee: That is really good to hear because I’m like, who told you no? Dang them.
Victoria Grigsby: Some of my high school teachers. Because I was going around, I was like, so should I do honors in college? Like, is that something I should keep doing? Because I was in some honors in high school. But yeah. So, I don’t think they knew about the Honors program, what it really is.
Robin Lee: You have to go back and tell them all about it so they can recommend it to other people.
Victoria Grigsby: Yes, yes.
Robin Lee: I can’t believe it’s the teacher saying no. Like I was thinking, friends, you know? Yeah.
Did you have any early mentors, professors, or experiences that shaped your path at MTSU?
Victoria Grigsby: Yeah. So, back I’ll start, I guess. In high school, I just wanted to shout out that I had some really amazing mentors because, as I said, I’m first-generation, and I wasn’t until the end of senior year. I wasn’t even planning to go to college, and they really pushed me, though. They said, You have to go to college, you’re college material. And then here at MTSU, I was really lucky to find mentors of that quality, and even higher quality again. Mrs. Clippard in the Honors College has been absolutely amazing. I attribute so much of my success and everything I’ve been able to do to her, because she pushed me to get those fellowship applications in, found stuff that was really personalized to me that would really suit my interests and my career. And so yeah, she’s been amazing. The whole Honors College staff. Honestly, Dean Vile also but over in political science. Yeah, I’ve had some really great professors guide me along the path Dr. Carleton, Dr. Longenbaugh, and then all the ones that have taught my classes have just been amazing. Oh, and of course, Dr. Mary Evins. I have to mention her over in the Honors College. American Democracy Project.
Robin Lee: So, obviously, from the sounds of it, when you started college, you initially weren’t even thinking about college, and then you came here, and your senior year, you ended up being featured in a commercial for MTSU and on billboards across Middle Tennessee. What was that experience like, and how did it feel to represent the university in that way?
Victoria Grigsby: You know, I didn’t know about the billboard part until a couple of months ago, when we were originally just going to do the commercial that’s been played around, and that was good. I thought I didn’t know it was going to be shown as often as it is. I have people telling me, like, I see it on Facebook every day. I see you on like streaming services. You’ll come up with the commercial. And so, I thought that would be all it was, though. But then they emailed meA, and they said, also, do you mind if we put you on a couple of billboards? And I was like, yeah, sure. That sounds great. You can do that. But it’s definitely been a little weird. I’m always someone who is kind of not shy, but I just find the public eye on me so strange, and people recognizing me is a little weird. And it’s a very surreal experience, but it’s been amazing, and I think it’s helped me even with my career. Someone I was interviewing, and someone was like, You were on the billboard over Broad? And I was like, yeah, I am on the billboard. So that was really helpful. But it’s honestly been amazing. I feel so much love coming in from everyone, and it’s been a really amazing experience. Even though people recognize me now, and that’s a little strange sometimes.
Robin Lee: I think it’s interesting that you mentioned you were shy at first, because I remember one of the first articles that I did on you after, I don’t even remember what it was now, that you won, because you’ve got so many awards and scholarships. But you did seem kind of shy and more timid at the beginning. And now you have just evolved into this very outgoing person. And I think that’s awesome. And I think that speaks to a lot of college students’ experiences as they transition from freshman to senior in college.
Victoria Grigsby: I was a very big introvert throughout high school, not really a loner, but I just didn’t. Sometimes I struggled to like, talk to people, but I’ve really found my voice here and found confidence in who I am, and that’s been really helpful.
I’ve mentioned a few times now, you have won numerous awards and recognitions, including the Pia Fellowship at Princeton, being a Delta Scholar at Mississippi State University, being selected as a panelist to promote civic engagement, and even attending a university in Germany over the summer in 2024. Which accomplishment stands out the most to you and why?
Victoria Grigsby: I’ll have to say Delta Scholars, because that program, I think, is lesser known. Not as many people have heard of it, but it’s been really essential in learning what I want to do through my work. It made me realize that I want to pursue public service. I want to be in the service of others, and that’s backed up by experiences like Princeton and learning more about policy. But in the program, we got to go down to the Mississippi Delta for two weeks and to Mississippi State University, and we toured around the Delta, visiting some very impoverished communities and communities struggling with many aspects of policy. And we were just learning how we might be able to make policies that can make an impact on them. And I decided not to make my capstone project over the Delta, because I’m not from there. And I felt it was kind of wrong to make a policy because it’s a very significant, culturally significant area. And I felt kind of wrong going in because I’m not from that culture, and I don’t understand it fully. And so I decided to make my project on my hometown, and I got to make a booklet for first-generation students over there, really targeted at rural students, showing all kinds of college information for schools in Tennessee. And that was just really essential. And it was really fulfilling to me. And that showed me that I need a fulfilling aspect in whatever job I do, because I’m interested in a lot of different things. But I do know that I have to feel like I’m helping people and making an impact, and that has to be present.
Robin Lee: Yeah, absolutely. And so tell me a little about your Gilman and Fulbright experience, because your Fulbright to Wells was your first time out of the country, correct?
Victoria Grigsby: Yes.
What was that opportunity like just for your academic and personal growth and just in general?
Victoria Grigsby: So that was really important, that first step out. And I was terrified because I hadn’t really traveled outside of the South before that. And so going to Wales was really crazy and everything, everything didn’t go wrong. That could have. But I lost my luggage on the way there, and I’ve done it both times. Now that I’ve studied abroad, and the two times I have gone abroad, I’ve lost my luggage. I don’t know why that happens to me, but that was really. I loved losing my luggage that first time. You’re the only person who will ever say that. I didn’t like it at the time, but of course. But afterward, it was really helpful, because the next day I had to go out, and luckily I was in Wales. So, they spoke English, and it made it a lot easier. But I had to go out and get like all new toiletries to like back me up for the next week, that I wouldn’t have my luggage, and then had to try to figure out the British postal system because it was weird. I don’t know why they shipped things like that over there, but um, and ended up going to the wrong place, like another dorm. I had to go trek up a hill and find it. And so, it was challenging, but that really helped me grow, and it gave me that confidence I was talking about earlier, because I’ve thought to myself since, if I can go to Wales by myself, I can do anything if I can go out. I went out one night in Berlin on my own for a couple of hours, and I was like, if I can do that, being in a big city somewhere and handle myself and be safe and make good choices, I feel like I can do that anywhere. And it just gives me that confidence, especially coming from a rural area.
Robin Lee: Your family lived in Germany, and Wales was your first time out of the country.
Victoria Grigsby: My grandparents were in the Army. They were over there for a couple of years. That was the 1980s.
Robin Lee: If all of that wasn’t enough, you also found time to intern with the International Rescue Committee in Washington, DC, and worked as a political science tutor and a blue elite tour guide.
What challenges did you face along the way since your time here, and how did you overcome them?
Victoria Grigsby: Yeah. So, the biggest challenge was normally kind of myself and my own timidness as we discussed, like becoming a tour guide. I blame… Blame is not a good word, but I kind of attribute a lot of my public speaking to being a tour guide because I was terrified I was a really bad public speaker when I came here. I did a mock trial in my first semester, got up there for my first competition, and was supposed to talk for like a minute, but I just said nothing. It was so bad. Like, I was really bad at public speaking, but it might have been really intimidating to the other. Yeah, it was, it was. I was so intimidated. But, um, being a tour guide and having to talk constantly, like at least once a week in front of a good big group of people, has been really, really helpful in that. And then the tutoring, I was also just nervous. I was like, How am I going to help these kids? What if I don’t know the answers to their questions? But then it’s been really helpful, and I’ve seen a lot of people grow. When I was a tutor. Renee Tetteh, I think she’s been on the podcast previously, and she was one of my tutors, so that was just a really amazing experience. I got to meet so many people through that. But I guess the next big challenge with working for the ERC in DC was, again, just that nervousness, especially in a professional capacity, because that was the first time that I’ve ever worked a professional job. I’ve worked at like fast food and then, of course, here on campus. But that was the first time I was getting dressed up every single day, 9-5, and just learning how an office works and how to be part of that office, even though I feel like a silly intern. So no, that was really amazing, though. It was a big learning curve. I was doing translation with refugees and going to their homes, and that was really backed up that fulfillment too, from Delta Scholars that summer before, because I found that talking with those people and really being involved face to face is something that I really value in a job, but it was challenging for growth, I guess, and figuring out who I am and trying to assert myself as an adult and strong and confident.
Robin Lee: So that sounds like a really amazing experience. I don’t speak any other languages myself, and so just the thought of being able to translate and help other people in that way, I love it. So last spring, it was kind of a crowning achievement for your time here at MTSU: you won the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious awards given to a student at MTSU. A little background on it. The student who wins this award must exemplify superior character and honor, and it recognizes you as a campus leader in the significant contributions that you made to the university community.
What lessons or values from your time at MTSU do you think you’ll carry forward?
Victoria Grigsby: Yeah, so I would say definitely the biggest lesson is hard work. I’ve learned that you really can get far in life by just showing up and being there. And in my freshman year, I tried to really take advantage of that. For example, with the American Democracy Project, I was showing up. It was, oh, it was seven a m I would go and start setting up the booth for voter registration and then have to, you know, go to class and work and all that stuff later in the day. And so just learning how to get myself out there and work hard has been the biggest thing MTSU has taught me, and also, of course, the community here. I’ve always said that I think MTSU is special for its community aspect. And so learning how to build networks and really make connections with people, because I don’t like the term networking, because to me it’s just talking to people and forming connections. And there’s so much of that here at MTSU, and everyone’s so kind. And so that’s been just an amazing aspect to MTSU, something I think I’ll benefit from for the rest of my life.
Robin Lee: So now that you’ve graduated, what is next for you?
Victoria Grigsby: So next semester I’m going to be working at the Tennessee legislature. I’m not sure who under what representative. If I’m under a representative, there are some clerk positions available, so I’m not entirely sure on what aspect of that, but I’ll be working in the legislature up in Nashville. And then after that, I have a couple of different options on my plate. I’m applying to the Tennessee Governor’s Management Fellowship. That would be a 2-year commitment up in Nashville, and I would work for one of the executive agencies, basically working on a project. So, Department of Education, transportation, for example, something like that, and making a project that would serve the whole state of Tennessee. Um, other than that, I’m also looking at master’s programs and possibly other opportunities like Fulbright Austria and the Peace Corps. But I’m not entirely decided yet. I’m trying to keep an open mind to all the different opportunities out there.
How do you see your future career connecting with all of these passions that you’ve developed since you’ve been here?
Victoria Grigsby: MTSU has been really helpful in helping me figure out what I want to do. At first, I thought I was going to be a lawyer, and I was telling everyone that. But I did a mock trial, and I. I loved the Mock trial, but I did not enjoy the work. I found it kind of stuffy and boring. Some people love that, and there are a lot of people who are pre-law in the program, so that’s really what they love. It was not for me. And so I kind of gravitated more toward maybe I want to do domestic politics, but then, um, I’ve just gotten through coursework here at MTSU, really interested in international relations. And then, of course, through my double major in German also. And so, I think that’s what I want to pursue now. I’m still, like I said, open-minded to the different areas of politics I could work in. But, um, I think that that is what I want to pursue. And I’ve met so many people here. We have a large international student population that has been very helpful. The first semester, I had a global studies class that had, I would say, about half the class for national students. So, interacting with them. And I get a lot of fulfillment from that, too. And learning from other people and other cultures has really guided me into this career that I want to do. International relations. I hope that answers.
Robin Lee: Yeah, I imagine that’s probably a lot different experience than what you had in small town Tennessee high school. Very different. What is being part of the Honors College community mean to you?
Victoria Grigsby: I absolutely I walked in the doors my first year, and I was just in love with the building and the whole, I guess, vibe of the Honors College, but the community is really sold it, especially the faculty, just amazing advisors that will go out of their way to help you and find opportunities when you’re helping yourself, especially, um, and then of course, the students have been amazing. I mean, the small class sizes have been really helpful because I’ve made friends in my first couple of years when I was in those honors courses, those, I guess, separate sections of honors classes, and they’re so small that I learn their names. I still interact with them on social media. We keep up with each other, and it’s just been really amazing to find other students who are kind of on a similar trajectory. I guess they’re all kind of worried about the same things. We’re all thinking about thesis and all of this, and so it’s been really good to feel like I have a community, people who understand me, what I’m going through, and it’s just been amazing.
Robin Lee: So, is there anything else that you want to add that I haven’t thought to bring up?
Victoria Grigsby: I feel like I answered a little quickly on stuff, so I don’t know what else I could add in, but I think I’m good. I love MTSU.
Robin Lee: Perfect. Thank you, Victoria, for joining us today. Her story is a reminder of how dedication and curiosity can open doors to extraordinary opportunities. Thank you for joining us on Honors Spotlight. Be sure to like and subscribe as we continue to highlight the remarkable students and alumni of the MTSU Honors College.