Experience: Impact

EMBRACED BY THE CLEMSON FAMILY

On a late night in November 2018, 14-year-old Lexi Reel-Pope showed up on the doorstep of licensed foster parents, Amy M. Pope '97, M '99, Ph.D. '02 and Alan Pope '95. The Clemson graduates welcomed her with open arms and she remained with them for the next three years.  The Popes legally adopted Lexi Reel-Pope at age 17, making her an official piece of their own family while also giving her a gateway into the unique Clemson Family.

Despite the fact Reel-Pope had lived in the Upstate area since birth, Amy Pope remembers her being very "Clemson-neutral” at first. However, her time with the Popes helped her to connect more to the University, and after accruing a year’s worth of credits at nearby Tri-County Technical College, Reel-Pope was set to follow in her parents’ footsteps by enrolling at Clemson University and studying human capital education and development. To ease the transition, she decided to attend Clemson’s Ready, Set, Roar! in-person orientation program for transfer students, and the experience paid off in spades. 

"She was so excited when she got in a small group with one orientation ambassador and 10 students that when she came back to me that night she said, ‘I have friends!’” Amy Pope recalls.

LEADING THROUGH LOVE 

Lexi Reel-Pope’s enjoyment of the orientation process quickly translated into a desire to make an impact, leading to one of her most rewarding Clemson experiences thus far: serving as an orientation ambassador in the Ready, Set, Roar! program.

“I remember when Lexi came for her interview the first thing I wrote on the top of her scoresheet was ‘big smile,’” says Matthew Boudreaux, interim associate director for orientation programs. “I think that energy translated very well over to the team and then into her students as well.”

Over the past summer in her role as an OA, Reel-Pope guided thousands of incoming students through 11 sessions of Clemson’s in-person orientation program. Though the days were long — typically 6:45 a.m.-10 p.m. — her bright spirit and strong leadership skills never wavered, and she proved herself time and time again to be a perfect fit for the role.

“I think what makes Lexi such a great example of what it means to be an orientation ambassador is how she leads through love,” Boudreaux says, claiming to see this trait in all of her interactions with students, teammates and professional staff members at Clemson. 

“She’s very driven and anytime she’s given a task, she tackles it head-on," adds Abigayle Correia, Reel-Pope's best friend and fellow orientation ambassador this past summer. “She doesn't ever complain, even if it’s not the most fun task.” 

BUILDING FOUNDATIONAL RELATIONSHIP

When asked about her favorite part of the Orientation Ambassador program, Lexi Reel-Pope is quick to credit the relationships she has built. Her close friendship with Abigayle Correia is rooted in their shared OA experience as the two met in their required leadership class in Spring 2024 and became inseparable over the summer. From sharing every morning meal together to combining and co-leading their Ready, Set, Roar! student groups, to even starting a podcast centered around a shared love of books — their unique, lifelong bond is something Reel-Pope will never take for granted. 

Correia speaks of her friend’s impact at Clemson with pride, commending Reel-Pope for doing “anything and everything to make sure that incoming students feel like they belong at Clemson.”

Reel-Pope’s parents are so proud to have witnessed her incredible growth during her time at Clemson and in the Orientation Ambassador program.

“To see her go from a girl that was scared to come to Clemson to a woman that is in a leadership position — it was really remarkable,” Amy Pope says, praising Lexi Reel-Pope for making their shared experience her own.  “Now she is a woman who is empowered. She knows who she is, and she has the skills to be a leader — she is going to go wherever she wants, and she knows that Clemson is here to back her in that pursuit.”