Vosicky: USCB junior focuses on "big change'

We're barely into 2016 and already I can sense some New Years resolutions slipping away.

I have promised to eat healthier and exercise more this year. Nearly a month into the year, it hasn't happened.

It can be difficult to stay committed to tough resolutions, especially if it takes a long time to see any big changes.

USCB junior Aysha Merrill has managed to do it, though.

She's a "big change" kind of person.

The 22-year-old accounting/business management major is not your average college student.

In addition to her regular school workload, Merrill is an integral member of the Sand Shark Veterans club who volunteers her time and talents as a representative of the college and of the Armed Forces.

But she isn't just an exemplary student. She's also an exemplary Marine.

Since 2012, Cpl. Merrill has been serving as a heavy equipment mechanic in the Marine Corps Reserves. Instead of wild weekend

parties or summer vacations abroad, she spends her weekends and summers conducting training evaluations to ensure her unit's

deployment readiness.

Her sense of duty doesn't stop there.

The book "Sold" by Patricia McCormick, which focuses on the horrors of human traffficking, moved Merrill to act.

"I was enraged that I didn't know about this sooner," she said of reading the book in 2010. "I just knew I had to get involved."

Since then, Merrill, who lives in Beaufort, has worked with the Lowcountry Coalition Against Human Trafficking, a nonprofit organization based in South Carolina that raises awareness about the issue and provides services to victims.

She has proven to be a valuable asset to the organization. In addition to being the official student representative, she is also the

secretary on the board of directors.

Merrill understands the importance of reaching out to as many people as possible.

"I want to continue to raise awareness in the community and eventually move on to prevention in some way," she said.

In the next few years, Merrill intends to become a Marine Corps officer while continuing her volunteer work.

"In the future, I'd like to focus on giving opportunities to children who are in less fortunate situations. My personal goals have always

focused on staying true to myself and to continually better myself mentally and physically in order to better help others."

Like I said, she's a "big change" person -- one who's resolutions aren't likely to slip away.

Brian Vosicky is a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. He is studying psychology at the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 8:46 PM with the headline "Vosicky: USCB junior focuses on "big change'."