Before attending Samford, Payton served as a member of National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta and as President of the Senior-Freshmen mentoring program at The Master’s Academy. While in highschool, she was the manager of the Student Athletic Training Program, volunteer and certified coach for her local Special Olympics cheerleading program, and Vice President of her American Sign Language Club. Payton went on two mission trips to Costa Rica and an academic trip to Germany and Greece to further pursue her passion of travel and to learn about the different cultures. While at Samford, Payton plans to major in Business Economics. She aspires to work with an international organization that is proactive in analyzing challenges faced by people with disabilities to help identify issues before they become systemic problems.