A Village of Gamecocks, Sweet Tea, & Intersectionality

“I am African-American. I am female. I am a first-generation college student, and I take immense pride in all of those things.”

As a Columbia, South Carolina native, I have been an advocate for advancing my community for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Richland County School District One, a Title I school, in a neighborhood that was not the best, but this is where I learned about the importance of education. Here at the University of South Carolina (USC), I have also learned the meaning of intersectionality. I have embraced it — and I celebrate it, and encourage others to do so as well. I am African-American. I am female. I am a first-generation college student, and I take immense pride in all of those things.

I am a proud member of the TRIO Opportunity Scholars Program (OSP), a program for first-generation college students to receive extensive financial assistance and educational opportunities at the collegiate level, here at the university. Without the generous support of the incredible staff in the TRIO office, I would not be able to attend college and thrive the way I have. Because of this, I wanted to give back to the program that gave so much to me. I serve as an OSP mentor to freshman OSP students and last summer, I became a residential counselor for another TRIO program called Upward Bound. Upward Bound is a pre-college program to encourage and motivate economically disadvantaged high school students to seek post-secondary school education. These students all come from Richland One schools, just like me, so I know the challenges they face. I made sure to work even harder to help them overcome those challenges, and I now serve as an Upward Bound Tutor throughout the school year.

“Without the generous support of the incredible staff in the TRIO office, I would not be able to attend college and thrive the way I have. Because of this, I wanted to give back to the program that gave so much to me.”

This past August, I was honored to be asked to be the Director of Diversity & Inclusion on the Student Body Vice-President’s staff in Student Government. In this role, I have made it my mission to create programming to bring organizations together that wouldn’t usually interact or have a reason to mingle. During LGBTQ+ History Month, along with other Student Government officers, we partnered with IRIS (Individuals Respecting Identities & Sexualities) to create a rainbow banner on Greene Street that read “I pledge to respect the dignity of all persons.” For Black History Month, we partnered with the Association of Black Journalists to create a Black Business Expo tree to showcase black student entrepreneurs. At the end of my term in April, we will co-host Hairstory, a beauty and empowerment festival on Greene Street, with Collegiate Curls, an organization created to teach and celebrate the benefits of healthy, natural hair.

As a member of the USC Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Program Steering Committee, I was able to assist with planning and promoting a weekend full of exquisite events including a law school panel, a commemorative breakfast featuring a variety of performers and talents as well as being able to act as a liaison for the Athletics Department due to my work as a Marketing intern for Gamecock Athletics. I was very blessed to receive the opportunity to sit on a committee of amazing people and celebrate diversity and equity on a large scale.

My commitment to service led me to work with Innersole and The Original Six Foundation to host school tours to bring rural elementary and middle schools to the University of South Carolina that don’t usually get exposed to college. I was able to gather student volunteers to take these students on tours to get a feel for what it’s like to be a Gamecock. I also created “lesson plans” and taught a mini-class to each group. I tried to inform the students of the various steps they needed to take to prepare for high school and college. In addition to this, I also serve as a Multicultural Assistance Peer Program (M.A.P.P) mentor to support and motivate underrepresented students on campus.

This fall, I will serve as the Secretary of Inclusion & Equity in Student Government next term and oversee a council of 15–25 people as we foster diversity, inclusion, and equity on campus. I will also be a resident mentor next year in Woodrow residence hall on campus. In the future, I have plans to work in the sport or entertainment industry in marketing or as a creative director. I also have aspirations to receive both my masters and doctorate degree within the next 10 years!

Originally published at medium.com on May 23, 2018 by Better Make Room, former First Lady Michelle Obama’s college access campaign for Gen Z.