OUR STORY

Nisa W

Hi! My name is Nisa and I am a co-founder of the Black Student Coalition. I am a senior attending a predominately white institution in New York City, and I have been in many spaces like these since I was little. Over the years, my experiences in these arenas have left an impression that's two-fold: feelings of isolation and, in response, a desire to affect change in my surroundings.

During the summer before my junior year, I asked myself a question: as a black student, what was I missing all these years? After reflecting on who I knew and what programs I had completed, I realized that despite my engagement within my inter-school community, I still did not know many black students. More importantly, I never had a support system tailored just for black students. I felt uneasy knowing that there were others in predominately white institutions who also grew up feeling un-tethered from the black student community and generally out of place.

At that moment, it became clear to me. I had to take initiative with Mya, a like-minded friend, and start the BSC. Through the BSC, I plan to enhance the experience of black students in PWIs. When a student joins the program, I hope they will feel secure, heard, and inspired. Whether academically or socially, my goal is to make sure all BSC members feel recognized and have a sense of belonging. If they ever ask: "What was I missing from my PWI experience?" I hope nothing will come to mind.

Mya B 

Hello everyone! My name is Mya, and I am a co-founder of the Black Student Coalition (BSC). I am a junior at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) in New York City. 

As someone who has never been the "only one" until my transition into a PWI in the seventh grade, entering a space where I became the "only one" was very difficult for me. I experienced feelings of isolation, and I often felt like an outsider in my own school community. Navigating these feelings were very difficult as I never had an outlet that understood what I was going through. Although I participated in many spaces for people of color within my school, I still felt that I was missing a place where I felt fully represented and understood.

Entering my PWI towards the end of middle school also made it difficult for me to really feel included in the greater interschool community. I didn't know how to put myself out there or where to start. I wished that I could have surrounded myself with others who knew the importance of using their voices to advocate for the Black community.

As I reflected on my time at my PWI during the summer before my sophomore year, I realized that there had to be many other black students that felt the same way, and I began to understand what needed to be done. A space for black students to be unapologetically themselves was greatly needed and wanted, and with that very goal in mind, Nisa and I came together to create BSC. 

Through BSC, many black students at PWI's, including myself, have had the opportunity to be a part of something made for our benefit. When a student joins our program, our goal is to make them feel seen, heard, and understood. With BSC as an outlet, I want all black students to have the opportunity to feel wanted and supported despite being underrepresented in the interschool community.