Year: Senior
Age: 20
Hometown: Carson, CA
Major: Media Production
Relationship status: Single
Favorite Quote: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. […] As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
— Marianne Williamson
What extracurriculars are you involved in?
Step Team (co-Captain), Dance in Flight, KWVS Radio DJ, Concert Choir, Black Student Association, and Sistah 2 Sistah.
What is your favorite club that you are involved in?
Wow, I can’t choose! They all are great and enrich my college experience tremendously.
What is a topic that you are passionate about?
A topic that I am passionate about is consciousness regarding injustices and institutionalized racism. As an African-American woman, institutionalized racism has affected me profoundly and in every aspect of living. To put it simply, America falsely teaches us that “white is right,” and “black is bad.” This causes intense psychological harm to Black people for the sake of the economic, social, and political gains of others. When this simple concept is not understood by the majority of people around me, it leads to the constant invalidation of my experiences and grievances. Racism is so ingrained in our society that it is retained in the subconscious mind. It is in the media, television, and worldly religious cultures… It is living knowing that to the world, first, I am black, and second, I am Nyah. It is feeling the weight of my pigment in everyday life. It is the overwhelming majority of magazines I pick up, books I read, movies I watch, and mainstream messages I absorb telling me that European features are most beautiful. It is having been taught to hate the color of my skin, the shape of my nose, the build of my body, and the texture of my hair—all of which are God’s creation. It is knowing that the height of the intelligence, discoveries, abilities, and greatness of Black people has been intentionally destroyed and eradicated out of my school textbooks… Institutionalized racism constantly belittles who I am, who my parents are, who my brothers are, and who many of my friends are. It breeds anger and sadness… I am passionate about this topic because I believe the “freedom,” “democracy,” and “justice” that America preaches ought to be extended to human beings who are not white, too.
Who is your role model? How have they influenced you?
I don’t really have a single role model. I don’t expect anyone to live a life as a perfect guide book for someone else to follow. I like to look at it this way: we are all individuals, molding and shaping each other. Naturally, there have definitely been stand-out individuals in my life–mentors, coaches, family, friends–who substantially helped shape the person I am today. I particularly enjoy being surrounded by people who are older and more experienced than me. As the baby of my family, I have found that when I am the youngest in the room, I am quite comfortable and easily inspired. In general, I learn from everyone I know. I am influenced by what I can and cannot see.
What are you most passionate about?
I am passionate about creative expression. I find music, poetry, art, movement, story, and drama to be the most intriguing elements of my world.