For the Class of 2024, the start to our undergraduate career was not a typical one. COVID-19 changed what we all had imagined our freshman year of college to encompass. As a college freshman, I was nervous but so excited for this new transition and because of COVID, I was ready to finally be able to mingle with other people and have some sense of normalcy again.

My first year at Bucknell was very untraditional as you can imagine, I was on campus one semester and home for the next. No activities or clubs were active other than on zoom, and it felt isolating at times.

Nonetheless, sophomore year just about everything was back in full swing. I was able to join different groups and continue to find my people at Bucknell. But as I reflect back on my years at
Bucknell, my greatest hope is that I left it better than I found it.

Bucknell is not an institution that will always affirm your identities. As a Black woman from a predominantly Black city, I was accustomed to spaces that are diverse and inclusive. My blackness was constantly affirmed and celebrated without it having to be talked about, it’s just how things were. This wasn’t the case when I got to Bucknell.

During my time here I served on the Black Student Union executive board for 3 years. It was far from easy but without this organization I wouldn’t be the person that will walk across that graduation stage. I am a better leader, advocate and I was able to redefine my purpose and passion because of it. I am a firm believer in creating space for students to find community, share their experiences, and have relief from the daily transgressions of being a “Black Bucknellian”, because believe me, it’s not easy. I’ve planted seeds here that I hope to see grow once I leave, and I’ll be back to witness it. These four years weren’t always pretty, but I am who I am because of those experiences and I am now equipped to inform others to ensure the experience doesn’t have to be the same for everyone.

I’m excited for my next steps, and my graduate school journey, and I can’t wait to return to a Bucknell that is better and brighter.