Evamelo (Eva) Oleita came to Michigan State University wanting to pursue a degree in Human Biology, but after re-evaluating her priorities and thinking about the communities she wanted to serve, she is now among the inaugural class of students majoring in African American and African Studies (AAAS) at MSU. Oleita, who is in her second year of her undergraduate education,…
The “Black Feminisms: Past, Present, and Futures” course taught by Chamara Jewel Kwakye, Academic Specialist in MSU’s Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS), emphasizes creativity and the practice of feminism in everyday life –– Black feminism as doing –– while learning “to live life alongside one another.” A core introductory course in MSU’s newly established B.A. in African…
Following this year's launch of the African American and African Studies (AAAS) Bachelor of Arts program, Mike Martin, a junior now double majoring in AAAS and Arts and Humanities, was one of the first students at Michigan State University to transition to the new major. "AAAS isn’t just a major I gain knowledge in, but a place where I actively…
Jhala Martin is one of the first students at Michigan State University to declare African American and African Studies (AAAS) as her major. The new Bachelor of Arts degree offered through the Department of African American and African Studies within the College of Arts & Letters was launched this year to promote and support Black transdisciplinary advocacy, engagement, and thought.…
For Michigan State University sophomore Amber McAddley, her African American and African Studies (AAAS) major is helping her learn about herself and what it means to be “Black in America.” After the new major launched last spring, McAddley became one of the first students at MSU to declare AAAS as their major. While also pursuing a minor in Spanish, McAddley…
Hannah Diggs, a junior double majoring in Spanish and Marketing, recently worked as a Marketing Intern for Stryker, a multinational medical technology corporation located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After a vigorous interview process, she joined the team to execute business projects, conduct market research, and more all while growing her interpersonal communication and public speaking skills.
As a Philosophy major, Izzy Taylor studied how the philosophies of Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche share traits in some areas and how they differ in others. For Taylor, this research began as a final paper for her 19th Century Philosophy class, titled "Where Marx Underlies Nietzsche, Where Nietzsche Turns on Marx,” and grew into a personal interest in the intersection…
Emily Burch often questioned the answers she received about the lack of diversity in her small town in northwest Michigan. And when she graduated from high school in 2018, she decided to find some answers by attending a public university downstate. This month, Burch will earn a bachelor’s degree and three minors from Michigan State University to put her on…
The Department of Romance and Classical Studies (RCS) held its annual awards ceremony on Friday, April 29, in Wells Hall where students of the department were recognized for their hard work and academic achievements and winners were announced for the 2021-2022 departmental awards and scholarships. The following are the 2021-2022 RCS Department Awards recipients: Classics Outstanding Student in Classics Jack…
College wasn’t always an end goal for Gabby Riley. While her paternal grandmother was a role model as a long-time teacher in Detroit Public Schools and a graduate of Howard University, her parents didn’t follow the same collegiate path. As a student of Renaissance High School in Detroit, Riley didn’t view herself as college-bound, but quickly changed her mind after…