I selected Mills College (Oakland, CA) as my domestic exchange institution because I wanted an environment that mirrored Spelman in some ways (small, historical women's college, near a major city) but would be validating of my queer and non-binary identities. Mills has a huge and gorgeous campus with lots of trees and hills. Most of the academic and supporting services (library, offices, etc.) are centralized with the dining hall and dorms more spread out around the perimeter.
I think that as a student at an HBCU, it was important for me go to a PWI and remember what it is like to interact in a classroom setting with white people. This was especially important to me since I am planning to go to graduate school and these programs are majority white. I am nervous but also excited to see what my time at Mills will include. My mom and my sister came with me to move in and help me get settled. I have a couple of days of orientation before classes begin!
School has been canceled for about a week now because of smoke from the wildfires in Northern California. I am taking this time to reflect on my time here since the semester is almost over!
I initially planned to stay at Mills for the entire school year; however, about halfway through the semester, I changed my mind and decided to return to Spelman for the Spring 2019 semester. Along with a full course load, I have an internship in San Francisco and this leaves me very little time/energy to go to club meetings and get involved on campus/in the greater Oakland community. That is combined with the fact that, for me and many transfer/returning students, this campus culture is very isolating and everyone tends to keep to themselves. However, I have really enjoyed my classes at Mills and will continue to learn about the topics that I have been introduced to (decolonization, transnational outlooks, the specific histories and struggles of indigenous folx, and queer/trans* literature).
NYU! NYU!!! I have arrived, and it has been a serious adventure so far! Arriving to my residence hall on January 20 was unlike any other. I stepped outside my car, excited to stretch my legs from the 4-hour drive from my home and looked at the building.
It was a busy Friday morning in New York, and the streets were bustling with construction and taxis, but it all felt calm. I walked inside, found my room, and immediately fell in love. I was in the city! Now, I have been here many times before since my father’s side of the family lives here, but it was something about living here on my own. I could not wait to see what New York University had in store, it was the school I dreamed about attending after Spelman, and here I was about to take courses in Film and Theatre at one of the greatest institutions for the arts! It’s easy to assume I was excited.
The first week was amazing! I met up with the other students from Morehouse and Spelman, and immediately we became a family. We traveled to Times Square to take the cliché “We are in New York City, and we are loving it pictures,” went to the cafeteria together for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, explored the campus, and figured out the subway together. This small piece of home that I felt with my new-found family made this adjustment much easier because we were not figuring out this amazing school and all of its resources alone, but together. We became involved with an organization called the Academic Achievement Program (AAP) which is run by students and faculty of color who meet every Monday and Thursday to have rap sessions, where we discuss multiple topics ranging from relationships, navigating NYU, AI, dreams and destiny, and much more.
On Thursdays they have Games Day, where we just play games together! From this program, we were each paired with a mentor who would exist as our liaison to everything NYU and outside. Personally, my relationship with my mentor is amazing! We eat together, talk about life, go out to events together, and much more. She has been a great blessing in my experience so far, and I am excited to see what else is in store.
With AAP, we have been to many of the events they host on campus, but each time we go, they know the SpelHouse family will show up, and the other students are excited to see us. Recently, we attended an event with AAP called Golden Rose, where the young men on campus honor the women on campus for all of their hard work. Chonise Bass, Eniola Sodeke, and I attended the event but were pleasantly surprised when they called us on stage to receive a golden rose. Some of the people we met while here wrote nice things about us, as they nominated us to receive a golden rose. We were surprised, but overall ecstatic that we had made such meaningful connections and friendships here at NYU so far.
Classes have been amazing! I am currently taking Playwriting, Introduction to Theatre Production, Film: A Transformative Process, and Music for Film and TV. So far, from these courses I have learned about scoring films, creating a sound design, the 3-act story structure for writing plays and films, lighting design, stage management for theatre, analyzed Andrei Tarkovsky’s most influential films, and so much more. I have been completely submersed into the world of film and theatre, and I love every second of it! I will begin volunteering my time at a local theatre to learn more about theatre production, all the while exploring my vision and voice in film production.
I am truly grateful for this wonderful learning experience thus far since my desire is to work in film and theatre production! I have been blessed with many opportunities at Spelman, and I am thankful that Spelman has shaped me to be able to come into this space well equipped to adjust to a new culture while learning as much as I can. I am truly excited to see what else NYU has in store for me while I am here. Until next time. God Bless!!!