This past week has been incredibly hectic, as I’ve finally gotten into the flow with all my classes (especially after the delayed start due to a snow day on the first day!) and had the incredible opportunity to spend my weekend at Yale University. Every year, Yale University hosts the Black Solidarity Conference, which invites colleges across the country to hear from influential black figures who have made an impact in their fields. I was fortunate enough to attend with the Amherst Black Student Union, one of the campus’s affinity groups. Every year, the conference has a theme, and this year’s theme was The Miseducation: Learning as a Tool of Social Justice. I can say for sure that this experience was enlightening, insightful and inspirational. I got to meet individuals whom I’ve known since childhood who have had lasting impacts on my life. All the speakers had something different to offer, understanding social justice through different angles, whether that was through literature, fashion, or entrepreneurship. Opportunities like these are a huge benefit of engaging with the different clubs on campus at Amherst!
Thursday
The journey began with an hour and a half journey from Amherst to New Haven, Connecticut, which was honestly a peaceful journey. The sunset views on the way were gorgeous. Once we arrived at our hotel, we made our way to the Afro-American Culture Center at Yale University, which is plastered with art and artefacts that highlight Black and African Culture. After signing in, my friends and I made a quick journey to Shake Shack for dinner, and then we made our way to the first event: Zeddy Will Concert. Now, if you don’t know who Zeddy Will is, you probably do if you’ve ever been on TikTok. If you search him up, it’s likely that you’ll recognize at least one of his viral songs. Zeddy Will came on stage around 11pm, and gave an incredible and interactive performance where he joined the crowd, invited people on stage and even FaceTimed DaBaby during the concert. The evening was hype and a great start to the Conference, and actually my first ever concert!
Friday
I was heavily anticipating the speakers on Friday. The first speaker was none other than Serena Page, the breakout influencer from Love Island Season 6. As a big Love Island consumer, I was fangirling a lot. The questions largely revolved around her experience of Love Island as a black woman, where black women being outspoken are stereotyped as being aggressive. She also discussed her journey towards stardom and how that contrasted with her previous life working in corporate, and her ability to present herself to the internet as an individual identity rather than being tied to the relationship she made on the show. I was also lucky enough to ask Serena a question during the Q&A, asking her about how the desirability of black women is presented in reality dating shows. If I’m being honest, I may have blacked out during the whole interaction as I was incredibly nervous. Overall, Serena was a great speaker and seemed just as authentic and genuine as she portrays herself online.
The second event was a career fair which had companies such as McKinsey and Co, Penguin Random House, Amazon and Corient. This was a great opportunity to brush up on my networking skills and also connect with industries I hadn’t seriously considered for myself. I’ve never been one for finance and investment banking; however, Corient are looking to open a London office, which could work greatly for me! I also secured a quality tote bag from the McKinsey and Co stall. Although we only had 30 minutes to spend time at the fair, it was still interesting to hear from a variety of industries that were focused on the recruitment and excellence of black students.
Thanks for reading so far, and come back for Part 2 of my time at Yale!
-Amazing