ACA President and Vice President
Bios
Darnae Pauley (President)
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hello Everyone! My name is Darnae Pauley, and I am from the Bronx, New York. I am a third-year Criminal Justice major pursuing a minor in Management Information Systems. In my free time, you can find me playing Animal Crossing, cooking, or cracking jokes in the Campus Center. Some roles I have on campus are President of the Black Awareness Coordinating Committee, a Welcome Center Attendant for the Center for Campus Life, a Recreation Attendant at the Student Life Center, a McNair and CSTEP scholar, and an RIT 365 Peer Facilitator. I use these roles to speak up for the things that I believe in while making a difference within the RIT community. I believe that it is important for the ALANA community to have a strong voice on this campus so that we can take charge of our own experiences on campus. Utilizing the CALM method is the first step to building a stronger community among ourselves and making our voices heard across this campus.
Jada Jennings (VP)
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hey, my name is Jada Jennings and I am a Management Information Systems student pursuing a minor in Communication. I am from New Jersey where the best bagels and DJs are from. I am passionate about helping those in need through the means of technology and voluntarism. My personal goal for ACA is to integrate every aspect of the ALANA community. I want to see organizations from different cultures collaborating with one another. On campus, I am a Welcome Center Attendant and Reservation Assistant for the Center for Campus Life, Secretary for the Black Awareness Coordinating Committee, Photography Manager for the Reporter Magazine, and a notetaker. In my spare time, you can find me working out, snapping photos, driving my car, or listening to the Un Verano Sin Ti album on repeat. As the Vice President of ACA, I want to carry on our platform for Consciousness, Advocacy, Literacy, and Mental Health by providing resources and events to encourage the CALM difference.
Platform
Our campaign platform consists of promoting consciousness, increasing advocacy for ALANA students, incorporating more literacy-based conversations and events, and implementing more mental health initiatives. Through fulfilling these pillars of our campaign, we anticipate seeing a CALM difference in the ALANA student experience by the end of our term.
Consciousness is our first pillar because understanding what is happening with yourself and your community is vital to bringing change. Most times we focus on community consciousness but self-consciousness is just as important as an ALANA student. It is common to become detached from yourself and your community when dealing with academic loads, mental health, and personal growth. We plan on supporting affiliates by helping them create programming that allows the general body to be connected with themselves and other organizations.
Advocacy is our second pillar because of the silent battles ALANA students face at this predominantly white institution. We constantly have to defend ourselves in and out of the classroom, which becomes draining. This second pillar will consist of us working with MCAS to reestablish the MCAS Advocates program as well as providing students the opportunity to stop into our Office Hours for support in finding solutions to the challenges they are currently facing. A large part of this pillar is engaging in transparent conversations with administration and student government to move toward improving the ALANA experience.
Literacy is the third pillar because it is going to be the heart of the programming we do. Some topics will include finances, sexual health, media, and overall well-being. Miscommunication about the college experience, how financial aid works, and the steps after college is prevalent within the RIT community. This is why we plan on dedicating our programming to helping students understand key concepts they need to know in order to prevail during college and after.
Mental health is our final pillar because initiatives such as Wind Down Wednesdays and Wake Up Wednesdays have been helping ACA connect with the ALANA student body in an informal way. In addition to continuing initiatives like this, we want to develop safe spaces and conversations where students can feel as though they are free to express themselves while effectively finding solutions to make them feel better. No one knows the ALANA student experience better than ALANA students and through developing mentorship groups and support groups, we can continue to validate and improve our experiences.