By KRISTEN KIRTLEY
Assistant Editor
When it comes to celebrating cultural diversity, NWOSU plays their part, thanks to a handful of students who saw the importance of their culture and decided to make a positive impact.
Valerie Nzeakor, who earned her bachelors in nursing and is now in graduate school to earn her masters in general psychology, helped start a club called the African Student Association, also known as ASA, in the fall of 2022.
Nzeakor explained that in order to establish the club, her and some other students started by speaking with Olivia Yandel, the director of J.R. Holder Wellness Center and the student government association co-sponsor.
Yandel helped Nzeakor and students come up with bylaws for the club. The students then pitched their idea at a student government association meeting, and the association voted in favor of establishing ASA.
Nzeakor has served as the president of ASA since the beginning of the club.
She is from Friso, Texas and is of Nigerian ethnicity. She said when she first began attending NWOSU, she was surprised to find out that there wasn’t an established ASA, so she decided to help start one.
“It’s always nice to have that type of representation on campus,” Nzeakor said. “The main focus of ASA is to show people a culture they may have not experienced themselves.”
Nzeakor said that the club tries to meet once a month and do an activity together. Some of the activities the club has done in the past include: karaoke, game night and discussion panels.
Nzeakor said that when she was growing up, the Nigerian community in her area would come together once or twice a month to eat and talk about important topics and issues. She said that that memory is another thing that inspired her to be a part of the establishment of ASA on campus.
Nzeakor said the ASA strives to bring diversity to the student body of NWOSU, and wants to show people that Northwestern is inclusive to people of different backgrounds and ethnicities.
“ASA brings a new level of culture to Northwestern,” Nzeakor said.
She also said that ASA collaborated with the Black Student Union, also known as BSU, for Black History Month. She said that for bigger events, both clubs often host together.
Shakira Lane, a senior majoring in health and sports science and a member of the Northwestern track team, began serving as the president of BSU in the fall of 2023. BSU was established at Northwestern in the fall of 2022, and Lane and her teammates were a part of the establishment.
Lane said that her and her teammates wanted to have a place that people could go to and feel at home. All Northwestern students are welcome to join the club.
“It’s really a place where everyone can have fun and talk to one another,” Lane said.
Lane said the club tries to meet once a month on Friday’s and have an activity. Some of the activities the club has done include: family feud, paint night, flag football, kickball and karaoke.
Lane mentioned that the club often has discussion panels where different topics such as mental health, world news and issues college students face are presented and discussed.
She said the club plans on handing out goodie bags that contain black history facts in them for black history month. She explained the club is still deciding what activities they’ll be doing for black history month.
Lane grew up in Stillwater, and said there were only five African Americans, including her, in her graduating class.
She said BSU has given her and others a safe place to hang out and make friends while attending Northwestern.
“Being in this leadership role has helped me get out of my comfort zone,” Lane said.
