My trip to North Carolina A&T with the Albritton Center for the Study of Public Life is what first got me interested in studying government. I was nominated to represent Wesleyan at the inaugural HBCU Democracy Day, where students, educators, and organizers came together to talk about civic engagement and leadership on college campuses.

During the visit, I joined discussions with faculty and students from several historically Black colleges about the history of political involvement on their campuses and the challenges students still face today. We also talked about how schools can encourage participation and protect access to voting.

I really enjoyed learning about how education connects to democracy and how students have played a part in shaping it. Meeting civil rights leaders and student organizers gave me a clearer sense of how politics actually works on the ground, not just in classrooms or theory.

That trip, the stories shared, and the people I met, all led me to the decision to keep studying  racial politics and philosophy. I felt like my position as a student was important, and that I had a responsibility to keep learning about history. As a Black man, I didn’t see how I could miss a chance to learn the theories about the political dynamics I was living.  So much of the course material I have learned by being at a liberal arts college I have chosen because of my opportunity at that seminar.