Q&A with the President of the Black Student Union

February 20, 2019

 

It would be hard to find a time when Isis Walker isn’t working. As a second-year RA, outreach coordinator for the Office of Admissions and president of the Black Student Union, Walker has a lot on her plate, all the while finishing up her bachelor’s degree this spring and majoring in communications with a minor in sociology.

 

After living in Louisiana, Florida and other places, Walker moved back to Toledo eight years ago to attend Toledo Early College High School, allowing her to earn enough college credits to graduate from college a year early.

 

Next year, she plans to further her education in the Student Affairs Administration Master’s Program at Iowa State University.

 

Walker has been involved with the Black Student Union since her freshman year, when she was in the Freshman Leadership Program. She now serves as president for the 2018-2019 academic year.

 

The organization is holding several events this month to celebrate Black History Month that Walker helped organize.

 

Going into your undergrad, what were your plans for college and your future career?

 

“This is a funny fact, but I’m a huge fan of WWE wrestling. I love watching it and I really wanted to work as an announcer or commentator for WWE. I thought I’d do broadcast and could then go on to work for them, but I quickly figured out that I really don’t like broadcast. I just like learning about how people communicate with each other.”

 

What helped you to decide on the career path you’re going toward now?

 

“With the Master’s in Student Affairs Administration program, it’s basically going to be an extension of what I’ve already been doing within my career now. I’m an RA and I’ve been an orientation leader as well. The combination of ResLife, orientation and the work that I do with BSU—I just fell in love with it, so when I figured out that I can do this for the rest of my life, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

 

What has your experience working with admissions been like?

 

“I’ve been in admissions since my freshman year. Originally, I was just a tele-teams student ambassador, basically one of the people who call high schoolers who might be applying to UT. My job now is technically a promotion, so I have more job responsibilities now. My second year, I also worked a lot in orientation. It has really helped me figure out what I want to do in my career path.”

 

How long have you been involved in the Black Student Union?

 

“I’ve been involved since my freshman year. I was in the Freshman Leadership Program and the next year I was the co-director of the program. I honestly knew from my freshman year that I wanted to run for president of the BSU because I saw the potential of the organization.”

 

How has your experience as president been?

 

“I would say it definitely has been a good experience because I have gained so many leadership skills and other skills like financial literacy or budgeting. I’ve learned so much about myself from feedback from my peers too.”

 

What are some of the things you’ve wanted to accomplish as president?

 

“I wanted to make sure we’re getting people registered to vote and educated on the ballot, because when you’re a UT student, you’re living here for four years; local politics will be affecting you and your quality of education. The BSU has always done that, but I wanted to focus on it even more now than in the past. I’ve wanted to support other multicultural student organizations as well, like I support Latino Student Union as much as possible,”

 

Is the Black Student Union having any events for Black History Month?

 

“We’re having a film festival that’s already started. We’re also collaborating with CAP and ResLife for a comedy show; it’s going to be all black comedians. It’s going to be a big closing event for Black History Month. Our biggest event is our fashion show; it’s actually going to be the 50th annual show. It’s super exciting to be president during this time. We’re doing things a little differently this year; we’re reaching out to more of the outside community and expecting a really big turnout for the show.”

 

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