Student Spotlight:
India Pierce

This article first appeared in Bobcat Idea

What have you learned since being on campus?
I have learned so much since being here at OU. I call Athens my quiet place, because my time here has allowed me to grow profoundly as a person. The amount of life lessons that I have had outside of the classroom is amazing. I’ve been able to see humanity at its finest and sometimes its lowest, but no matter how good or bad it has taught me to stand for the things that I believe in.

Audre Lorde hit it right on the head when she said, “I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.”

Being at OU has taught that and as a result I have become a stronger, more driven person. I seek happiness, peace, justice and truth I don’t think that I would be able to say that if I hadn’t the experience that is OU.

What has been your most challenging class?
My most challenging course turned out to be one of my favorite courses to date, History of Injustices taught by Dr. Grey in the African American Studies department. I took this course as a freshman and it seriously showed me what life as a college student was going to be like. The expectations were high and the course load was hard, but there was something about that course that has stuck with me even until this day.

This class did so much for me, academically -- it made me a more structured and focused student. Personally, I learned so much about historical events that I never knew, going to a performing arts high school academics was never the focus but I didn’t know until I took this course how miseducated I was.

After taking that course I knew I would study Black people and their impact and many roles in the world. After undergraduate, I plan to pursue a PhD in African American Studies.

What has been your most memorable experience at OU?
My most memorable experience was also a very hard one for most people on campus. It was during the time in which President McDavis was being heavily criticized for his decisions with funding and the increase in diversity on campus.

It was so amazing to see so many students and faculty members come together for one common cause. The issue had gotten totally out of hand, people who were against Dr. McDavis wanted to vote no confidence in him. This had to be a very hard time for him and his wife and it made me so sad to see his name dragged through the mud.

So someone spread the message to meet outside of Dr. McDavis’s home at night to show our support. There were more people at his home then we ever imagined would show.

We held hands and prayed for the continued support of President McDavis. It was such a commotion that the president and his wife came outside and prayed with us.

It was such a magical moment that my words do no justice…I will never forget that night.

What affect has the Urban Scholars Program had on your experience as a student?
Urban Scholars has been such a blessing and has enabled me to focus on my studies instead of worrying about how I would pay for school.  It is more than just money; the scholarship has cultivated me as a scholar and given me the tools and information necessary for me to extend my scholarship outside of this program and into other arenas.

One component of the scholarship program is to attend weekly roundtable meetings, at these meetings we are introduced to various topics and resources on campus. As a freshman I felt that this gave me an advantage because I was one step ahead of most of my incoming class.

A really cool thing that we do is every year that we get a new class the upperclassmen share with [the underclassmen] our experience and give them advice that we wish someone would have given us. As much as I would hate to admit it, because they say it over and over again, we are a family.

This year the first class of Urban Scholars will be graduating and I am a little sad but I know that our presence on this campus speaks to progress and that moving on is just a part of life.

We already talk about what we are going to do after our time at OU to give back to this program. To me this scholarship means support, I know that whenever I need something or I just need someone to talk to there is an office full of people who will listen to me.

Why do you think the scholarship important?
I think this scholarship is important because it provides students from inner-cities the opportunity to get a higher education when most of would have either not been in school at all or would have been struggling to fund our education.


What impact have alumni had on your experience as a student?
An alumnus introduced me to Ohio University and brought me on my first college visit here. While I don’t have any direct contact with alumni on a daily basis I know that they are all around me and the ones who work here are great resources for me. Those who have moved on to travel their path I know that their presence here on this campus made it possible for me to be here, I stand on the shoulders of those before me.

If you could give any advice to our alumni, what would you say and why?
I would say to come back and visit, that is the most important things that you can do besides donating money. I know that to me it means a lot to meet with alumni who come back to the campus to visit.

Being present and accessible is important, I know that are several different ways to get involved with mentoring here on campus and I think that is something alumni should consider. Who’s better to give a Bobcat advice than a former Bobcat?

Why do you think it's important for alumni to give back?
I think is important for alumni to give back as a way to show their appreciation for the education and copious opportunities given to them when they graced the bricked streets of OU. Their donations show current students that even after you are gone away from OU it is an experience that will not be forgotten.  

It also sets a great example for students and seniors who will be asked to give back to the school. With the rising cost of a college education, this dream seems further and further for some students; their donations could provide some student with the gift of knowledge, the best gift of all.