From the president
Dimaya Mayfield, a Kent State University student majoring in Africana Studies with a concentration in Community Activism, Strategy, and Development, is from Dallas, Texas. Dimaya’s commitment to the community deepened amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Doing her best to navigate our suddenly transformed world, Dimaya struggled, feeling isolated. Dimaya’s challenges led her to recognize the importance of community in providing support, especially for Black students like herself. Dimaya’s work and involvement at Kent State have reflected her passion for developing supportive spaces for students from marginalized backgrounds. Serving as a past President and current Racial Justice Chair of the Ohio Student Association and Director of Student Relations in Black United Students, Dimaya has hosted on-campus forums that invite Black students to share experiences related to their identities and provide them support in overcoming obstacles. Dimaya plans to use the Fellowship to continue to cultivate a community for students from marginalized backgrounds, ensuring that all students have what they need to succeed.
Personal Statement
As a student committed to community involvement, my work has focused on the concerns and issues of Black students at Kent State University. Some of the work that I’ve done has been focused on Black student voter registration with the Undergraduate Student Government, the Black student equity campaign with the Ohio Student Association, and fostering community dialogues that explore the issues and experiences faced by Black students. I intend to continue this work on a larger scale to continue addressing the concerns of Black students at Kent State by exploring institutional solutions and working with the University to increase sensitivity and care to the needs and experiences of Black students. I hope that all marginalized student groups will be able to benefit from the work accomplished through this fellowship as well.