Making Connections With Black Student Alliance
Vanessa Thibodeaux poses with BSA members outside Henry Bush Child Development Center.
Samantha Johnson shares a cupcake at BSA holiday event inside the LBJ Student Center.
The LBJ Student Center strives to be a place where students can find community and connection through organizations. During a time when we feel the most isolated, it’s vital for Bobcats to educate themselves on how to achieve unity on and off campus. For marginalized communities, finding spaces where students can feel like they’re not alone can make a world of difference when it comes to their college experience.
For alum Samantha Johnson, being well versed in advocacy and immersing herself in the Student Center gave her a concrete sense of identity and purpose. Samantha spent years creating media content for various organizations in the LBJSC marketing office, which eventually led to her directly collaborating with those organizations on projects.
“I worked at the PALM office as a videographer and I learned a lot because I felt supported in my creativity,” Samantha said. “I consistently worked with a lot of black student leaders, and made decisions that we really believed in.”
After her graduation in 2013, Samantha Johnson began working as a marketing coordinator at College Forward, a non-profit organization that helps low-income students get into college. This career choice can be directly attributed to her time spent within LBJSC, and she continues to encourage students to get involved in anything that can help spread knowledge about social issues over eight years later.
“I would start going to clubs and organizations where they have similar views as you do,” Samantha said. “It’s like swimming upstream if you try to do it by yourself. Do your homework on the issues, and engage in dialogue through organizations like Black Student Alliance or a fraternity or sorority.”
Senior Vannessa Thibideaux’s story in LBJSC began similarly to Samantha’s, as she craved to find community through leadership in organizations that mattered to her. Vannessa is the current Vice President of Black Student Alliance, an organization dedicated to educating Bobcats on Black issues and creating a safe space for students of color.
“Black Student Alliance is an organization where black students and any student can come and learn about topics that are pressing in the black community,” Vanessa said. “As the vice president I help pick discussion topics and lead meetings for our members.
Her journey with BSA began when she was a first-year student at Texas State. Unsure about what opportunities were out there, she decided to take a chance on a new organization after thanks to a friend’s encouragement.
“When I was a freshman, I didn’t know anything about the black community at Texas State,” Vanessa said. “My friend told me I should go to a BSA meeting, and I didn’t want to leave my dorm but she forced me to come. It completely opened my eyes to learning about all of the different experiences in the black community and I kept coming to the meetings every Tuesday.”
After a year in the organization, she decided to apply for a leadership opportunity that launched her head first into her BSA career. With no previous experience in student involvement, she gained a multitude of interpersonal skills, event programming experience, and memories that will last a lifetime.
“Being on the other side of the organization felt like a whole different world. It was eye-opening to see a team work together and be a part of something that people want to come back to,” Vanessa said. “Just by getting involved, I’ve talked to ten times more people than I have in my entire college career.”
Want to know how you can expand your circle and develop your own connection in the Student Center? Follow @LBJSC on all social channels to stay updated with news about BSA and other organizations’ events!