GAASA found me at the time when I needed it the most. I was introduced to GAASA during the summer pre-frosh information session they held before I arrived on campus for my first year at Harvard. It was a peculiar transition time where I was leaving everything that I was comfortable and familiar with for a vast unknown. On the Zoom call, I remember the members explaining to me what it meant to be a Generational African American. I had spent years not fully knowing how to describe myself. Thoughts like "Should I say African-American, Black American, or just Black" were not uncommon in my mind. Immediately, the term Generational African American clicked. From that moment on, I was able to fully embrace my ancestry by proclaiming myself to be a Generational African American. At the time I didn't know how much this term would mean to me, but after matriculating at Harvard, the GAA identity has been my solace.

Amongst my most cherished college memories will always be the GAASA kickoff at the beginning of my first year. We were at Cumnock Field. The weather was warm. We had plenty of delicious food. There was representation from many of Boston's Divine Nine chapters. I made plenty of friends. We line-danced our lives away. So many snapshots of the day come to mind, but most of all, I remember the feeling of complete joy that I felt. Joy at the energetic community I found, joy at the unabashed celebration of GAA culture that consumed our hearts, joy at the possibility of four years filled with the pride and happiness I had at that moment. 

Now, nearing the close of my sophomore year at Harvard, I can say that the possibility of GAASA I imagined at the kickoff is far below the reality of what GAASA has accomplished and become. We envisioned, planned, and executed two large-scale events this past year: our Inagural Family Reunion Weekend at Princeton University with other Ivy-League GAA affinity organizations and our Inagural GAASA Gala, which was "The Wiz" themed. GAASA has become the leading organization for Black advocacy on campus: leading efforts to Dename Winthrop House named after men with heinous ties to slavery, providing spaces for our community to rally and heal after traumatic experiences like the Leverett House Swatting, and creating a Special Committee of our members to assist high schoolers with college admissions in the wake of the fall of affirmative action. These are only a few of the many efforts that GAASA has undertaken in the past two years. It has been the honor of a lifetime to be a part of making these incredible efforts come to fruition as a board member these past two years.

GAASA is more than a student organization, it is a family, made of an array of people from diverse backgrounds with incredible talents, cemented by our common commitment to the well-being of Generational African Americans at Harvard and beyond. There are not many places where folks can find genuine community in this present day; I am blessed to say that GAASA is one of the purest forms of community I have ever found. I am forever grateful for all of the beautiful memories and relationships that my GAASA family has given me, and I cannot wait to make more.