Can you remember your first day at UCSD?

I can remember my first day very vividly. The campus was huge. There were so many students. My dorm room was small and they were expecting me to share it with another student.

These thoughts continued into the first day of classes. There were an enormous number of students in the freshmen classes. How was I every going to succeed at UCSD – alone?

My response - I was not going to make it alone. Just as with all other successes in my life, I would require support. In the past that support had come from my family, church and community. I needed to find a community to belong to on the UCSD campus – a community of support.

Does this sound familiar to you? Maybe it doesn’t. Not all African American students were successful at UCSD. Not all African American students had a community of support at UCSD. Those of us who were able to come across such a community of friends, such as UCSD faculty and staff members, the African American Student Union, the National Society of Black Engineers and the UCSD Gospel Choir, were grateful and thankful for the support given in our success. Those of who did not find this community of support and yet were still able to succeed truly deserve praise for this extraordinary success. To graduate with a degree from UCSD is no small feat.

As African-American UCSD alumni, we have the opportunity to become a part of the community of support for one another and for today's African-American students, faculty and staff through the UCSD Black Alumni Chapter (BAC). The BAC has been active now for four years. During this time we have been able to support several key events that engage black alumni, faculty, staff and student interest on the UCSD campus. The chapter has also successfully hosted two Black Alumni Reunions.

However, there is still much work to be done. Let us consider for a moment, the fact that 2,500 African-Americans have earned UCSD degrees. We all can agree that we are a force! We are a group of people who can accomplish any task when working together. We are a voice loud enough to be heard on the UCSD campus when we speak together.

With your help the BAC can come to fruition as a body of powerful black graduates. The goals of the BAC consist of creating a solid black alumni community and supporting the current African-American student body, staff, and faculty at UCSD. We can provide this support through existing channels on the UCSD campus and by developing and offering new activities. Each year we strive to support the African-American High School Conference, the UJIMA Network's Black History Month programs, the African-American Graduation Ceremony, the UCSD Black Alumni Scholarship Fund, and the Afternoon with the Stars Career Panel and Admission events for incoming freshmen. There are many more opportunities that we can take action on. Besides supporting these existing programs, we would like to offer our own special event - the Black Alumni Reunion. To accomplish these goals we will need your support!

Please respond to this call to action and fulfill a much needed role as a member of the UCSD African-American community. We need volunteers who are willing to help plan special events, attend campus events, speak on career panels, offer career advice and serve as student mentors.

The next opportunity to provide support will be the upcoming reunion in February 2007. If you have any ideas you would like to share for this event or wish to get involved with the planning committee, please contact me through the Black Alumni Chapter.