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On March 28, an election was held in order to democratically nominate the future Black Student Union president. Alongside her running-mates, juniors Aliyah Adedayo and Suleiman Abdagarado, junior Tashiana McGhee strives for excellence both inside and out of the BSU.

The BSU is described as a place for students of color to come together and be themselves in a space outside of the classroom where that may not be a possibility.

“We grew up really poor. We were educated but not much…now I have like, kind of turned that around. Now I actually want to fight for people who are homeless, like that’s my big thing is I want to get organization for homeless people and teach them,” McGhee said.

It is apparent to anyone the size of McGhee’s heart. She genuinely cares for and wants to help those around her- a phenomenon that seems so fleeting today. The amount of empathy she holds for those she may not even know such as people in the homeless population is inspiring to anyone.

When given the chance to make a change, McGhee is sure to take it. She spends some of her free time as and for those who may be struggling with school work.

She works hard every day in order to reach her goals because according to her, “the beginning is never easy. It’s never easy.”

Among those who sing her praises is current senior president of the BSU Mushtaq Ibrahim.

“She’s such a strong leader. I’ve had the pleasure of working with her all year long through BSU…and she’s one of the most strongest outspoken leaders I’ve ever met. She’s always willing to like speak her mind, but she’s always very, very respectful about it, and she just cares for everybody around her, which is key to being a good leader,” Ibrahim reminisced.

It is obvious that these qualities described about McGhee were no exaggeration. Interviewing McGhee felt like talking to a lost friend from childhood. In an interview with her, she appeared to be conducting an interview of her own- turning the questions backwards in an attempt to shift the interview to a conversation rather than a one-way dissection of her life.

Despite these actions by McGhee, she does not see herself as a typical leader. Rather, she views herself as a person who’s just able to guide their peers in the right direction. On the importance of good leadership (or in McGhee’s case, guidance), Ibrahim said “you can learn about your passions and the positive impacts you can have on other people and for black women, especially given that they are often silenced and not listened to in the society. And when they do speak up, it’s most likely they’re considered overly emotional or angry when in reality, they’re passionate and want to make a change.”

Wayne Perkins, social studies teacher and advisor of the Black Student Union, said McGhee “has all of the qualities that that you could think of. She’s very intelligent. She’s always calm, cool and collected. She’s very calculated, and her morals are rooted in peace and and activism. She’s really about that fight.”

To anyone who has met her, this statement rings obviously true. If elected, McGhee wants people to feel comfortable with everyone in the BSU, and does not want them to feel like they are excluded from any group. She wants everyone to feel like they belong because she feels like we need that in society as well as in the school. It appears to be an important and special place for the Black student population at the school.

“For BSU, I just want to leave a legacy of a safe space for black students always go and be able to be themselves. Even though the school is improving, there are still very much implicit biases that deter and inhibit them from being their true selves in the classroom,” Perkins added.

Perkins and Ibrahim both believe that if anyone were to create and maintain a safe space for Black voices, it would be McGhee. The election was held on March 28, and the results are anxiously awaited by all.

“I just hope that she could have a large impact on people more than she already has, and I hope people can step up and realize and appreciate it even more,” Ibrahim concluded.