Bridgewater, Va.- On Saturday Feb. 3, 2024, the Black Student Alliance held their second annual award ceremony in Cole Hall at 7:00 p.m.
The Black Student Alliance was originally founded at San Francisco State University in 1966. This movement started in 1965 where other colleges and universities had Black students demand inclusiveness on their campuses. Students would get together to discuss racial discrimination.
The Bridgewater BSA President, Camryn Rucker, talked about what the club means to her. “BSA is like a family on campus to me. It is a safe place for everyone to be themselves and relax and chill. I’m happy that BSA offers a safe place for people on campus, allowing everyone to connect with new people they might not usually meet.”
Currently, the BSA is a club at Bridgewater College that “promotes awareness of contributions by African Americans on the campus community and beyond.” The club meets on Monday nights at 7 p.m. in Bowman 101.
The BSA awards were a fun way to get people together to celebrate and unit people together. The ceremony did just that. The audience was interactive and very supportive to the performers and the award winners at the ceremony.
Sophomore Porter Burrell and junior Allaynah Jackson hosted the ceremony together. The ceremony started with junior Richard Edmonds rapping an original song.
After Edmond’s performance, the first award was announced for Best Dressed. The Best Dressed Award goes to someone who is a trendsetter and not a follower when it comes to fashion. Senior Jaylen Wood, junior India Dailey, senior Allaynah Jackson and Shyanne Jackson were nominated for the award. Senior Jaylen Wood won the award. When asked about winning the award, Wood said, “I was honored that my peers saw that I was the best fit for the award for sure. I know people think the show is like goofy or not serious but I still was/am very grateful.”
The next award that was given was the Campus Clown award. The Campus Clown Award goes to someone who knows how to make any and everyone laugh! This person will put a smile on everyone’s face with their humor! Freshman Sayvion Turner, sophomore Shalin Green, Steven Carter and senior Dozie Osondu were each nominated. Turner won the award and talked about what receiving the award meant to him. Turner said, “I felt great. It’s a great honor to win, and I’m just glad that I could make people happy in a funny way.”
The Beautiful Soul award followed the Campus Clown award. The Beautiful Soul Award goes to someone who makes the world a better, happier place with their kindness and selflessness. This person spreads positivity and warmth wherever they go. Sophomore Brianna Morgan, senior Sydni Maul, senior Adalia Coleman and Karmen Reynolds were the nominees for the award. Sophomore Brianna Morgan won the award. Morgan talked about receiving the award and said, “I was super happy and shocked because of all the other people who were nominated. I was really happy because I didn’t know that I impacted people like that because my goal is to make the people around me happy and positive so to win an award like beautiful soul, it proved to me maybe I am making somewhat of a difference.”
The Most Likely to Go Pro was the next award given. The Most Likely To Go Pro Award goes to someone who’s got the talent and dedication to make it big in their sport. They’re the ones with the potential to go pro in the future. Jaicere Bateman, junior Kennedy Fauntleroy, senior Jaden Alsberry and senior Adalia Coleman were nominated for the award. Fauntleroy won the award and said, “It felt good, knowing people believe in me like I believe in myself on making it to the next level is definitely a good feeling.”
After the first five awards were given there was a break where junior Ab Knight and senior Matthew Ellis performed the song “All of Me” written by John Legend. Knight played the piano and Ellis played the violin. Sophomore Elizabeth Hipp said, “This performance was very heartfelt and moving. The piece reached the audience deeply.”
Continuing on with the awards, The Life of the Party award was the next award given. The Life of the Party is given to a person who knows how to have a great time at any event. They’re the go-to for fun, laughter and making sure everyone has a good time whenever they’re around. The nominees for the award were Edmonds, Burrell, and freshman My’la Green. Green won the award, and after being asked what it meant to her, she replied with, “It felt good especially being a freshman. I didn’t think that many people paid attention to me in order for me to even get nominated.”
The Partners in Crime Award came after The Life of the Party Award. The Partners in Crime Award goes to a pair of friends who are practically inseparable and have each other’s backs through thick and thin. The nominees for the award were Autumn Sissler and sophomore Ally Ryans, Charles Wilson and Burrell, and senior TJ Lowery and senior Jalen Cunnigham. The winners of the award were Lowery and Cunnigham.
For another break from giving awards, fifth year Dykierra Whiting read two of her original poems. The first poem does not have a name and the second poem was named “What’s Changed.” Whiting commented that the poems “are inspired by the feelings that come from [her] hearing rumors about [herself].”
The last three awards given at the BSA Awards were the Pre-Lifetime Achievement Award and the Mr. BC and Miss. BC awards. The Pre-Lifetime Achievement Award goes to a person who highlights their early impact, which suggests the potential for significant accomplishments throughout their career. Nominees for the Pre-Lifetime Achievement Award were senior Allahynah Jackson, junior Camryn Rucker, junior Ally Phalen, and sophomore Liz D’Aurora. Rucker won the award. She talked about how she felt about receiving the award and said, “I’m really touched that my peers hold me in such high regard and would vote for me to win. I honestly didn’t expect to win, especially considering the other nominees are such incredible people.”
The Mr. and Miss. BC Award goes to people who embody Bridgewater! They actively engage with campus life and have a strong sense of school pride. You can spot them everywhere you go on campus. Some might call them “The Proudest Eagle!” For Mr. BC and Miss. BC the nominees were freshman Malachi Benjamin, Shawn Harris, Ellis, senior Aaron Moore, senior Jasmine Jones, Rucker, Kendra Arbogast and sophomore Jade Buckles. For Mr. BC, Benjamin won, and For Miss. BC, Jones won. After receiving the Mr. BC award, Benjamin said, “It was super surreal, so many people had hope in me, and I was just being humble the whole time. I always knew there was a chance that someone else could win. I was just happy I had so much support and love from everyone. Honestly it felt amazing.”
To conclude the BSA Award Ceremony, sophomore Steven Marshall sang “Better” by Khalid. After the ceremony, Knight was asked about what he thought about BSA’s Award Ceremony and commented, “It was a riveting production put on by one of the greatest organizations to ever grace this earth. All of the performers and everyone who helped put the production on did a good job.”
