After receiving the Presidential Diversity Scholarship and meeting other prospective students, Tishara Joseph ’13 knew St. Lawrence was the opportunity of a lifetime. 

The Brooklyn, N.Y., native arrived on campus and immediately got involved as the events coordinator of the Black Student Union.  She was later elected president; there, she learned how to effectively manage an organization.  “It helped shape how I lead,” she says. 

Her involvement helped her earn the Jeffery Campbell award, which is given to a student who has contributed to a better understanding of diversity issues on campus. She has also served as the Presidential Diversity Scholars coordinator, which gives her the opportunity to assist in recruiting the future beneficiaries of that program.

As a global studies major, with African studies and Caribbean and Latin American studies minors, a semester abroad in Trinidad and Tobago was the perfect fit for her and helped influence Tishara’s academic and career goals.  “My culture has become something I’ll be studying further outside of my time at St. Lawrence,” she says.
           
Tishara has already conducted plenty of research, focusing specifically on religious practices and family ties within Caribbean and African culture.  A two-time McNair Scholar, she was given the opportunity to present her work at the University of Buffalo and at UC Berkeley at a conference in summer 2012.

Her experiences as a senator in the Thelomathesian Society, St. Lawrence’s student government, and as a student delegate to the Alumni Executive Council have given her a forum to provide feedback on the happenings and future of the University.
           
“It’s great to see how student input is incorporated on campus,” she says.   

-Alli Shea ’13