For Rita Asiedu ’07, St. Lawrence was a welcome change
from city life. Born in Ghana and brought up in New York
City, the graduate of Jane Addams Vocational High School in The
Bronx has kept herself extremely busy at St. Lawrence.
Last semester,
Rita, an English major and government minor, enrolled in St. Lawrence’s
Program in London.
There she discovered her research interest, which she pursued
in summer 2006 after being selected as a McNair
Scholar under the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Award Program,
which is aimed at encouraging students in underrepresented groups to pursue doctoral
studies.
Rita’s research title is “Black and Jewish Alliance
during the Civil Rights Movement.” While in London, she attended
a Holocaust Day program and started wondering “if there was
a connection between how the Jews and the Blacks dealt with their
respective suppressions,” she explains. She worked with
faculty in the English and History departments
and staff in HEOP.
Rita has been an events organizer for the Black Students Union,
a HEOP (Higher Education
Opportunity Program) mentor, and an admissions tour guide. She
has performed in the Dance Ensemble, sung with the Gospel
Choir, worked at Gunnison Chapel and been a member of the Economic
Honor Council. Thinking beyond graduation, Rita is looking into
law schools or graduate programs in African studies.
