This is Who We Are

SUNY Broome is proudly celebrating Black History Month throughout February! As part of the “This is Who We Are” series, we are spotlighting our students’ voices, unique perspectives, and personal stories. Please join us in honoring and sharing the richness of our diverse campus community!

Meet Ebony “Elo” Smith

Program: Music Recording and Production: A.S.

Hometown: Manhattan, NY 

Why did you pick SUNY Broome?: “I love the scenery in Upstate New York and was excited to work in the recording studio on campus.”

What are your passions?: “I love music from all different genres. My dad used to sing to me when I was little, and I’ve loved music ever since. On campus, I sing in the choir and take voice lessons. My goal is to enter the music industry to make and produce music. 

How can SUNY Broome give our students more inclusive and diverse learning experiences?: “Offer more experiences outside of the classroom.” 

How can we celebrate Black History Month?: “We can encourage everyone to listen and learn from Black musicians.”

Meet Nadia Amoako

Program: Health Studies: A.S.

Hometown: “I was born in Ghana and moved to the Bronx (NY) in 2016.” 

Why did you pick SUNY Broome?: “A friend encouraged me to look at two-year programs in Upstate New York.” 

What are your passions?: “I am very passionate about fashion. My inspiration comes from my mother who was a very fashionable woman. She loved to dress and style me when I was a little girl. I would love to enter the fashion industry to represent African women.” 

How can SUNY Broome give our students more inclusive and diverse learning experiences?: “I’d love to see SUNY Broome offer more opportunities to learn different languages and about different cultures. I’d love to take a French or Japanese class.” 

How can we celebrate Black History Month?: “We should encourage our students to be true to themselves, to express themselves, and to be comfortable in their own skin.”

 

Meet Michel-Ange Townsend

Program: Liberal Arts and Sciences: Science: A.S. and Engineering Science: A.S.

Hometown: “I was born in Saint Andrew, Jamaica and moved to Cortland, NY in 2018.” 

Why did you pick SUNY Broome?: “I came to SUNY Broome to develop a strong foundation in science and engineering and to participate in the B2B transfer program to study biochemistry at Binghamton University.” 

What are your passions?: “I am very passionate about being able to discover who I am as an individual and how I can change things about the world. I want to make meaningful impacts on issues that I care about, which are mostly related to science.” 

How can SUNY Broome give our students more inclusive and diverse learning experiences?: “No matter where you are, there’s always room for improvement. It would be great to have more activities like our recent trip to Brooklyn, NY to see “The Book of Hov” exhibit. Activities like this one spark meaningful conversations between students of diverse backgrounds. It’s most important to be able to interact and engage with people who represent minority groups on campus, and to ask them about their personal experiences, and what they would like to see reflected in the campus to make them feel more at home and able to do more meaningful work.” 

How can we celebrate Black History Month?: “We need to show up authentically as ourselves and be able to acknowledge where we are from and where we are now. This needs to be incorporated in our daily lives, and extend beyond the month of February.”  

Tags: Black History Month, Profile