Alumni
The Black Diaspora and African American Studies Program strives to maintain contact with all alumni and friends. We would love to hear about your news and accomplishments. If you would like to share your success stories, please send an email to bdaas@ucsd.edu.
We would love to post your testimonial on our website. Also, please feel free to visit our Instagram page for any updates on program news, events, and job opportunities!
Student Testimonials
"This minor has taught me to question and critically think about what I am taught in a way that I never had before. I grew a lot as a person by pursuing a field of study that put me out of my comfort zone and forced me to really think about things in a new way. These are skills that can be applied to any career, and that I intend to apply to my work as a biologist in the future. If you are interested, do it."
- Emily McPhee, Class of 2015
"The courses that I took made me feel empowered as a black woman.
Being on a campus and feeling left out with no community was hard. But taking courses in the BDAAS department made me feel a sense of community."
- Robyn Bolden, Class of 2021
"Becoming an African American studies minor opened up a world of education that I didn’t even know UCSD had. I didn’t realize how much of African American history is left out of education until I became a BDAAS minor. Through this experience I have had the opportunity to read incredible literature, work with Black staff and students and gain a deeper understanding of my own Blackness and history".
- Leighla Buckner, Class of 2022
“The Black Diaspora African American Studies program at UC San Diego added the emphasis on marginalized experiences that some other programs lack. I appreciated the flexibility of the course offerings and the opportunities to dive into topics rarely discussed in other courses that made my overall undergraduate experience more fulfilling. I feel well equipped to enter professional and post-graduate spaces with a level of sensitivity and awareness that will enable me to contribute meaningfully to diverse, inclusive environments.”
- Katie Springs, Class of 2024
