Anastajah Haynes
The College at Brockport - SUNY
Anastajah is a junior political science and sociology double major who demonstrates a strong passion for advocacy and social justice. During her time at Brockport, she has pursued leadership positions that connect her personal values to her co-curricular work. As a Community Ambassador for the office of Community Development, Anastajah has skillfully turned her passion into action by organizing programs like the Magnolia Drive, which collected five boxes of socks, shoes and underwear for the House of Mercy homeless shelter in Rochester,NY. She has also assisted with deliberative dialogues on a variety of topics, including partnering with Prevention and Outreach Services and Title IX officers to explore ways to prevent sexual assault on college campuses. Additionally, Anastajah is highly active in The MOVEMENT, a student organization that promotes activism and education for students of color. Anastajah is the Director of Programming for the organization and is managing multiple responsibilities, including fundraising and budget management. But more importantly, her work with The MOVEMENT reflects her desire to empower marginalized groups as a student leader. Civic Fellow. Anastajah is thoughtful and analytical in her approach to social change. She seeks to first understand the systems that perpetuate injustice in order to determine the strategies that will make a tangible impact.
Personal Statement
As a sociology student, I strongly believe in people. I come from a family of "activists", who have never backed down from a challenge they believe in. People deserve all our time, energy, and patience. Anybody has the potential to be transformed and affected. As student activists, we have a personal responsibility to connect with the communities we fight for. Engaging with the masses and listening to people is the best type of studying. I chose to become a social scientist to understand the systems that keep people in urban areas impoverished. I recently had the opportunity to further this research in Havana, Cuba. In the future, I plan to continue researching urban poverty, as well as contentious activism, in an effort to ensure that people who look like me are able to create their own destinies, in their own communities. What's the point of being an activist if you only talk to intellectuals? I plan to use what I've learned, not just in the classroom but from my mentors and real life experiences, to best create opportunities for others. I have the responsibility to ensure that people are empowered and united, so that they can liberate others.
