Black Students of Excellence
By ANGELA HE, SAMAIYA JULY,CINDY MUMBO,and SOPHIE ZHU
Students of Excellence (BSE) may seem like an OMA club—but it’s more of a family than a club. BSE is a space where Black-identifying students at Phillips Exeter Academy congregate and talk about their own personal experiences of being black. A core value of the club is finding community within different aspects of black culture. Members of the club continue to cultivate black culture on campus through food, music, and dance.
Throughout the years, BSE has extended their work into the Exeter community by hosting the Black History Month Assembly in January, as well as the Black History Month Gala in February for members of the club to come and celebrate their heritage, and the Black Fashion Show in the spring that displays different elements of black culture within fashion.
Upper Collin Moore, one of the co-heads of BSE, describes the club as a space where members can come together and enjoy a sense of belonging. “Black Students of Excellence is an affinity space on campus for students who identify as Black. Whether that is through games, discussions, or food, it’s just a nice space of community to be with people who share the same identity,” Moore recalled. “It’s super funny every week. My favorite part is being able to laugh, be myself, and joke like that with people I really know.”
Prep Ryan Ramos added, “Honestly I think just the aspect of community makes the club special. You know being a part of a minority you don’t find as many people like you here; being a predominantly white institution and honestly I just feel like I can be my best self at BSE. Being surrounded by people like me has really helped me to adjust to Exeter.”
Upper Kyle Kennedys’ echoed these sentiments. “I think this club helps me to like get to know more students who look like me and it helps me to understand my identity better.”
He continued by encouraging all black students on campus to consider coming to this club to meet new people as well as just to have fun. “I would say if you’re a black student on this campus, you should think about joining the club. It might be something you need, something that you wanna continue being a part of.”
BSE meetings often revolve around significant discussions of identity and experience. “Something that we talk about a lot in the discussions is what it means to be Black. Whether that is at Exeter or outside of Exeter. We try to discuss the issues we have here on campus, how we can best support each other, and how we can give each other resources to support each other while we are black in a place where there are not a lot of Black people,” Moore elaborated. For him and other members, support and community are the fundamental tenets of BSE.
Other than discussions, BSE also comprises fun activities and games for their meetings. Lower Oluj Okeremi remarked, “My favorite moment in BSC was when we played Jeopardy around two weeks ago and it was based on Pan-African culture and other music. It was a lot of fun.”
Inclusivity and support are at the core of BSE’s mission. The club emphasizes that all Black students are welcome regardless of their specific identity. “There are people who have expressed concerns in the past years about not coming because they might feel like they’re not Black enough or have another identity that pulled them away,” Moore said.
“I think that emphasizing that anyone who identifies as Black can come, and just being an accepting space where people can come and not feel like they’re being judged or being like laughed at—allowing a safe enough space where people can come be in community with us—is important,” he continued, emphasizing the importance of establishing a strong community through inclusivity.
Looking ahead, the coheads have ambitious plans for BSE this year, focusing primarily on collaboration and outreach. “We want to have a lot more events: collaborating with other OMA clubs, having events where we invite the Exeter community—for instance, doing community service—in Black History Month,” Moore said.
Kennedy’s shared similar sentiments. “If we’re able to do some collabs, maybe YBS and BSC movie night, or if we could do anything else together, that would be really fun to be a part of.”
With open arms and lots of fun, BSE creates a space where everyone feels accepted and supported, no matter where they come from. It’s all about coming together, lifting each other up, and celebrating who they are in a way that makes them feel truly at home.
