Jaya is a junior, majoring in Business Administration Major with a minor in Screenwriting. She is the current co-director of the Black Student Assembly (BSA) at USC. In addition to her position, she works at the Center for Black and Cultural Affairs (CBCSA) and is a Marshall Student Ambassador. Her main responsibilities as the co-director of the Black Student Assembly include working with the university’s administration, the Undergraduate Student Board, and her executive board to strategize on how to best represent the Black community on campus. She describes her leadership style “as being hands-on and always being available as a resource to her team.” She says BSA’s main focus is advocacy for the Black community which has been heavily seen through the Black Lives Matter movement- where they have been actively advocating for necessary changes in the greater USC community.
The legacy that she would like to leave in BSA is one of intersectionality- letting Black Trojans know that they do not have to pick one, single identity but should instead embrace all parts of themselves. She believes that BSA helps empower Black Trojans by “ Giving them a place to find their family and to find their community in a predominantly white community. I want Black students students to know there is a space for them, advocacy for them, and that they have a chance to be part of a smaller family if there is something they want.” Some fun facts about her is that one of her favorite albums is Shea Butter Baby by Ari Lennox and her favorite thing about being a Trojan is going to tailgates. Her advice to future Trojans is “ Be flexible, feel free to operate on a whim, and be a little impulsive do what you want because this is the only time you have to be truly selfish and focus on your own growth.”
