Predestination is the theme of the Biblical book of Esther, which is often quoted by undergraduate and graduate student leaders at Howard. Esther, who rose from the king’s harem to become queen, was alerted to a conspiracy to harm her race of people, of which she was secretly descendant. Though Esther was reluctant to press the case with the king, her cousin, Mordecai, encouraged her to use her proximity to and influence with the king to save her people, asserting that Esther was not in her position by accident. Instead, Mordecai said, God engineered her royal ascension so that she would be in place to make a difference at “a time such as this.” Although she could have been killed for approaching the king without his prior request, she convinced him not only to spare her people, but to give them additional power and privilege.
Fast forward a few thousand years, and another Mordecai, Howard's longest-serving president, Mordecai Johnson, helped establish a culture which inculcates in each Howard student a feeling of empowerment, if not obligation, to use their skills and talent to make a difference in the world. Today's student leaders have embraced those values thoroughly. Although they still have long-term career goals, they have leaned into their unique abilities and responsibilities to aggressively solve contemporary problems on campus, in the community, and in the nation.
For them, “a time such as this” is right now.
During her concession speech at Howard, United States Vice President Kamala Harris pushed those listening, including Howard students, to carry forward the light of truth and service. These young leaders have no problem carrying that torch. They came to Howard already having experience leading their peers and affecting public policy and have only intensified their engagement in public service since arriving on campus. They are using their discipline, desire, dexterity, and determination to create innovative solutions to challenges.
Jay Jones, Howard University Student Association Executive President
Jay Jones, a senior political science major from Greensboro, NC, never envisioned becoming the 64th executive president of the Howard University Student Association (HUSA). Nevertheless, she is committed to being an empathetic leader who never forgot about the people she represents. That commitment stems from a leadership journey that began in middle school.
Jones won her first student government campaign in the eighth grade. She was inspired by the leadership of Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm, the expressions of author James Baldwin, and the advocacy of activist Kwame Ture (B.A., ’64). Even at that early age, she was committed to being an empathetic leader who never forgot about the people she represented. She recognized that individuals dedicated to social activism and service had a more meaningful impact than those motivated by money or titles.
In May 2024, Jones became the first transgender person to be elected president of HUSA and the only person of trans (woman) experience to lead a student government association at an HBCU. Jones can often be caught answering multiple calls at once, solving student issues walking to and from class, or engaged in political debates all while navigating The Yard in high heels. She describes Howard as the place that has seen her through all stages of her life: emotional transitions, identity transitions, and gender transitions. At Howard, Jones learned to stand up for what she believes in and to walk in her purpose. She has looked to her peers for inspiration, and, in turn, she inspires them by her actions.
Jones’ election was met with plenty of congratulations, but there was some disparagement. Any negativity, however, made her more determined to ensure her presidency showed that there remains a “beacon of hope” in this world. Jones is extremely proud of her administration’s accomplishments, including expanding the HUSA cabinet to meet the needs of the evolving student body, helping to improve campus transportation, and leading a voter education campaign that significantly increased student voter turnout for the 2024 presidential election. Today, she uses her rare off days to focus on succession planning and encouraging future student leaders to step into the leadership circle, saying, “the world is your oyster, and the sky is your limit.”
“Win, lose or draw, I am doing this to bet on myself and to stop counting myself out,” she said.
Jones has garnered national attention not just for her leadership, but by the courage with which she has presented her authentic self. The Human Rights Campaign, for example, has featured Jones in numerous publications and invited her to speak and serve as a subject matter expert. She also introduced First Lady Jill Biden at an Equality in Action event sponsored by the organization. In 2024, Jones was presented with the Rustin-Murray Advocates for Justice Award by the National Black Justice Collective, which considers itself America’s leading national civil rights organization dedicated to using coalition building, federal policy, research, and education to empower Black LGBTQ and same gender loving people. The Rustin-Murray Advocate for Justice Award celebrates the contributions of Black leaders working to challenge stereotypes.
“You can do exactly what everyone else deemed impossible,” she said.
Tariah Hyland, Howard University Student Association Vice President
Howard University Student Association Vice President Tariah Hyland is a senior political science major from Wilmington, Delaware. She has a passion to serve and is serious about making an impact. She has been a leader in promoting student civic engagement since her freshman year and previously served as president of the Howard Chapter of Black Girls Vote, vice president of the College of Arts and Sciences Student Council, a student ambassador, and on the executive board of the Howard’s chapter of College Democrats.
In her role as vice president, she has been active in amplifying student issues, including affordability, instructional technology, and communication with the university administration. She is proud of the work HUSA has done this academic year to build a student leadership infrastructure to address government affairs, nontraditional experiences, and public safety. She is working to make Howard’s culture even more inclusive and make it clear that there is room for a range of student journeys at the university that deviate from the perceived standard. She also wants to ensure that the contributions of Black women are universally valued.
“I would love to see a world where Black women are respected and are truly empowered, not only by other Black women but by society as a whole — our leadership, our voices, and in relation to our experiences,” Hyland said.
Hyland has been a student leader since middle school. In high school she was salutatorian of her graduating class and served as class president. She started a district-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) task force and led the creation of DEI spaces in schools. She was a leader in a successful legislative effort to integrate Black studies into Delaware’s K-12 curriculum, speaking at committee hearings and the bill’s signing into law by the governor. In college, she has interned in the White House’s Office of the Vice President and for Delaware Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester.
After graduation, she plans to pursue her own career in public service. That career, she knows, will demand courage.
“All eyes are always on you,” she said. “It takes a lot of courage to put your name on the line, your face on the line, and your time on the line,” she said. “It takes a lot of courage to raise your hand and do it, especially the things that no one else wants to do.”
Marlee Williams, Howard University Student Senate Chair
Marlee Williams, chairwoman of the Howard University Student Association Senate, is a junior political science and sociology double major from Lakeville, Minnesota. Though she had originally planned to attend college in the Midwest, she said she enrolled at Howard to push past her comfort zone. At Howard, however, she said that she immediately felt at home.
“It is this unique culture of ambition, Blackness, and being proud to be Black in all different shades and ways which has made me feel even more comfortable entering the world and being a Black woman within the world, whatever place I end up in,” she said.
HUSA’s Senate is its legislative body, made up of elected representatives from each of the university’s schools and colleges. It allocates funds of as much as a quarter of a million dollars from a budget of student fees to organizations on campus to allow them to execute programming and award scholarships. It also engages directly in work to address student and social issues, such as food insecurity.
Williams enjoys the collaborative effort to bridge the gap between students and the HUSA and university administrations, which she said causes misconceptions and frustrations. She recently authored legislation that would foster service both to students and the community through clothing collection and distribution. She is also part of the working group creating the university’s next strategic plan and wants to use her various roles to help unite Howard through conversation.
“For Howard to thrive, we all have to be on the same page," she said.
While a Howard student, Williams interned in the office of the U.S. senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar. Post graduation, she plans to pursue a career in public policy. As part of her efforts, she wants to address access to resources in underserved and minority communities, particular those relied on by children. Specifically, she is looking to examine underfunding for minority communities with regards to education, including access to books, technology, proper teachers, AP classes, counseling resources, food, and accessible childcare. If the youth continue to be forgotten, she said, then there is no way our future can be better. Williams already knows, however, that leadership is tough.
“If you truly want to lead with integrity and you lead with the goal to positively impact other people, it takes courage to trust that no matter what other people say and no matter how people try to challenge you and tear you down, that you know what your purpose is, you know what your passion is, you know why you do it,” she said. “And if you know you do it with good intentions and for others, then nothing should be able to stop you.”
Maia Patterson, Undergraduate Student Assembly President
Attending Howard University was a lifelong dream for Undergraduate Student Assembly President (UGSA) Maia Patterson, a senior legal communications major with a community development minor from Hampton, Va. As president of the Undergraduate Student Assembly, she aids in the curation and management of all undergraduate campus events.
“UGSA creates the experiences where you meet your best friends at Howard. It brings people who may be shy out and allows them to make connections with the people who they will be close to for the rest of their lives. Those are the types of experiences that I enjoy cultivating for the campus community,” said Patterson.
Introduced to the university by her aunt, a Howard alumna and former member and coach of the Ooh La La Dance team, she had visited the university often during her childhood. Growing up in a mixed Black and Korean low-income, single-parent household, she didn’t think she would ever make it here. With the help of a local Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. chapter and the Morgan Stanley HBCU Scholarship, she secured a full-ride scholarship and valuable mentorship opportunities that have allowed her the freedom to focus on her academics, career, and campus leadership.
As a sophomore, Patterson planned her first and favorite event, “Wild ’N Bison.” The event gave Howard University comedians a platform to showcase their talents. It sold out Cramton Auditorium and created an experience that was not only monumental for her as a student leader but left a lasting impression on fellow students who still talk about it today. The relationships, events, and opportunities that UGSA and Howard University provide are the reason she holds the university so close to her heart.
Patterson is a member of Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and volunteers for local nonprofit organizations including The House DC and The Movement Street. Her volunteer work focuses on advancing educational, creative, and other opportunities for people in poverty. Her long-term goal is to establish a chain nonprofit preschools in low-income communities.
Lauren Taylor, Graduate Student Assembly President
Lauren Taylor, a fifth-year doctoral student from Detroit, Michigan and the president of Howard University’s Graduate Student Assembly (GSA), is honoring the legacies of the administration that came before her with her commitment to the students she serves. Taylor has been involved in student government on Howard’s campus since her first year and is serving for a second year in her current role. With an eye on making sure that graduate students feel connected to each other and the campus community, she is constantly looking for new opportunities to hear and respond to the needs and desires of her academic community.
“I do this work to help bridge the gap between graduate and professional students, undergraduate students, and the university administration,” said Taylor.
A particularly impactful moment for Taylor came when she worked with her administration to revive the annual graduate student ski trip. The weekend long event gives graduate students the opportunity to participate in an activity many have never experienced before and build long-lasting relationships with each other — an opportunity that is not as easily accessible for graduate students who are often mired in coursework and research. At GSA’s annual Homecoming mixer this academic year, many alums remembered the ski trip as one of their best Howard experiences and were grateful that it hasn’t been lost to history.
We are not just here to get a degree,” said Taylor. “We are humans who desire connection.”
Taylor has also collaborated with the Graduate School Student Council to co-create a new Graduate Resource Library within Founder’s Library. She has worked with President Ben Vinson, III, Ph.D., and Provost Anthony Wutoh, Ph.D., to secure funding for graduate student professional development.
Taylor is also an adjunct professor at Bowie State University, where she teaches sociology and social inequality courses. Her doctoral research is focused on the impact of natural disasters on communities of color and improving efforts to recover and increase resilience. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Delta Honor Society and Edward Bouchet Graduate Honor Society and the only HBCU student to be named a 2024 RAND Graduate Summer Associate.
Article ID: 2211