For some students like third-year Bearcat Rotich, the path toward becoming our next generation of leaders may seem straightforward, though detours are often a common part of the college experience.
Once admitted to UC, Rotich faced a dilemma: While she originally decided to pursue neuroscience — “I wanted to be the Black woman who found a cure for Alzheimer’s,” she says — she felt compelled to consider another path she found meaningful as well.
Rotich was initially thinking about medical school or graduate school with a plan to become a researcher. "Once I realized those were my options, neither of those paths felt like quite the right fit," she says.
"I committed to college and then I had to figure out what to do next. Not what my parents wanted me to do, not the career with the most money, but actually what was my purpose in life." Political science looked like the new plan.
During her early days on campus Rotich visited the African American Cultural and Resource Center (AACRC), and met faculty from UC’s Africana studies program. She says she was immediately intrigued by the program and its emphasis on an appreciation for black identity, culture and history.
"The lessons I will learn from going through this program will teach me how I can lift my community, to lift as I climb. It will help me be a champion with my people. Africana studies with political science would help me achieve social justice for my people."
"I told my adviser I wanted this on my degree plan," she says, and also informed her parents.
“My parents said, 'You can’t be a full-time activist,’ but I said, ‘Yes you can, it’s called being a lawyer.’” Since that time Rotich has decided to double major in Africana studies and political science for pre-law studies.
Rotich says she feels that faculty at UC are rooting for her.
She is part of the University Honors Program, a mentor in Bearcats Academy and involved in Project SERVE, a service opportunity offered by UC’s Center for Community Engagement.
“The professors in Africana studies care so much about me and really want me to be successful in life,” she says. “When I have professors who I feel are on my side, it’s what makes me feel loved. The faculty in political science have started initiatives to promote inclusive excellence. They have amazing professors who have made me feel included.”
The initiative started in that department after student requests for ways to improve racial inclusiveness and equity following the death of George Floyd. His death sparked protests nationwide. Rotich says student government leaders sent a letter with a list of demands for actions on campus that would promote racial inclusiveness to university administrators.
“The political science department was one of those who reached out to us and they said it inspired them to look at our department and see how we can do better,” says Rotich. “They asked me to be a part of that effort.”