Celebrating Black History Month: Student Spotlight on Mercy Munyua
Fullerton College and The Umoja Community Program are honoring the last week of Black History Month by spotlighting students at Fullerton College who have embodied the spirit of this year’s theme, Black Joy. Join us in recognizing and celebrating Mercy Munyua.
Mercy Munyua began attending Fullerton College in the summer of 2016 after graduating from Gilbert High School early as a junior. Munyua, who was born in Nairobi, Kenya and came to the U.S. at the age of seven, quickly understood that learning English and adjusting to the U.S. would be a challenge and admits her first few years attending school in Anaheim were quite difficult.
“I think the biggest culture shock for me was being among people who were not Black,” she said. “While I was in Kenya, it was the complete opposite; there was not much diversity, and so, it was one of the biggest adjustments I experienced when I first came to the U.S.”
More than a decade later, Munyua is thriving and succeeding through her involvement in the Umoja Community Program at Fullerton College, where she says she feels supported and encouraged to be her most authentic self. “Prior to becoming a part of Umoja I still felt lost, but once I visited the program office for the first time, I saw other people who looked like me, and it made me feel happy and relieved,” Munyua said.
The support and activities offered through the Umoja Program, such as the Porch Talks, really helped her open up and feel comfortable sharing her challenges and struggles with her peers. She is especially grateful for the staff members within Umoja who have provided support and encouragement during the pandemic and during a time of racial tensions in America. She would like other Fullerton College students to know that being part of a community will make college more enjoyable and bearable during difficult semesters.
At the end of this spring, Munyua will have earned two AA degrees at Fullerton College and will be transferring to Howard University or Arizona State University to major in nursing with the goal of becoming a pediatric nurse.
Lastly, here’s what Munyua also has to say about what it means to celebrate Black History Month and Black Joy:
“When I hear the term Black Joy the first image that comes to mind is a group of Black people hysterically laughing together. To me, Black Joy is being in the Black community. Being surrounded by other people who look like me, who understand and can relate to the struggles that come with being a Black person in America. Black Joy is a group of Black protestors in London, uniformly starting the electric slide in the middle of the George Floyd protests last year. This is because they knew that although they were all there for the same painful reason, being able to experience and share joy is still needed within the community.”
“Black joy is being able to see a Black president, Black lawyers, going to the hospital, and seeing your doctors and nurses are Black. Black Joy is walking into a classroom and seeing that I’m not the only Black student there. Black Joy is seeing Black women getting elected to positions of power. Black Joy is seeing other Black people win.”
About Fullerton College Umoja Community Program
Umoja, (a Kiswahili word meaning unity) is a community and critical resource dedicated to enhancing the cultural and educational experiences of Black/African American and other students. We believe that when the voices and histories of students are deliberately and intentionally recognized, the opportunity for self-efficacy emerges and a foundation is formed for academic success. Umoja actively serves and promotes student success for all students through a curriculum and pedagogy responsive to the legacy of the African and African American Diasporas. To learn more, visit the Umoja website.
