Nia Gipson
she/her/hers
Black Student Retention Specialist
Nia was born and raised in Chicago, IL. She attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she earned her B.S. in Agricultural and Consumer Economics. Nia went on to earn her M.S. in Educational Leadership with a concentration in College Student Development at Oklahoma State University. In her spare time, Nia likes to cook, dance, paint, pretend she’s on Wildin’ Out, and go on nature walks. Serving as the inaugural Coordinator of the BSC is immensely important to Nia. She is honored and excited to be able to lay the foundation and help create community and systems of support for our Black Identifying Students. Nothing matters to Nia more than making students feel like they belong, so she hopes to create an environment that is more than just a place to learn, but a place that feels like home.
Laura Free
she/her
Office Assistant
Laura was born and raised in California by her Liberian mother. She is currently in her 3rd year of her BA in Political Science. She loves tennis (she has been playing for 8 years), music, Pilates, and many other things that are active or relaxing. Ever since her arrival to Western, Laura has been very involved in the community, and she loves interacting with her peers. As the Office Assistant for the BSC, Laura is excited to welcome you to this lovely space.
Ijomi Houston
they/them
BSC Student Coordinator
Ijomi Houston (e-joe-me) was born in Seattle and raised in Renton/South Seattle area. They are in their 4th year at Western, & currently are in Fairhaven College with the goal of getting into deeper into writing. Ijomi is fond of fashion, haircare, music & pop culture! They co-founded Soleil Magazine in spring 2025. Ijomi is honored to be apart Black Student Coalition and hopes to continue to grow & leave their mark!
Kebba Bayo
he/him
BSC Student Coordinator
Kebba was born and raised in Everett, Washington. He is majoring in Psychology and hopes to minor in French. In his free time, he enjoys working out at the gym, reading, learning about music, and hanging out with friends. Kebba is the BSC Programming Director and hopes to bring the community closer together with a year full of new events.