Nia Gipson
she/her/hers
Black Student Coalition Coordinator
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
Laura was born and raised in California by her Liberian mother. She is majoring in Political Science. In her free time, she plays tennis for the REC team, reads books, listens to music, and watches vlogs/ Netflix. Ever since her arrival to Western, Laura has been involved in African Caribbean Club events/meetings and greatly enjoys interacting with her peers. As one of the Office Assistants for the BSC, Laura looks forward to welcoming you into the space!
Ijomi Houston
Ijomi was born in Seattle and raised in Renton/South Seattle area. They are a first year at Western, hoping to major in journalism with the goal of getting into music journalism. Ijomi is fond of fashion, haircare, music & pop culture! They are also currently on the Black Student Union Club board as a Freshman representative. Ijomi has a background in getting involved in clubs in their senior year, serving as President of their high school’s Gay Straight Alliance Club, and Public Relations of BSU & theatre clubs. Ijomi is honored to be apart Black Student Coalition and hopes to continue to grow and excel and leave their mark!
Hannah Estifanos
Hannah was born in Seattle Washington, and raised by the Eritrean community of Seattle. Hannah is majoring in Political Science and minoring in Communication Studies. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music, thrifting, journaling, and hanging out with friends. Since her arrival at Western, Hannah been a member of both BSU and ACC, and served as the Vice President of ACC in her sophomore year. Hannah serves as the Resource Navigator for the BSC and is excited to foster a community of support for Black students on campus.
Kebba Bayo
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.