Samantha Woolford-Hunt (junior, graphic design) is the current president of the Black Student Christian Forum (BSCF).
When asked about what inspired her to take on such an ambitious role, Samantha said, “Actually, in the beginning, I was not planning on doing BSCF. Last year, I was the [club’s] graphic designer. After talking to a couple of past presidents, they told me [the position] grows your communication skills and confidence. They said I would probably do a good job, and I said alright.”
Samantha expressed her hopes for BSCF to be a space where all Black students can feel seen and celebrated regardless of their background.
“BSCF represents all Black people on campus and black culture as a whole, " she shared. “We have a lot of clubs that highlight specific cultures, but BSCF is for everyone.”
Samantha said her favorite part of being BSCF president is “leading with a team. A leader can only be their best with their team behind them. I can't do anything I wanna do without them. They're not only my officers; they are also my friends. I can go to them, and they can come to me.”
One of the most engaging events that BSCF facilitates is their weekly “Impact” vespers. Samantha offered some insight into how Impact and BSCF originated.
“Impact was its own vespers and then trickled into BSCF,” she said. “The club has been around for 50 years, and throughout those years, there is [a] legacy. It's important for Black students to know which spaces we have and cherish them because we don't know how long we have them for.”
When asked what she hopes her personal legacy as president will be, Samantha said she wants to be remembered as “a friendly president, someone who will back you up no matter what.” She went on to share how people in leadership positions may seem unapproachable. However, she wants her community members to feel as though they can always come to her.
Samantha also shared some of the exciting things students can look forward to this year from BSCF.
“They can expect sweatshirts and an impactful and exciting and memorable Black History Month,” she said. “You do not wanna miss out.”
As for their plans for the holiday season, BSCF is hosting a Friendsgiving community engagement event.
“There will be packing goodie bags for the homeless and notes for your friends,” she said. “We are open to donations, clothes, hats, toothpaste, something like gloves and socks.”
When asked about what she wants people who are unfamiliar with BSCF to know about it, Samantha said, “We are open, and we accept everyone. We want people to learn about different cultures. A lot of people are signing up, and they’re worried because they're not Black, but it's fine. We accept everyone. We wanna highlight all black cultures and let everyone know that they exist.”
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.