Jaylen Cameron, a senior marketing major and sales minor at Oswego, talks about his experiences as a student, his favorite Oswego memories and the importance of Black History Month.
Q: How are you involved on and/or off campus?
A: So I'm pretty involved on campus. Currently, I'm president of the Caribbean Student Association (CSA) and the African American Males Empowerment Network (AAMEN). I also work on campus, so I work in campus events and conference services (CECS), I'm the student supervisor for the welcome center, so whenever you see the students at the welcome center I'm sometimes in the back doing some behind-the-scenes work. I also help out with the department's social media.
Q: What are some awards or achievements you've earned at Oswego that you're proud of?
A: I was recently nominated for a SUNY [Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence], and they're recognizing me for diversity, equity and inclusion, and also campus involvement. I was also awarded for being part of Black Student Union as their director of social media, and being president to me is an achievement for the other orgs I'm a part of.
Q: What are some of your favorite Oswego experiences?
A: Honestly, the [residence halls]. They have pianos in them and I don't play piano, but I have a friend who does and they showed me how to play piano. That was during my first week and a memorable experience because I was like, 'wow, I learned how to play a song on the piano' and I was proud of myself. I also love attending the different events organizations host, such as the annual MLK Day of Service, the ALANA community events. Also working within the CECS department I've had a lot of hands-on experience in the marketing field, understanding how a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff works for a school system, which I never realized how complicated or complex it was to work for a school.
Q: Why is Black History Month important to you?
A: I feel like a lot of times people talk about a lot of things related to Black history, Black people in general, Black History Month... but they don't actually take the time to learn or gain the knowledge of the history behind it. Even me, there are tons of things that I don't know, but I think being open and wanting to learn is the best way to move at it. When I look at Black History Month in general, I look at it as an opportunity to teach more people about something, either through our student organizations like CSA or AAMEN, or just me as a student. Recently, someone came up to me and asked some questions about slavery and politics, and I was able to educate them on what I know and open their mind a lot more. If I can do that to one student, I can have a good impact on people.