Page 7 - Kentucky State Univerity - Onward & Upward

Preparing for Success
KSU SGA President is driven to educate and help others
KKentucky State University senior Onaje Navaar J. Cun- ningham decided to run for Student Government As- sociation president because he didn’t want to look back at his college career and have regrets of not taking full advantage of the experience.
The history major from Louisville ran and won the of- fice last spring. He was officially sworn in as a student rep- resentative on the KSU Board of Regents over the summer. Before serving as SGA president, Cunningham had served in leadership positions in other student organizations, as well as cofounded an organization called Street Scholarz. His plat- form was aspirational and conducive to social media: #KSta-
teE1ev8, which translates “I believe that our University has so much potential, and I wanted to not only inspire my peers but also to be effective in helping them have a more successful college experience,” Cunning- ham said. He’s still using
to K State Elevate.
“I believe that our University has so much potential, and I wanted to not only inspire my peers but also to be effective
in helping them have a more successful college experience.”
– Onaje Navaar J. Cunningham
to educate myself amongst other young black and brown in- dividuals like myself aspiring for better,” he said.
As he prepares to close out his undergraduate studies, he has an eye on the future.
“Moving forward this academic year and beyond, I want to continue preparing myself to further my education, but most importantly to learn so that I can teach and help uplift others,” he said.
His career dreams include service, teaching and entre- preneurship. “My career goals are to teach at a university and to one day practice law. Also, being a licensed master barber, I’d like to fulfill my dream of owning my own barbershop.”
With his desire and energy to educate and inspire, it’s likely Cunningham won’t leave Kentucky State with regrets of not taking full advantage of his time here.
his platform to inspire.
“I want to remind my Thorobred family to take advan-
tage of the now and use this time to prepare themselves for greater opportunities,” he said.
Cunningham said he chose Kentucky State because it is among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). “With my longing to have more knowledge of self, I decided
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