Deborah Ndayisaba ’27, Merrimack’s new Black Student Association (BSA) president, said overseeing the organization has been her “pride and joy.”
“If I knew what I know now, I may have thought twice about the position,” Ndayisaba laughed, “but I’m so grateful for the opportunity.”
As a freshman, Ndayisaba longed to see BSA have more of a presence on campus. Once the presidency opened up this past May, Ndayisaba seized the opportunity.
“I realized all this complaining I was doing could be put into effort,” she explained. “Once I transformed that into the change I wanted to see, I felt like I secured my spot here at Merrimack.”
After months of word-of-mouth advertising, mainly by Ndayisaba, the first BSA meeting of the 2024-25 school year in September exceeded expectations.
“The first meeting almost brought me to tears,” she said. “There were so many people who came and wanted to be a part of it. All of these battles that I’ve been fighting over the summer to make sure it was happening was worth it. I sent a group photo of us to my dad like, ‘Look, people actually came!’”
Ndayisaba said she’s had an interest in political activism ever since high school when the Black Lives Matter movement was at its height. A native of Providence, she served as an advocate of the Rhode Island Nonviolence Institute, joined the African American Ambassador Group for the city of Providence and partook in her high school’s diverse community. During this time, she also helped advocate to have state health insurance including coverage for doulas.
Working with mothers and maternity advocates influenced her decision to pursue a career as an OBGYN. She is currently on the pre-med track, pursuing her undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in biology.
“It goes along with my social justice interest,” Ndayisaba said. “I want a job where I can do everything that I love. I like to write, advocate and be a part of committees and clubs that try to move things ahead. Black women and babies are the most susceptible to die during childbirth, and I feel like that’s not at the front of a lot of conversations. You also don’t see a lot of Black women in the field.”
Choosing Merrimack was, by her admission, a bit of a hasty decision. Today, however, Ndayisaba said she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
“I always thought that college was just an intermission to where I wanted to be, but I’ve been enjoying it way more than I thought I would,” she said. “Being involved is what’s really making me like it. Schooling is obviously a big part, but it’s only 16 hours of your week. What are you doing with the rest?”
In addition to the BSA, Ndayisaba works for the Unity House’s marketing team and served as an orientation leader. She helped the Campus Ministry plan its annual Merrimack’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day service event this year and she’s preparing for a SEND trip to the Dominican Republic during spring break.
Still, BSA remains her primary extracurricular focus. Looking forward, the group will plan to hold a jazz music fundraiser at the end of February to benefit Mustard Seed Communities, a nonprofit that benefits vulnerable children in Haiti. The event will feature live jazz music, mocktails and raffle. A BSA festival is also in the works for March.
“I want to have more events that people can look forward to other than general meetings,” Ndayisaba explained, “and I want members to have a say in what they want to see.”
