About Us 

Camille Engle is a sophomore English Education major with minors in Spanish and Religious Studies who hopes to teach in the Peace Corps. She is a member of the English Education Club and the Honors College. She joined SAIAC specifically with the goals of educating herself, educating others, and working to help create an equal and just future for her younger sister. 

My name is Andria Johnson, and I am a sophomore majoring in Psychology and minoring in Counseling. I am passionate about helping others and want to make an impact by spreading awareness on the topics that mean the most to me. My goal is to become a mental health counselor and being a part of SAIAC will help me to gain a broader understanding on a wide range of topics while also being a part of something that brings people together who have the same goals. 

My name is Alayzia Maxwell from South Bend, Indiana. I am a junior majoring in Legal Studies and adding AFAM as a minor. I have joined SAIAC in hopes to have a safe place here at my PWI to project my thoughts, issues and ideas on these topics and build stronger connections to help understand Antiracism and intersectionality both here on campus and in the world.

Emily Ruth Rutter is Professor of English at Ball State University. She is the author of: Invisible Ball of Dreams: Literary Representations of Baseball behind the Color Line (University Press of Mississippi, 2018), The Blues Muse: Race, Gender, and Musical Celebrity in American Poetry (University of Alabama Press, 2018), the co-edited Revisiting the Elegy in the Black Lives Matter Era (Routledge, 2020), Black Celebrity: Contemporary Representations of Postbellum Athletes and Artists (University of Delaware/Rutgers University Press, 2021), and White Lies and Allies in Contemporary Black Media (Routledge, 2023). Her essays have been published in African American Review, Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, and MELUS, among other journals. She also has the pleasure of advising the Student Anti-Racism and Intersectionality Advisory Council.

You can learn more about Dr. Rutter here: https://www.emilyruthrutter.com/

saiac alumni /advisory council members 

Jordyn Blythe Is a junior majoring in Communication Studies and Political Science with a minor In Spanish. On campus, she Is a Fellow for the Honors College Peer Mentor Program, the President of the Delta Phi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Vice President of the Student Government Association. Jordyn's work on the SAIAC Is driven by her desire to create a campus that is much more inclusive in a way that is streamlined with classes. Her eventual goal is to have the class associated with this council added to the University Core Curriculum. 

Aric Fulton is a senior studying Journalism Secondary Education & African-American Studies. On campus, he is deeply involved in minority and underrepresented spaces. Aric is very passionate about educational access/equity and low-income/minority student achievement—he believes that education has the power to change the trajectory of one’s life and future generations. During his time in the AFAM Studies program, he has studied systems of oppression and, upon graduation, he is excited to continue challenging them as a 2021 Teach for America Corp member. 

Tierra Harris is a junior majoring in Journalism- Magazine Media with minors in African American Studies, Creative Writing and Film & Screenwriting. On campus, she is the incoming President of NABJ, a member of Fashion Design Society and a writer for The Ball State Daily News, Ball Bearings & Byte. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, painting and traveling. She hopes that being a part of SAIAC will help her meet new people and have those difficult conversations that cultivate change. 

Carinah Herrero is a senior honors student studying Speech Language Pathology. She is the current president of the Asian American Student Association (AASA). Carinah joined SAIAC in order to encourage and educate others about racial injustice and the ongoing journey to being antiracist. 

Kaya Hill I'm from Brownsburg, Indiana. She is currently a junior study Interpersonal Communication with a minor in History and AFAM Studies. Her passion lays in informing the public of how ineffectively and inappropriately black history is taught in schools. Her interest in the SAIAC is fueled by the desire to see a change in the way history is taught in schools across the country. She would like to see the implementation of Critical Race Theory on our campus and eventually, schools everywhere. 

Brendan Jones is a Microbiology major and Spanish minor. He is passionate about working to improve the situations of people who are low-income and minorities. He has worked to achieve this through philanthropy which he loves. He aspires to become a neurosurgeon and is currently learning Spanish so he can speak directly to his Spanish-speaking patients. In addition to that, one of his biggest goals in life is to help bridge the racial medical care gap. He wants to set up many free clinics and eventually a hospital. 

My name is Lauryn Jones (she/her). I am a senior majoring in Psychology with minors in Interpersonal Relations and African American studies. I joined SAIAC to be a part of the social change on my campus and use my voice to help that change happen. I'm excited for all of the upcoming events that SAIAC will be hosting on our campus this upcoming school year 

Molly Mangels is a junior majoring in Secondary English Education with a minor in the Psychology of Human Development. She is a member of the Kappa Delta Pi honor society and is currently the Ball State Orientation Team Coordinator for 2022. She is so excited to advocate for a more antiracist and inclusive environment on Ball State's campus and wants to continue to be a voice for change, long after graduation.  

LeAndrea Rainey was born in Chicago and now live in Hammond, Indiana. I am a Nursing major and in the honors college. In the Honors College, I am a Diversity Fellow. I joined SAIAC because I am aware of he changes that need to be made around Ball State and our world. I am excited and committed to making our campus an even more safer and accepting place! In my free time I love to watch House of Payne or The Notebook, and to eat Buffalo Wild Wings with my boyfriend.  

Lauren Reynolds is a Senior at Ball State Univeristy, majoring in Interpersonal Communication with a minor in African American Studies. She has participated in organizations such as Black Student Association, National Association of Black Journalists, and was a key organizer of the student-led walkout in early 2020.  Lauren has always had an interest in intersectionality and racial topics especially in the field of entertainment, literature, politics, and education. She strives to utilize her skills and passion in SAIAC to mobilize students and staff to seek racism equity and justice on Ball State’s campus. 

Sabreen Saeed is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am a Nursing major and apart of the Honors college. I am also a new member Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity.  I wanted to join SAIAC because I am so excited for the changes that this council wants to bring Ball State. Ball state has the potential to become a safe place that encourages and promotes diveristy and inclusiveness in every aspect. There is change that needs to be done and I want to be a part of that  in every way that I can.  

My name is Vanessa White, and I'm a second year Ball State student and honors college member.  I feel very strongly about a lot of things, so I usually need to calm myself down before I get all worked up.  I'm not part of any other student organizations as of right now, but I do like to make connections and contribute to wider change.  I also love to asks lots of questions because honestly I tend to be a little out of the loop.  I hope my membership in SAIAC will help me to reach out more and broaden my horizons.  I have high aspirations and hopes for the future.  

Nykasia Williams is a junior at Ball State, majoring is Psychology with a minor in African American studies. She is involved heavily on campus with Impact, Pinky Promise, and College Mentors for kids. Nykasia decided to be apart of SAIAC to utilize her platform and skills to be apart of the social change at Ball State. She looks forward to building a community that fights for justice and equality! 

Ella Zumbaugh is a junior honors college student majoring in Anthropology and Spanish with a minor in Women's and Gender Studies. I am excited to be a member of SAIAC because I believe that it is our responsibility to be antiracist and intersectional in order to uplift marginalized groups of people. Ball State is my home, and I want to change this campus to be actively antiracist.