By Serenity Kelly

There have been a few semesters where in more than one of my classes, I was the only black student.

Sometimes, it felt awkward – especially when topics like slavery, Black Lives Matter or civil rights would come up.

Those are the times when I expected to feel all eyes on me, being that the subject would pertain to me.

Eventually, I’ve learned to embrace being black in a sometimes mainly Caucasian class, or a class with few other minority students.

I saw being the only black student in a class as an opportunity to educate my fellow majority peers on what it is like to be African-American. I did this by starting a dialogue and conversations with them when the subject surfaced.

I found it to be very beneficial because I feel that I have taught them something new, and in return, I’ve heard what they had to say and their views of African-Americans.

I hope that I was able to change some of their perceptions.

Being the only black student in a class can be awkward at first, but for the most part, it got easier.

I stood out because I am outstanding. #BlackExcellence

Serenity Kelly is a junior studying media, communications and journalism at Fresno State.