![\"Malaika](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/MW030723UR_0069-683x1024.jpg\")
Malaika Perkins \u201926<\/p><\/div>\n
Malaika Perkins\u2014a first-generation, first-year student at Rochester and the Women\u2019s Network\u2019s<\/a> third-ever scholarship recipient\u2014has always loved learning. In her first year of high school, she signed up for Chinese because she thought it sounded interesting. In her senior year, she became captain of her debate team and was even her region\u2019s runner-up debater of the year in 2022. In the summer before starting college, Perkins interned with the Economics Awareness Council of Chicago, an opportunity she sought out for herself.<\/p>\n Perkins is also a self-described bookworm. When she was younger, she soaked up Nancy Drew books. She\u2019d often lose track of time in the library, too, sometimes hiding books on the shelves with the pages marked so she could return to them the next day. Her mother recognized her middle child\u2019s academic inclination and nurtured it. She even moved the family from Chicago to a suburb when Perkins was seven years old so that she and her siblings could have more access to and opportunities for academic success.<\/p>\n \u201cElementary school was tough,\u201d says Perkins. \u201cThe teachers and students were mostly white, and I was almost always the only Black person in the room. Often, people were surprised I was as smart as I was.\u201d<\/p>\n In high school, Perkins joined the Schuler Scholar<\/a> program, which provides a dedicated support team and free resources to high-achieving underrepresented, first-generation students and helps prepare them for college success.<\/p>\n When it came time to find a college, Perkins wanted to go where she could excel academically while feeling supported as a person of color. She heard about Rochester from her Schuler Scholar program advisor. \u201cI was drawn to Rochester\u2019s open curriculum and the variety of support available, for instance, through the Office of Minority Students Affairs [OMSA]<\/a>,\u201d she says. \u201cRochester\u2019s commitment to Meliora and making the world \u2018ever better\u2019 also resonated with me and aligned with my values.\u201d<\/p>\n Right now, Perkins plans to major in economics. She\u2019s particularly interested in the relationship between economics, philosophy, and political science. She wants to use her degree to make her communities stronger, especially underrepresented ones. \u201cSomeday, I imagine going back to Chicago, not as a financial advisor at a big firm working with wealthy clients, but at a not-for-profit that serves people from the kinds of neighborhoods I grew up in,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n At Rochester, Perkins is discovering new academic areas of interest, too, for instance, she\u2019s learning American Sign Language, which she thinks she\u2019ll minor in. When she\u2019s not in class, Perkins is likely in one of the River Campus study areas or working through assignments in the Barbara J. Burger iZone, where she enjoys collaborating with friends.<\/p>\n Perkins wakes early (especially for a college student), often before 8 a.m. so she can attend an in-person or virtual Koru mindfulness session before classes. Then, throughout the day, Perkins goes to classes and visits her professors during their office hours. \u201cThey have all been so willing to further explain concepts and share their knowledge,\u201d she says. \u201cI love that I am making connections with them.\u201d<\/p>\n Perkins has participated in a variety of student groups, too, including the Financial Consulting Club, the ASL Club, and the on-campus Christian fellowship. The Black Students Union has also been a great source of support, as has her OMSA advisor, who happens to be from Chicago.<\/p>\n During her first week on campus, Perkins attended an event to introduce students to Black River Campus staff. That\u2019s when she met Zachary Brown<\/a>, a post-doctoral fellow with joint appointments at the Warner School and the Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African American Studies. \u201cProfessor Brown researches and teaches about building an inclusive environment,\u201d she says. \u201cFor instance, his classes explore important topics such as critical race theory, an area I am particularly interested in.”<\/p>\n During her college years, Perkins aspires to get an internship every summer. She wants to study abroad, too, and has found an ASL program in France for next spring that she\u2019s eyeing. Although she\u2019s taking in every opportunity she can, she does miss home\u2014especially her 10-year old black lab, Sheba. \u201cLuckily though, every week, therapy dogs come to campus through the Paws for Stress Relief<\/a> program,\u201d she adds. \u201cI just love that.\u201d<\/p>\n Perkins is honored to be the Women\u2019s Network\u2019s third-ever scholarship recipient. \u201cIt feels good to be supported by alumni whose experiences here prompted them to invest in students like me,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m very thankful.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#e9e5d7″ css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Right now, Perkins is reading The Wretched of the Earth<\/em><\/a> by Frantz Fanon, a book about race, colonialism, trauma, and struggle; The Alchemist<\/em><\/a> by Paolo Coelho, a classic story about self-discovery, and The Silent Patient<\/a><\/em> by Alex Michaelides, a thriller novel.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_empty_space image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#00205b” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][vc_column_text] The volunteer-led Women\u2019s Network<\/a> has a mission to harness and celebrate the rich contributions of women around the globe who are part of the University\u2019s family. Learn more about the Women\u2019s Network Scholarship<\/a> and how to support students like Perkins. Find out more about the University\u2019s other affinity groups, too, including our First-Generation<\/a> and Black Alumni<\/a> Networks.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]Photo: Matt Wittmeyer<\/em><\/p>\n Learn about the Women\u2019s Network\u2019s first two scholars: <\/em>Raina Plaisir \u201925<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Angelica Persaud \u201925<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1677688287839{border-top-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;border-top-color: #999999 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;}”]<\/p>\n \u2014Kristine Kappel Thompson, March 2023<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This first-year, first-generation student was drawn to Rochester\u2019s mission: to make the world ever better<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":63912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,142],"tags":[272,732,772,1132,122,922,652,682],"class_list":["post-63452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-profiles","category-stories","tag-alumni","tag-black-alumni-network","tag-chicago","tag-dei","tag-river-campus","tag-stories","tag-women-who-roc","tag-womens-network"],"yoast_head":"\nFinding Rochester<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Her college experience<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Aspirations and gratitude<\/strong><\/h4>\n
On her bookshelf<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"Women's](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/women_network-300x170.png\")
[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3\/4″][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\nThe Women\u2019s Network<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n