CLASS NOTES
SHARING SUCCESS
OFF&RUNNING As Marquette’s first director of Black student initiatives, Samira Payne has returned to her alma mater to open doors.
BY MAT T M A R T I N E Z , CO M M ’2 0
32 / SP R I N G 2 022
When Samira M. Payne, Arts ’10, drives around Milwaukee’s North Side, it reminds her of the streets where she grew up. A native of Chicago’s South Side, she sees a community with similar trials and triumphs. Her first thoughts are for the youth — the college hopefuls. How can she help make Marquette a place where they come and expect to succeed? She recognizes there’s work to be done. “If they’re enrolling here and not getting the same opportunities as other students because of barriers, obstacles or systemic issues … if they’re just in survival mode, that’s not Marquette fully living out its mission,” she says. Payne returned to Marquette, where she majored in social welfare and justice, after working as program director for student-athlete transition programs at the University of Notre Dame. She now serves as Marquette’s first
director of Black student initiatives. Reflecting on life as a first-generation undergraduate, Payne recalls being unaware of all the programs available to her. She wishes she’d done more, like study abroad in South Africa. “Having spent time in higher ed, I recognize that thriving post-college isn’t just about the degree,” she says. “It’s about the experiences that you have in college.” Through the mentorship of Kimberly Jensen Bohat, service learning program director, Payne got involved in service learning, felt more engaged and found her way at Marquette. Bohat is a large reason Payne returned. Payne wants to be that mentor for others, helping Black students find their purpose, as she did. “When I left this university,” she says, “I was able to clearly articulate how I saw myself impacting the world and what set my soul on fire.”
