Savannah State University

Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a Marketing concentration. Also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Attending an HBCU was not my first option. I wanted to go to a big school out of state. My hopes were set on the University of Alabama and you couldn’t get me to believe anything otherwise. I applied, got accepted, and paid all my deposits. I was on my way! I was all set to attend the University of Alabama until a conversation with a close family friend changed the trajectory of my life.

My dream school was completely unaffordable. Which I knew, but at that time I didn’t care. I was 18, how things actually got paid for was none of my concern. After realizing that going to the University of Alabama would take away nearly 40% of my family’s income I decided to switch gears. In April of my senior year I applied to Savannah State University (SSU). The alma mater of my first mentor, elementary school principal, and finest role model Mrs. Beauty P. Baldwin. I knew if SSU was good enough for the woman who served as Georgia’s first African-American female School Superintendent, it was good enough for me.

I can’t begin to tell you how excited Mrs. Baldwin was when she heard the good news. My own grandmother got a little jealous at my graduation party because Mrs. Baldwin was so proud. She was tell everyone that “her Mi’Lisa was going to Savannah State University!” Just thinking about it still makes me laugh and puts a smile on my face. Mrs. Baldwin is not only the reason I attended Savannah State University she is also the reason I aspired to become a woman of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She is the epitome of grace, class, dedication, and service to all mankind. I am so thankful for the role she played in my life then and the role she still plays in my life now.

Although I did not initially choose SSU, SSU chose me. It was exactly where I needed to be. I will forever be grateful for the nurturing, molding, and grooming I received while there especially from Ms. Anderson, Mr. Riley, Ms. Bradley, and Ms. Stovall (God rest her soul). I was more than a number, I was a person. A person who was cared about, pushed to be the best she could be, and challenged to rise to the woman she was destined to become. For the first time in my life I wasn’t a minority student, I was just a student. For my four years at Savannah State University I was simply Mi’Lisa. I was surrounded by black excellence daily! Those four years at Savannah State were a godsend. My heart will forever be indebted to the Illustrious University by the Sea, all hail SSU!