Here at Harvard, there are over 500 different student organizations on campus. I’m no applied math concentrator, but that’s a huge number. 

That being said, with so many options, some may find it a bit difficult to figure out where they want to spend their time. Obviously, everyone has their own opinions, but from my experience, NSA is the best org on campus. 
 
What is NSA? 
 
NSA’s full name is the Harvard College Nigerian Student Association, and is one of the 68 cultural organisations here on campus. The organisation was founded in 2004 by a smaller group of students, and has grown drastically, both in size and in strength since then. On a personal note, though, NSA feels like home. Growing up, I was always very in touch with my Nigerian community at home. However, I always saw the older members hard at work, and I never thought that I, as the first generation in America, and also as a young adult, would ever be able to connect with my culture in the way that they do. Being in NSA showed me that I was wrong.  

My Story 

My involvement with NSA began as soon as I started on campus. Well, actually, it was before I started my first year. I attended Visitas as an admitted student, but my official NSA journey started when my Harvard journey started. I was elected as one of the freshman representatives just before our Annual Independence Day Gala. Even though I just got there, I was immediately welcomed onto the Executive Board and got to have a hands-on experience in putting the final touches on the event. As a Freshman Rep, I definitely did a lot of work on the day of the event. From setting up in Northwest, to serving food during the event, to cleaning up afterwards, I was constantly on the move that night. However, because of how welcoming the rest of the board was, it didn’t feel like I was just a free employee, but rather a member of the team. Not only was I a member, but a member that they genuinely wanted to be there. It felt like I belonged.  

The wonderful thing about being in NSA, though, is that the bonds don’t just exist within the scope of the events. It far expands that, and reaches into the greater Harvard experience. One huge part of that experience is definitely the annual Harvard-Yale game. This past year, it was held at Yale, and I originally had no plans to be in attendance. However, I ended up going with a group of girls I met through NSA, and that weekend now stands out to me as one of my favorite parts of my first year. We drove down together, and met up with members of Yale’s NSA. All throughout the weekend, our two Senior Representatives (shoutout Tijesu and Busayo!) chartered me around to any and every event that was going on. They knew it was my first ever football game, and they wanted to make it one for the books. They fully succeeded at their goal. 
 

But wait...there’s more! Through NSA, I was also able to make a lot of connections to other schools in the Cambridge and Boston area. In December, we were invited to an event at Boston University, where we got to attend as guests of their celebration. Even as we were pulling up to the event venue, it was an amazing feeling to see students who looked like me, wearing our traditional clothes. I continuously got to, and get to, experience Nigerian youth taking an immense amount of pride in the things that make us special. 

One of my favorite parts of the past year with NSA was definitely our Annual Starboy Pageant. Helping put this event on really did solidify what I wanted to do with NSA during this upcoming school year. I worked very closely with the previous Executive Programming Chair, which is what inspired me to run for the same position. Fortunately, I was elected! This upcoming school year, I’ll be running our social media pages, heading our Auxiliary Board, and also actually planning the pageant for this upcoming school year! Once again, during Starboy, I was hard at work, but it didn’t feel like it. I genuinely felt like an essential part of the team. 

Obviously, everyone’s experience here on campus varies. With over 6000 undergraduate students here at the College, there’s no way that every single one of them would agree with me about NSA being the best student organisation. That being said, those who disagree are definitely wrong, but they’re allowed to be so! For me, NSA provided a home away from home, a safe haven where I was allowed to grow into who I’m proud to be. As I look back on my past year here on campus, and look forward to the next three, I feel confident that NSA will remain a constant presence, no matter what else may change.