ALYSSA BUMP
Editor in Chief
(All photographs courtesy of Ilene Thompson.)
Raised in the Bronx, N.Y. by a single mom with three siblings, Ilene Thompson, a junior psychology major with a minor in public health, has been working since she was 14 years old.
“Having my own independence and my own money has been something that’s been very important to me because I grew up lower class,” said Thompson. She continued, “For the most part, I had a regular childhood growing up, but I did work a lot. I don’t mind it because it molded me into the person I am today.”
This independence and drive to succeed have translated into Thompson’s college career through her role as president of the Student Association (SA) as well as holding a spot on multiple committees on campus.
During high school, Thompson spent a majority of her time as a student athlete for softball, basketball, track and cross country, as well as working.
Like many others during their high school years, Thompson describes feeling “lost during most of it. I never really found myself towards the end. I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t.”
But throughout her journey in college, Thompson said, “I’ve found a piece of myself. I am still finding myself, learning to love myself and learning to do things I enjoy.”
Thompson describes “four leading ladies” that have influenced her life greatly: her mother, her aunt, her grandmother and her scholarship donor.
with Carol “Stash” Stanley (right).
and grandmother (bottom left).
“My mom is always the type of person to get things done. Like no matter what, even if things are hard, just push through. I’ve always admired her for that,” said Thompson. She continued, “She’s like the woman that I need her to be now more than anything … She’s just been my guide and my rock. I don’t know what I would do without her.”
Her grandma is “always reminding me of how proud of me she is,” according to Thompson.
She continued, “I really appreciate that because encouragement is something we need, especially during college.”
Thompson describes her father’s sister as “what my dad was supposed to be, but in a woman figure. She definitely stepped up for him.” She added her aunt “could have been someone who didn’t care, but she wasn’t. She still cares about us to this day … She has a good heart.”
Beyond family influences, Thompson has also built a connection with Carol “Stash” Stanley, a SUNY Fredonia alumna and the founder of the LaceLocker Pursue Excellence Scholarship, which she created in memory of her mother.
Thompson was awarded this renewable scholarship as a freshman, and it gave her enough funds to attend higher education at SUNY Fredonia. “I [originally] couldn’t afford to go here,” said Thompson.
Stanley and Thompson first met at the 2019 Scholars Breakfast, and they have kept in touch ever since. “We talk all the time. She’s a big inspiration in my life, and I would consider her another woman in my life that has done so much for me,” said Thompson.
She continued, “I could talk to her about anything. She’s more than just a mentor; she holds a special place in my heart.”
Thompson chose to attend SUNY Fredonia because her mom did not want her to stay in the city. She had also attended Multicultural Weekend (MCW) as a prospective student, where she was able to go to the MCW Carnival and Black Student Union (BSU) Fashion Show. She said that experience “mainly influenced me to come here.”
But when Thompson arrived on campus, she described feeling like “a fish out of water.” As a woman of color attending a predominantly white institution, she confessed there was “definitely a lot of crying my first week” as she got accustomed to her new environment.
However, she described the college as welcoming and began joining clubs as a freshman. By sophomore year, Thompson found herself joining SA as a representative.
According to sa.fredonia.edu, the organization’s mission is to “promote the general welfare of the students of SUNY Fredonia, enhance student life on campus and represent the interests of the student body as Fredonia’s student government.” SA oversees all 150 clubs on campus, as well as works to provide a voice to students.
“I wanted something to do on campus because I wasn’t doing athletics anymore,” said Thompson. Within the same semester, Thompson moved up from a representative position to the president of the sophomore class.
As a junior, Thompson ran and earned the position as president of SA, which she currently resides as. “It’s a great experience, and it’s also very crucial because without SA, there are no clubs … These clubs put on these amazing events,” said Thompson.
Thompson is responsible for “starting initiatives, assisting with signature cards, summit and other responsibilities that the executives do.”
Some of the initiatives Thompson has worked on include providing free face masks on campus, starting a Faculty Student Association (FSA) job appeal forum, which is meant to inform students applying to work at FSA of the “no hire list,” and adding a no tolerance sexual assault workshop for all club leaders during summit.
“The most rewarding part [of being SA president] is being able to help students and making initiatives come to fruition.
With her SA presidency, she is also required to hold nine office hours a week. Thompson said the role is “not what people perceive it as. It is actually pretty fun. I enjoy being president, and I’d rather do that than go to my classes at times.”
However, SA is currently facing low involvement through the student body. The organization allows up to 32 representative positions, with one representative meant to represent 100 students, but SA currently only has two representatives that will soon graduate.
According to fredonia.smartcatalogiq.com, “The representatives have a very important responsibility. [These] students voice their opinions on such matters as academics, food services and Student Affairs.”
With the concern of low involvement, Thompson said, “It’s been sad to see. When I first started out [as a sophomore], the numbers were pretty high.” SA as a whole is working to increase their numbers through multiple outreach tactics, such as working with Business Capstone students to create a strategic plan to increase involvement.
Alongside Thompson’s role as SA president, she is also on the Title IX Coordination Committee that is seeking a new Title IX Coordinator for the college. She is also a part of the Inauguration Planning Committee, FSA Board of Directors, College Council, President’s Student Cabinet, works as a Late Night Fred driver and as a direct support professional for people with mental disabilities with People Inc. in Silver Creek, N.Y.
With Thompson’s major in psychology, she has also done research in her field. She was on the Sexual Offense & Abuse Project Research Team as a sophomore. “We basically did a project to see the correlation between sexual agression in men and women,” said Thompson.
The project was presented at the Office of Student Creative Activity and Research (OSCAR) Expo via Zoom in 2020.
Thompson said that this was her first experience with professional research, and it gave her a new perspective of the research aspect of psychology.
As for her future endeavors after college, Thompson isn’t entirely sure of what she’d like to do. She would like to explore her other passions of modeling and fashion, but above all else, she hopes to help others during her life’s journey.
Thompson hopes to leave a “memorable” impact on SUNY Fredonia. “I just hope the work I’ve done carries on to the next person and that they will continue to help the good of the community,” said Thompson.