Editor’s Note: For the remainder of the school year, The University Star will take on “The 11% Project”, an examination of Black students at Texas State through History, Election, Hometowns, Activism, Creatives and 10 years from now.
When Black students arrive at Texas State, they often come with a lifetime full of memories and lessons learned from trial and triumph in their hometowns. Students hold their stomping grounds in high regard, not only for the influential people they encountered during their time there but also for the difficulties that molded them into who they are today.
Over the course of December, as part of The 11% Project, The University Star worked closely with three Black students — Amber Marshall, an interdisciplinary studies graduate, Perry Thompson Jr., a strategic communications graduate and Jalisa Langley, a philosophy and anthropology major — to get to know their individual hometown stories. Each student shared their unique experiences in the places they grew up, as well as how they worked to overcome obstacles they faced along the way.