Vitals

Hometown: Canton, Michigan
Major: Business and Management
Minor: Psychology
Prounouns: They/Them/Theirs
Campus Involvements: Common Ground President, Co-Production Manager Terpsichore Dance Collective, Social Media Assistant Knox Office of Communications, Dare to Care Peer Educator starting fall 2023, occasional Knox Farm Volunteer

Three Facts about Aicha

I love to cook and taught myself how to make all kinds of recipes. I have gotten good at cooking various curry-based plates or anything over rice.

I enjoy attending comic conventions and handmaking my own costumes for them. My first comic convention was the Motor City Comic Con in Detroit for my 12th birthday. I dressed as Ash Ketchum, and my little brother dressed as Pikachu.

When I was 13, I participated in my first pageant. My mom thought it would be a good idea since I was shy, and it would help me get out of my shell. A big part of participating in pageants is activism. I had a platform where I advocated for inclusivity and for the LGBTQ+ community.

What is your Knox philosophy?

Go to things! Go to as many things as possible, every chance you get. I have met new people, discovered passions, and made all kinds of wonderful memories by just getting out to campus events and clubs. It is good to get out and make lots of memories.

Advice received at Knox that you will hold forever?

Students have the power on this campus. I participated in Common Ground, a LGBTQ+ club on campus with a focus on support and social events, as a project manager. I became the president in the fall term of my sophomore year. I was able to use resources I had as a student leader to make things happen, such as the gender-affirming closet, which offers free clothes for any individuals looking to build an affirming wardrobe. It offers masculine and feminine clothing, binders, undergarments—things that may help students figure out how they want to present and dress themselves. Still, there is always so much we can do. The more I get involved in Common Ground, the more I can help people and make a difference.

A time on campus where you felt empowered and inspired?

Being cast in and working on the Choreography Workshop piece “Generations” in the spring of my first year. It was my first time dancing on stage at Knox. I had participated in virtual events before, but this experience changed how I view dance. Ashley, the student who choreographed this piece, trusted me to help tell a story that is very important to her by not only having me in the piece but also giving me a solo. She gave me the push I needed to realize that I am capable as a dancer and an artist.