WKU News

Christopher Bussell is a sophomore from Hopkinsville who studies Environmental and Occupational Health Science. He decided on WKU after hearing friends talk about the WKU Intercultural Student Engagement Center (ISEC), a program aimed at assisting young scholars with transition, persistence & graduation. 

Bussell joined the ISEC Academy his freshman year and now serves as an ISEC Academy Navigator – assisting other students as a peer mentor for the program. 

“ISEC was the reason I came. When I was in high school, everyone was telling me college stories, and they were like: ‘You’re going to have a family up there!’ ISEC provided that foundation for me,” Bussell said. 

He added that knowing that he had strong connections that he could depend on at WKU was crucial during his transition to college. Now, as an ISEC Academy Navigator, he gets to work with other students to build the same connections needed as a first year student.

“I’m helping the next generation of students when they come in for mentoring – showing them that they can make it here too. I’m reassuring them that they’re not going to be alone when they’re up here,” Bussell said. “And one of the best parts is that your mentors stay with you even after they graduate. I’ll still be checking up on the ones I’m mentoring. My mentor I had when I started graduates after this semester, and he already let me know that nothing will change. We’ll still be talking to each other even after his graduation.”

Bussell recently took on another leadership role within the organization, serving on the Cultural Heritage Planning Committee and planning Black History Month events for the university. The theme for Black History Month 2022 is Black Lives. Black Health. Black Wealth. We Matter.

“This isn’t too much of a new experience really. I was helping plan events my freshman year at ISEC,” Bussell said. “We’re going to have an opening ceremony, which will include a keynote speaker, a student and recent alumni speaker. There will be food, fellowship and awards. I’ll be helping host the opening ceremony. I am excited to help host and open the month!” 

The Black History Month Opening Ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on Feb. 1 in the Harbaugh Club at L.T. Smith Stadium and is presented by the Black Student Alliance and the Cultural Heritage Planning Committee. The event is open to the public and features food by So-well’s Catering, Keynote Speaker Dr. Cassandra Little on the History of Soul Food, student charge by Tamera Lott, door prizes, award presentations, and entertainment by the Amazing Tones of Joy and Blaq Art Nouveau. 

Bussell is also excited to assist with planning additional events this month, such as a sneaker gala during the last weekend of February.

Bussell said he thinks being a part of the Cultural Heritage Planning Committee and Black History Month is important because it provides an educational moment for everyone and will cover some interesting things that people don’t know about Black history. 

“Hosting will be a new experience because I am used to speaking in DSU’s auditorium when I perform with Blaq Art Nouveau,” Bussell said.

Blaq Art Nouveau is an art club and student organization at WKU that allows students a platform for creative expression in various art forms. Bussell enjoys expressing art through poetry. He joined as a freshman and said the opportunities he’s gained through it have been life-changing.

“I was shy, and I wasn’t as confident in my work as I am now. It was definitely a learning experience because we had different workshops and meetings every Wednesday. There, we’d get different words and whatever our art form is we would create something from that word - whether you drew it, wrote poetry or wrote a song. I like the growth I’ve been seeing from that the most. I went from not wanting to perform on stage to opening showcases,” Bussell said. “I mostly have worked on my public speaking. I do poetry, so they’ve had events where I have come and performed or hosted. It’s helped me grow to be comfortable being in front of a lot of people.” 

As Bussell reflects on his time at WKU, he shared that he’s especially thankful for opportunities to meet new people.

“Without the opportunities I’ve had, I feel like I’ve wouldn’t have been here personally because college is 100% stressful,” Bussell said. “The opportunities kept me busy and helped me to realize that I can make it. I have a good foundation now because of all the opportunities I’ve had through ISEC, Blaq Art Nouveau and WKU Student Support Services.”

Bussell began exploring a career path in Environmental and Occupational Health Science while he was still in high school. Through the experience of earning an OSHA certification, he learned he is especially interested in the environmental side rather than the industrial side. After earning his undergraduate degree in Environmental and Occupational Health Science, Bussell plans to work as an environmental health and safety officer and travel to different national parks.

To learn more about Black History Month events at WKU, visit https://www.wku.edu/isec/blackhistorymonth/.