WKU News

“Black Women of Western has given me a sense of family, because when I first came to WKU in the fall of 2015, I was trying to find my way.  They have helped motivate me to be many things,” said Mennefield, the social chair of the student organization.   “They have given me courage, and they have allowed me to accomplish things that I didn’t even know that I was capable of.  Without them, I don’t think I would be the person that I am today.”

Mennefield says she has a passion for helping people. “I feel like everybody needs a helping hand no matter who you are, she said. “I hope that I can be that for somebody, like somebody was for me. I can be that person that you need to vent to.  I can give you that motivation, that push that you need to strive to be better.”

Mennefield works at Cornerstone, a student support program at WKU, which has given her the opportunity to mentor and guide students to help reach their goals, where she also encourages students to get involved during their time in college.

“Do not be afraid to reach out and talk to people. People don’t know that you need help or that you are willing to get involved in campus unless you tell them that or you show them through your effort,” she said. “So don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, because in comfort, there is no growth. 

WKU junior, Marie Mennefield is a Broadcast News major from Nashville, TN.  She is the social chair of Black Women of Western, a collective designed to bring African American women together across the WKU campus community. 

For more information about Black Women of Western (BWOW), visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WKUBWOW.