Manhattan men鈥檚 sprinter, Simpson, looks to make change on and off the track
RIVERDALE, N.Y. (BVM) — Upon his arrival as a freshman to Manhattan College, Kaya Simpson wanted to make a change.聽
He always pictured himself in some sort of position to do this, but never did he imagine he鈥檇 become one of the biggest student voices on campus.聽
鈥淚 was a pretty shy person coming here,鈥� Simpson recalled. 鈥淏ut I did want to get involved in things that would make an impact.鈥�
Simpson鈥檚 opportunity to make an impact came when the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) took action to battle persisting social issues with the MAAC United for Justice campaign. One of those actions was adding a diversity chair to the SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) last summer to expand the vocal platform for student athletes.聽
鈥淚 thought about it at first,鈥� Simpson said when talking about how quickly he applied for the position upon hearing about it. 鈥淚 then discussed it with others who thought I would be a good fit. Now I get to work with people I鈥檓 close with to make real change.鈥�
The SAAC serves as a voice for Manhattan鈥檚 student athletes. Each member is a representative from their sports team, fighting to raise outside awareness of the athletic program, along with a forum for their fellow athletes. Simpson has the same responsibilities, but with an emphasis on equality.聽
鈥淥ne thing I always want to push out is to educate people on these topics,鈥� Simpson said when discussing his duties. 鈥淭hey often just believe what they see on social media without taking the time to research the issues. I feel like people are nervous about speaking up because they don鈥檛 want to say the wrong thing. This is the sense I got talking to my teammates. It鈥檚 up to our leaderboard to make them feel more comfortable so they can take the next steps. I used to be sensitive talking about the topics too, but I learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.鈥澛�
The process to raise awareness takes multiple steps. Simpson first has to make sure the athletes are informed. Once they鈥檙e ready to speak up, he then must provide a stage for them to be heard by the rest of Manhattan鈥檚 students. If everything goes according to the SAAC鈥檚 plans, this will ultimately lead to the education of hundreds of other Jaspers.
The United for Justice campaign has made tremendous efforts to spread their message through multiple ways like education reform, voter registration drives, and community service initiatives. Simpson already has so much on his plate with his main Diversity Chair goals, but he makes sure to invest in these activities as well.聽
鈥淲e all work together on this,鈥� Simpson emphasized. 鈥淲e鈥檒l either run ideas by each other and we give feedback on our potential ideas for the future. So, one big thing we’re pushing right now is voter registration even though we know it鈥檚 going to become a very sensitive topic in a few weeks.鈥�
Because Simpson is so invested in this extensive work, it鈥檚 easy to forget he鈥檚 also a sophomore on the track team. With his main focus on competing, Simpson has had to manage his time between the two.
鈥淚 feel like this year I really had to mature,鈥� Simpson said when asked about balancing his responsibilities. 鈥淓ven my family said I had a complete turnaround to be able to do this. In the beginning it was kind of tough, but I feel like it was all about communication and time management. This is something I鈥檓 passionate about, so it鈥檚 not too hard now.鈥�
With Simpson putting his heart and soul into his Diversity Chair position and the SAAC backing his initiatives, expect to see major changes on Manhattan鈥檚 campus.聽
If this all goes according to plan, athletes will no longer stay silent on prevalent social issues. They will be informed and have the ability to spread factually accurate information to other students so real conversations can happen.聽
