New SCSU Alumni Prez Steps Forward

As LaShanté James outlined her plans to bring more student voices to the table at Southern Connecticut State University, her eyes couldn’t help but watch a trio of Greek steppers make music between their body and the pavement.

“I would have never seen that as a student,” James said in response to watching the Omega Psi Phi steppers. ​“We had to force the culture to shift as students to get here.”

Now James is stepping up to help SCSU students ​“cultivate change” once again, as she did as an undergraduate..

James, 39, is the newly elected SCSU Alumni Association president. She is the first Black woman to be elected to the position in the board’s history.

James, a New Haven native, graduated from Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School at age 16 and studied at University of New Haven before attending SCSU.

In her new role, James vowed to establish a school-wide network that can connect current students to successful alumni.

“Outside of monetary support, if we strengthen an alumni network, we can give them support with experience in their field,” she said. ​“The hardest thing is breaking into a new job. Mentors are vital.”

The idea comes from her personal experiences with mentors in high school and college. ​“We should be connected with students advisors so they can connect students with alumni with expertise in the field they’re going down,” she said.

In her senior year of high school, James decided she would follow in the footsteps of her mother and become a teacher. She decided on becoming an English teacher with the help of her high school English teacher Debbie Breland.

While at UNH she pledged to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She transferred to SCSU in 2001 after her first UNH semester due to a lack of financial options.

Her mother, Pamela Monk Kelley, is a lifelong educator and alum of SCSU on a full scholarship. Her mother graduated with a class made up of 10 Black graduates including herself and James’ uncle.

As a student at SCSU, James was a resident advisor, tour guide, president of the Black student union, NAACP campus chapter co-developer, president of the campus’ AKA sorority, and Miss Southern.

During her college career James described being a part of the university’s ​“student-led evolution.” There was a lack of Greek life and diverse student activities hosted by the institution when she arrived on campus.

“When I was here, the alumni were our leaders. They would come back. and we learned from them,” she said.

While there were students of color on campus, there were no celebrations of culture.

James received her bachelor of science degree in English education in 2004 and a master’s in political science with a concentration in urban education from SCSU in 2014. She also completed the Sixth Year Professional Diploma Program in Educational Leadership at Sacred Heart University.

When the Omega Psi Phi steppers completed their routine the other day, passing students clapped and cheered for the trio.

James recalled when, as a student leader on campus, she would rely on help from alumni and advisors to learn leadership skills.

“We booked the rooms for step shows. We planned and budgeted the shows and events,” she said.

James is currently the assistant principal of Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk. Before that she was the assistant principal for three years at Roton Middle School and Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy.

James began her career as an English teacher for 11 years at New Haven’s Riverside Education Academy. She was awarded the Teacher of the Year award for eight out of her 11 years at Riverside. Former Riverside Principal Wanda Gibbs encouraged James to leave the classroom and become an administrator. ​“You belong in leadership,” James recalled Gibbs telling her.

James joined the SCSU alumni board three years ago with an interest in proposing and planning more events for all alumni. She immediately became the co-chair for the programming committee. James served as board secretary for two years. She was elected president this past June. Last Thursday was her first alumni board meeting of the semester as president.

“I was in these students’ shoes at one point. I was a minority kid from New Haven on Southern’s campus. Now I’m at the table to share the needs of the students,” she said.

James said she looks forward to the reach that the board’s virtual meetings offer since the pandemic pivot. ​“We have board members from all over the country that feel connected no matter how far,” she said. ​“An alumni association should be a second home for us.”

The board is currently planning the school’s Homecoming celebration Oct. 12 – 18 to kick off a semester on campus. ​“We want them to see us as an asset to the university,” James said.

“I had all of these Black female mentors who cultivated and recognized my leadership skills,” James said. ​“The student leadership that surrounded me, then and now, shaped what I can do now.”