“I love holding leadership positions because it gives me a medium and a platform to be something for other people that I didn’t have.”

Kaila Archer, senior speech language hearing science major and disability studies minor, has held various leadership positions and stayed engaged with student organizations on Hofstra University’s campus.

Archer began her leadership at Hofstra as a Welcome Week leader in 2022 and soon became an orientation leader in the summer of 2023. She said being an orientation leader is one of the most fulfilling positions she’s held.

“It’s very rewarding when we see students are having fun, telling us we made them smile and telling us they’re excited for class in September,” Archer said. In the fall semester of 2023, Archer began her role as a resident assistant (RA) and has held the position since.

“One responsibility of being an RA is keeping our residents engaged, which goes into improving their quality of life,” Archer said. “A lot of them are far away from home so we have to make Hofstra a safe haven for them.”

Archer said another aspect of her role as an RA is to problem-solve with her residents. “We have to know how to troubleshoot, be adaptable and be flexible in the case of an emergency,” Archer said. “You have to be cognizant of who’s in your house and what’s going on as it’s important to follow up with conflicts and sensitive issues that get reported.”

In addition to her role as a resident assistant, Archer is on the steering committee of Phi Eta Sigma and recently held a leadership position with Black Leaders Advocating for Change (BLAC). Archer said her role with Phi Eta Sigma allows her to give back to Hofstra students as well as the community.

“On this committee, we plan events that will drive engagement for the organization and provide students with opportunities to do philanthropic and humanitarian events,” Archer said. “A lot of what we plan consists of food drives, collecting supplies, receiving donations and fundraisers. We plan fun activities so that we can gain community service hours and give back to the community.”

Archer also gave back to the Hofstra community in her former role as Compass Dining Liaison with BLAC.

“I was in charge of maintaining our relationship and open communication with Compass Dining and designing meals for our organization initiative that is ‘BLAC Eats,’” Archer said. “I provided Compass with the storytelling aspect of BLAC Eats because the whole initiative is about providing more diverse food options on campus, but also giving the significance of each chosen recipe.”

In addition to her work with BLAC, Archer said she heavily engages with other ethnic-based clubs including the Black Student Union, Caribbean Student Association and NAACP.

“I prioritize attending events for all three of those clubs and try to volunteer whenever possible,”Archer said. “I think support is important, and positive turnout shows that we should maintain these events because they deserve a place at Hofstra.” Archer said it’s important to have ethnic-based organizations because it gives more students the opportunity to be seen.

“It gives students a medium to advocate for themselves, ask for things they need and see representation,” Archer said. “It’s very important as a student of color to see representation at Hofstra because it really adds to the college experience.”

Archer said the success of the ethnic-based clubs on campus sends a message to Hofstra about the capabilities of students of color.

“Showing that we can manage ourselves and provide a community is important and speaks volumes to our university,” Archer said. “It shows that we’re capable, we have unity and that there’s strength in numbers.”