After attending Saint Augustine’s University her freshmen year, Markyl Wilson transferred to Winston-Salem State University. After staying there for only one semester, Wilson returned to SAU. “That semester away from Saint Augustine’s taught me a lot about myself,” said Wilson, who is from Charlotte, NC. “I was ready to get back to SAU because this is a family. It may be small in numbers, but people have such caring hearts.”
Now a junior majoring in sociology, Wilson has immersed herself in campus life at Saint Augustine’s University. She is also a Resident Assistant and UNCF Ambassador. Wilson brought something back from her experience at Winston-Salem – an interest in the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). She joined the organization at WSSU and wanted to give the same experience she had to other young girls at SAU.
“When I came back, I realized, especially freshmen girls, needed something to do,” she said. Wilson is the president and chartering organizer of the SAU chapter of NCNW. She started the group along with Jaylan Brown, a junior majoring in criminal justice. Brown is the organization’s vice president.
The National Council of Negro Women is a national organizational affiliate that works to enlighten and inspire more than 3,000,000 women and men. Its mission is to lead, advocate for and empower women of African descent, their families and communities. The NCNW chapter at Saint Augustine’s University was chartered on Jan. 17, 2019. With their or than 40 members, faculty, and staff in attendance, the SAU chapter hosted their induction ceremony on Feb. 11, 2019 at the Prezell Robinson Library.
“We made history, not only at school, but for the NCNW,” Wilson said. The chapter’s documents will be held by the Howard University archives, which is the repository for documents for NCNW chapters on college campuses.
“It’s an honor that I was able to help with this,” Wilson said. “But it’s not just me; it’s every girl because I couldn’t have done this without their help.” Wilson’s return to Saint Augustine’s shows how one person can have a positive impact on others.
Brown said it has already given her a new outlook. “I decided to join NCNW because I was lost, I was looking into transferring because I didn’t feel like I belong here,” Brown said. “I was stuck. So when Markyl brought this to my attention and explained to me the organization, I then knew this is where I belong.”
— Jeydri Urbina and Zariah Rudulph-Settles
