Soon-to-Be Grads Found Their Voices at Merced College

By Luciana Chavez

Amarah Sayles and Cornelius Awuah came to Merced College not just to learn, but also to contribute.

Sayles joined the Black Student Union (BSU), serving as vice president in 2023-24 and president the past two academic years. Awuah became president of the African American Male Education Network & Development (A2MEND) program in 2023-24 and is serving in that role again in 2025-26.

The soon-to-be graduates found direction after meeting new folks on campus who felt most familiar to themselves.

Sayles had no idea where she belonged when she chose to attend Merced College in 2023.

When she tried to enroll there, she found the classes she needed were filled.

She felt defeated, until she remembered a counselor telling her about the Umoja program, a first-year cohort for Black students. The cohort starts each fall, with students taking English 1A and Statistics classes together. The same students return in the spring for Guidance and Psychology.

Sayles had a way in, and found a community along the way.

“The unity among the Umoja students was incredible,” Sayles said. “I didn’t talk to people before starting those classes. (Assistant Director of Equity) Louis Foy encouraged us to get to know our classmates so we could support each other. I did open up and made friends in class and around campus.”

Still, Umoja was new in Fall 2023. The Black community at Merced College felt small to Sayles until she learned it also had a BSU, like the one she joined at Merced High.

“Once I was elected BSU vice president, I knew I had to help others open up to this experience like I did,” she said “I knew so many Black students and students of color who didn’t know there was a place like the Equity Hub to come to if they were struggling, needed to talk, get resources, everything.”

Three years on, the BSU has tripled in size to over 30 members, now forming the college’s Black Alliance with Umoja and A2MEND and working with community partners to spread its message.

In December, the BSU helped hand out over 1,000 winter coats for the Boys & Girls Club of Merced County. Sayles said the BSU is also working with Love Faith Hope—a local organization that uplifts the community—to launch a program that will see BSU students mentor local middle schoolers.

Sayles will graduate in May with associate degrees in Sociology, Psychology, Social and Behavioral Health, and Health Sciences, as well as a transfer degree in Psychology.

Nurturing peers who share her background has turned Sayles, who is applying for the college’s RN program, into a social animal and a strong advocate.

“Maybe there were times when I was younger when I wanted to speak out and couldn’t,” she said. “Now I can. I do. I’ll tell other students of color straight up, ‘Hey, you do have a place here.’”

Awuah, an international student from Ghana, found a home at the Equity Hub.

“They are all family to me—Cynthia Reynoso, Louis Foy, everyone,” Awuah said. “Of the people I’ve met in the U.S. so far, they have treated me the best. They know what I’m going through.”

Awuah came to the U.S. to play basketball, hopefully well enough to get a free college education. He had Ghanaian sponsors lined up, but when a financial crisis hit the West African nation in 2023, his school money disappeared.

As an international student, Awuah cannot receive federal or state assistance. Determined to stay, he quit basketball, got a job at the Equity Hub, and has paid his own way through school. His tuition is on a payment plan. He makes use of the college food pantry. He has friends who quietly help him.

When Awuah graduates from Merced College with associate degrees in Kinesiology, Psychology and Sociology in May, it won’t be without a financial burden. But, this opportunity remains precious.

“God is great,” Awuah said.

Awuah joined A2MEND to contribute. The organization provides mentors for young men of color. For Awuah, those mentors are Foy and Cimmaron Ruiz, an Extended Opportunity Programs & Services (EOPS) Equity Counselor.

“They push us, but they push us to do what we want to do,” Awuah said. “A2MEND recruits better because of the presence of those men. It’s given me the edge to talk to anyone I want to. When we talk to high schoolers, I can tell my life story and say, ‘If I was able to go through that, you can, too.’”

Awuah has also spent 2 1/2 years away from his family for this education. When he finally traveled home to Accra, the capital of Ghana, in December, he temporarily set down his burden.

He revived himself daily at the beach. He attended church services with his family on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Then, like he always has done during the early morning of each new year, he played basketball for hours in the dark with his friends.

This semester, Awuah will work out for university teams to try to secure an athletics scholarship.

Or he can take Optional Practical Training (OPT), a federal program for F-1 student visa holders to learn practical skills in their area of study for one year. He could work, pay down debt, and save money to pay for university one day.

No matter how he does it, a bachelor’s degree is the goal. And after getting a second wind back home, Awuah willingly goes forth.

“Going to college has been kind of a struggle for me,” he said. “So sitting with my family, us looking at each other, asking questions, and laughing was indescribable. To hear them encourage me to keep my head up, to keep going, was everything.”