Georgia Southern Student Re-elected President of National Black Graduate Student Association

April 27, 2015

John Nwosu, a counselor education graduate student from Austell, Georgia, was re-elected president of the National Black Graduate Student Association (NBGSA). The NBGSA is an organization that works to increase recruitment, progression, graduation and overall achievement for black students across the nation through scholarships, career fairs, workshops and other development opportunities. Elections were held April 11 at the 27th National NBGSA Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. Nwosu said his previous year as president was challenging, and he hadn’t intended to run. However, with his team’s encouragement, he said he could endure any obstacles. “Eric Thomas says, ‘Everybody wants to be a diamond, but no one wants to get cut,’” he said. “My team and I endured so many cuts over the course of last year and the result was significant individual and organizational improvement inside out. I'd say the experience was worth far more than a million diamonds. Most importantly, it's been humbling for me to be re-elected and know that I wouldn't be experiencing this level of success without my team of dedicated trustworthy leaders.” Despite the challenges, Nwosu says the experience has helped him not only become a better leader, but also to manage his time more effectively and focus on continuous progression in leadership. “I've had to learn more about balancing,” he said. “I've learned that there are 24 hours in a day, and that the main thing that sets me apart from someone like Eric Thomas, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Darren Hardy or Warren Buffet is how I'm spending my time. “Lastly, leading a national organization has helped me really internalize that there is no progress without struggle. I've had to learn how to respect the unknown and acknowledge the importance of failure. Failure is just feedback. It lets me know that I'm not perfect and still have more to learn. If I avoid failure, I'm avoiding potential success. All these lessons are really important for life before, during and after college.” In addition to Nwosu’s re-election, Jessica James, a higher education administration graduate student, was the outgoing treasurer for the organization. Nwosu and his new leadership team will meet in Washington, D.C., June 18-21 for its first quarterly planning meeting and Leadership Summit.