Celebrating Our 2021 Graduates: Brianna McBride

Major: Communication & Leadership, Moody College of Communication/Government, College of Liberal Arts
Hometown: Northwest Houston
Programs and activities: Black Student Alliance; Afrikan American Affairs; African American Cultural Committee; Global Leadership and Social Impact Program in Cape Town, South Africa, 2019; Fearless Leadership Institute; WIELD; XP3; Black President’s Leadership Council; Big XII Council; Center for the Study of Race and Democracy; UT Campus Tour Guide
Someone to lean on…“As a young Black woman, I’ve always wanted to do more because I know what it took for me to get here. I come from a very loving, supportive community—and that’s what I always lean on whenever I feel that I don’t belong. I’m only doing my due diligence to work hard to cultivate a supportive community on campus because nobody can do it but us, and nobody can do it better than us.”
Uniting Black voices…“I’m proud of my efforts in revitalizing and restructuring the Black President’s Leadership Council. It is now a united voice for the Black community that has captured the attention of UT—and from over 35 Black presidents of various student organizations. Now, the UT administration knows who we are—and that we’re here to stay.”
Raising her horns…“I wouldn’t be advocating so hard for Black students to come to UT if I didn’t love being here. It’s so true that what starts here changes the world. UT is a Southern institution with a lot of issues, but I honestly believe if you come here with good intentions and a passion, you can figure out how and why you can change the world.”
Life after UT…“I’m applying to the LBJ School and various schools around the nation. I’m very interested in case law regarding affirmative action, so that line of work is definitely in my near future. We have a very strong community of faculty, staff and peers at UT, and that’s the main reason why I want to continue going to school here. On that note, I want to send a big thank you to the DDCE, the Warfield Center, Black Studies, Dr. Edmund Gordon—and all the people who make me proud to be a Longhorn.”