Carden Royster
Shiloh Wolfork is a graduating senior majoring in English with a minor in Management and Organization from Cincinnati, Ohio. Throughout her undergraduate journey, she’s made an indisputable mark on Spelman’s campus through her passion and dedication to organizations like Spelmanites United for Justice and GRL-PWR, making her a deserving Spotlight Award recipient in the category of Public Service and Community Engagement.
Shiloh initially applied to Spelman as an Economics major, then switched to Political Science. After taking a couple of courses, she still wasn’t content. At the time, English was Shiloh’s minor, and she had always written for fun in addition to being the editor-in-chief of her high school news magazine— it only made sense for her to pursue the area of study she enjoyed the most. She spoke about the lack of knowledge people have about the English major’s applicability to various professions, especially as a student passionate about the storytelling aspect of English with an interest in marketing:
“I believe that the power of words and telling people’s stories is a super essential part of making powerful marketing campaigns,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot through my English major about that, [while] also honing my research skills and my writing skills… which is super important to marketing as well.”
Pairing the ability to highlight diverse stories and draw meaningful societal connections with skills from her minor classes, such as Principles of Management and Principles of Finance, Shiloh has built herself a strong foundation to succeed in the corporate world.
One of the highlights of Shiloh’s Spelman experience has been participating in the Spelman College Social Justice Program. As a Social Justice Fellow, she’s been able to combine her passions for writing and activism as the Head of Editorial for The Blue Record Podcast, Spelman College’s official podcast under the Social Justice Program. However, her main project as a Social Justice Program Fellow has been serving as the Co-President of Spelmanites United for Justice (SUJ), a student organization that addresses various social justice causes through discussion-based events and community service. SUJ’s topics range from voting education and reproductive rights to the Congo’s humanitarian crisis and genocide in Palestine.
“I feel like we’re able to attract a wider audience and reach more diverse students because we’re an organization that’s open to addressing all [social justice] issues, and just making sure that people feel at home within our organization, which helps develop our community as well.”
She credits SUJ as well as the larger Social Justice Program with allowing her to grow as an activist, but also providing her with lifelong friendships and a supportive, empowering community that helps students feel heard, understood, and valued.
Shiloh also spoke about the rebrand that SUJ underwent after breaking off from the National Action Network. She explained the anxieties that came with the process of ensuring that the transition was as smooth and transparent as possible for general body members. Despite the obstacles, Shiloh is grateful for the learning experience: “I’d say [the rebrand] improved my communication skills for sure. It also taught me to trust myself as a leader, because the support that we’ve received [throughout] our rebrand to SUJ has been significant,” she shared.
In addition to co-leading SUJ, Shiloh has served as GRL-PWR’s Co-Community Service Chair throughout her junior and senior years. GRL-PWR is a nonprofit organization that aims to uplift young girls by teaching them the importance of strong self-esteem, goal setting, and commitment to service. In this role, Shiloh leads the establishment of mentorship programs at local elementary, middle, and high schools. Last year, Shiloh contributed to the introduction of GRL-PWR’s high school mentorship groups, collaborating with her Co-Chair to develop a high school mentoring curriculum focused on career readiness, self-love, mental health, and more. She spoke about the impact of GRL-PWR mentorship, as well as how meaningful the role is to her as one who attended predominantly White schools for most of her life.
“The majority of the schools that we mentor at are predominantly Black, but still face issues with self-confidence, self-esteem, and learning who they are as people,” she explained. “So it’s important to have a sounding board of older girls who are still young and trying to figure out their lives.” She also spoke about the rewarding, full-circle moments that mentors experience with the girls, and how much they learn from their mentees as well: “It [encourages] you to reflect on your younger self and realize… the little Black girl inside of you that is still healing and growing.”
Reflecting on her matriculation through Spelman, the biggest lesson Shiloh has learned is to trust God’s plan for her life and to run her own race.
“Spelman can sometimes be a breeding ground for comparison… it’s definitely reminded me of the importance of just focusing on myself… walking by faith, not by sight,” she expressed.
Shiloh also emphasized the importance of letting go of the need for control, and being comfortable not having everything figured out, advice she’d give her freshman-year self if she could. “I would tell her to chill out…go with the flow, live in the moment a little bit more. I’d want her to focus more on self-care and giving herself grace,” she said.
As graduation approaches, she hopes the Spelman community remembers her as someone who was kind, joyful, and passionate about their work, particularly investing in the younger Black female generation and furthering equity and inclusion. “I want my legacy to be someone who was passionate about change, making and creating inclusive spaces, especially for Black women… from social justice and self-care to rest as resistance to community service and writing as a means of social change, I [aim to] empower and support Black women and our communities in all that I do.”
An aspect of Black womanhood Shiloh is passionate about is celebrating Black beauty, and she spoke about her journey of becoming confident in her hair while growing up in White microaggressive spaces. “Once we leave these gates, it’s harder to create spaces where Black women feel valued and understood, especially entering the corporate world,” she expressed. In addition to excelling in the marketing field, Shiloh hopes to create a nonprofit where Black youth can receive free hair care education and styling services. “I want to make sure that I’m prioritizing Black people’s self-care, culture, and existence… investing in community that feeds my soul is something that is important to me,” she remarked.
As Shiloh prepares to step beyond the gates, she’s grateful for how Spelman has instilled in her the value of Black women’s intersectional voices, and our power and determination as bold changemakers. She looks forward to bringing this self-assurance into her professional endeavors: “I think [predominantly White spaces] expect us to back down. They expect us to be meek… I’ve been trained at Spelman College to be empowered in my voice and to know my worth…” she said. “That’s how I’ll apply what I learned at Spelman to my corporate experience. And I’m excited to do so.”