Lavonca Davis graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in chemical engineering while minoring in computer science in 2020. In her senior year, she served as president of the school’s National Society of Black Engineers while helping lead the Tartans’ women’s golf team to the number one ranking in NCAA Division III before the remainder of the season was canceled. Davis works as a Chemical and Process Engineer at BP’s Whiting Refinery, where she interned the summer between her junior and senior years.

The UAA “Conversations About Race and Racism” series seeks to lift the voices of people of color and recognize the challenges faced in both athletics and academics at the collegiate level. By sharing personal stories, we hope to elevate the conversation about race to raise awareness and bring about change.

Expanding Horizons in College

“I grew up in a predominantly white area playing golf. Going to Carnegie Mellon gave me the chance to meet people from different backgrounds and different perspectives. Learning from people from all over the world shaped the way I think about things,” Davis communicated. “I joined the school’s Black student union called Spirit and learned a lot of things about Black culture and racism that I didn’t recognize growing up. Conversations about microaggressions made me think back to things that were said to me in high school that I would just brush off. Being part of these discussions helped me become more aware and understand comments that were not okay.”

She notes that it is difficult for student-athletes, particularly those who compete in the fall, to be active members of Spirit. “Recruitment for the club is at the start of the academic year, but the football players, for example, cannot attend the orientation because of practice. When you miss the orientation, it becomes more challenging to join Spirit or any other group. I would like to see student-athletes encouraged to take time off to partake in groups that interest them,” she remarked.

Davis admits being president of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) led to a juggling act with all her responsibilities. “It was something really important to me and, at the same time, took me away from practice and new recruits. Balancing that with class and golf was challenging,” she revealed. “I needed to balance the time I dedicated to the sport I loved and also the community of people expecting me to lead, all the while trying to excel in the classroom.”

She was invited by the NSBE president during her freshman year to see what it would be like to serve on the chapter executive board. “I got hooked immediately and served as a vice president for two years before becoming president. I was networking and meeting Black engineers from all over the country and it helped me get all my internships,” she explained. “All my best friends were from NSBE. It gave me a place to have something to focus on beyond being a student-athlete. It was easy for me to justify taking the time to be part of the group. It was adding value to my life without adding a debt.”

Challenges at a Predominantly White Institution

“In the college setting, I dealt with the assumption that I was only there because of affirmative action. Just recently, my dad and granddad were at an auto shop where my dad was getting his car worked on while a white customer was talking about his son, who plays soccer but didn’t get into Carnegie Mellon. Someone at the shop pointed out that I went to CMU and the customer suggested it was because I was Black. I sat in the same classes as the other students, earned higher grades while doing all these other things, and still faced the belief that I was only there because I was Black and played a sport. It was really frustrating. I can be an athlete, smart, and Black.”

The advantage of learning about new cultures was sometimes diminished by stereotypes. “A lot of Asian students were not used to Black people, especially international students. One time some of my Black friends and I got on an elevator and immediately, an Asian student got off. People don’t understand that what they are doing is wrong and I think a lot of that has to do with the way the media portrays Black people,” she pointed out. “On the other hand, my team was predominantly Asian and once they got to know me, we had no problems and we became close. Personal relationships are the key and that can be hard for international students who feel more comfortable staying in groups with other international students.”

Davis was accustomed to being one of few Black golfers, if not the only, on the course. “Growing up, I only saw a couple other Black girls playing golf and they were not competitive. They need the resources and opportunities to excel,” she explained. “Often being the only person of color on the golf course, traveling without anyone who looked like me was difficult and was one of the reasons I inserted myself into the Black community once I got to Carnegie Mellon.”

She sees a disconnect between athletes of color based on gender. “On the campus, there are more Black women than men, but there are more men on the athletic side. We can all be really close to one another, while still feeling a little isolated. (Football student-athlete) Stan (Becton) started a Black Male Summit to talk about issues like that and getting Black men more involved in the community,” she reported. “They needed that space, but Black women need a space like that as well. There are things we want to talk about as well.”

Solitariness

“I loved traveling and playing new courses, but spending spring break away with only my teammates made me feel isolated. It was nothing they did at all and I liked being with them, but we connected on certain hobbies and not others,” she described. “There were slight things like music suggestions. I would make a recommendation, but my teammates would say, ‘We don’t think coach will like that song.’ They didn’t see it as a microaggression, but it is deeply ingrained in the way people think. Then I would change my suggestion to songs that I liked that I knew they would like also.”

The Carnegie Mellon Center for Diversity and Inclusion opened in Davis’ sophomore year. “It is a safe and inclusive center that supports first generation students, LGBTQ students, and people of color. Black students tend to do a lot of work there and it is a place to see our friends,” she stated. “When I invited non-black friends into the space, they would say something like ‘I’m not cool enough for the center,’ but that is not what they really meant. They wouldn’t put themselves in a situation we find ourselves in on a regular basis.”

Advice for Other Student-Athletes of Color

“I would tell current student-athletes of color to appreciate and enjoy what you are doing. I may have felt alone on spring break, but I loved being with the team and going to warm places! We all have stresses from homework and other things going on in our lives, but I tried to appreciate those times I was on beautiful golf courses for 4-5 hours. Take the time to enjoy those kinds of things.”

Davis also advises being thankful for your support network. “Racist actions happen to us every day, but make sure you appreciate your friends and those who have your back every day. They are the people who care about you. There will be negative events, but always try to find the bright side. It is important to be around people who are like-minded in a lot of ways. A lot of my teammates had multiple majors like me so we understood one another’s courses and course loads.”

Role of Allies

“Bringing up the topic of race is the start, actually having the dialogue. I have really good friends who are not racist, but they avoid the conversation when a racial incident takes place. You know what is going on so don’t be afraid to talk about it,” she recommended. “A lot of friends reached out to me over the summer with all the marching and protests going on to ask if I was okay. That really shocked me, but it meant so much to me that they mentioned it or brought up the subject. Unfortunately, other friends never said a single thing.”

She thinks just being nice is not enough. “Being friends with different people is great, but you can take it a step further. You just being you and being nice to everyone is one thing, but actually acknowledging differences and recognizing that the experiences of Black people are not the same as yours is critical to being a true ally,” she expressed.

Davis encourages teams to have conversations about race, though admits she wasn’t thinking about that at the time she was in school. “I never really thought about what my teammates could be doing or what I expected them to do. Should I have been expecting us to have this dialogue? The more I have thought about it, the more I realize we should have had team discussions,” she said. “Even if our practicing and competing doesn’t explicitly have anything to do with these conversations, having them would be helpful because what is unsaid also affects the team. Having these discussions could be really awkward, depending on who is on the team. It may even be alienating if you are the only person of color on your team.”

Role of Coaches

To address the aforementioned alienation, Davis believes coaches should initiate important conversations. “Even if it may not be an issue with their own team, it may be helpful in how your players interact with other teams and in different places,” she remarked. “My dad always told me to be aware of my surroundings, particularly playing teams with no Black players. Coaches need to be aware that their Black players are thinking these things.”

An open line of communication with student-athletes can make this a standard for programs. “If players are aware that they can bring any issue to their coach and be supported, they will feel more comfortable expressing concerns. Perhaps if the coach has a conversation with each player, making it clear that they can let them know when something happens, potentially difficult conversations can be smoother,” she articulated. “The most important thing for the student-athlete is knowing the coach will follow the conversation with action. A player may not tell their coach if they think nothing is going to happen. Players will be more likely to confide in coaches if they consistently address reported transgressions.”