When she was a freshman, Temilade Onile, CSOM ’26, found out her entire class had formed a study group without her.
“I only found out after the fact, when we had group projects and then they mentioned it,” Onile said. “I asked, ‘Oh, can I go?’ And they were like, ‘OK.’ When I got there, everybody was there. So, if I didn’t ask, I would have never known.”
In her classes, Onile said that there are times when she has felt out of place as the only Black student in the room—so much that she questioned the intent behind the isolation.
“Is it intentional? Or, is it like people don’t realize they’re doing it—singling people out?” Onile said. “I didn’t want to make it seem like, ‘Oh, people are against you.’ But it felt kind of polarizing.”
A Sense of Isolation
For many Black Carroll School of Management students, being one of the only students of color in a classroom is a common experience—one that can take a toll on their sense of belonging and academic confidence, according to Kiki Benson, CSOM ’25.
“It’s interesting when you go to class and you look around, and sometimes you’re maybe one of two people of color, but usually you’re just the only Black person,” Benson said. “Because of that, you have a feeling like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m the only one here.’ You get in your head a lot and have a lot of impostor syndrome.”
Demographic data on enrolled undergraduate students in CSOM was not provided to The Heights and is not publicly available online.
The lack of diversity both in and outside of the classroom discourages prospective students from attending BC and perpetuates a cycle of underrepresentation, said Gevans Gabeau, CSOM ‘27.
“I think one of the main reasons that Black students don’t often want to come here, even if they do get into BC, is because there’s not a lot of people that look like them,” Gabeau said. “When you can go to a school just as good with more Black students, why come to BC?”
Gabeau said this isolation not only affects students emotionally but also limits their ability to form professional connections and access the same support networks as their peers.
“I wish there were more people that look like me,” Gabeau said. “I think it would be a motivator for me to be able to get together and study technicals for investment banking—knowing that you’re going through the same process and having those people to talk to and relate with.”
Without peers who have shared similar experiences, Black students in CSOM often struggle to feel connected to the business world, according to Esosa Owens, CSOM ’26. The lack of Black faculty further exacerbates the challenge of finding mentorship and representation, she added.
“That mentorship aspect has definitely been a challenge,” Owens said. “I have to see how I even fit into the business world if I don’t necessarily have teachers that look like me or have similar challenges as me.”
“Small in Numbers, Mighty Together”
Lacking diversity and resources, Black CSOM students have created their own spaces for mentorship, guidance, and networking.
“I think [BC] could do a better job in feeding us resources because a lot of the clubs I’ve joined outside of school and the resources I have right now have come from students,” Gabeau said.“If I didn’t happen to be in the right place at the right time and meet these students, I wouldn’t have had the exposure to that at all, which is the function of [Black in Business Boston College].”
Black in Business BC, a student-founded organization, has led the effort to expose Black students to the competitive business world and provide them with mentorship and resources—support that Benson believes BC has largely failed to provide.
Black in Business BC was founded in 2023 by Benson, along with Ashley-Rae Stewart, CSOM ’24, and Justin Holmes, CSOM ’26.
After noticing that many of their peers came into CSOM with a clear career trajectory and a plan to achieve it, the three of them decided to start Black in Business BC, according to Benson.
“It’s been helpful for students to feel more comfortable asking their questions about the industry, and also exposure because some students come in not even knowing that recruiting and getting your internship starts your first day of school,” Benson said.
Black in Business BC has been both informative and welcoming for Black students in CSOM, Benson said. Through the organization, members have had the opportunity to connect with professionals across industries like finance and consulting.
“It’s a great space for people that look like me to come together who have similar goals, who all want to do really well in their business careers, and it just kind of serves as a motivation,” said Owens.
For Owens and other members, Black in Business BC provides a space to network and build connections, fostering a sense of unity within the Black community.
“Though the Black community is very small, we’re all very unified and together,” Gabeau said. “Even though we’re small in numbers, we’re still mighty together.”
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