Her reaction couldn't be put into words when she received the offer, but Kyah Bridges knew that this was a new circumstance she couldn't pass on. “My emotions were mixed. I was excited about the opportunity … I was ready for a more hands on job; a job that would present me with more challenges. It was in a way a leap of faith,” says Bridges. Kyah Bridges is a former UI student and prior to graduating in Spring 2017, Kyah became the first residence assistant (RA) of the Young Gifted & Black floor in the Fall semester of 2017.

Young Gifted & Black (YGB) is the first student lead Living Learning Community (LLC) that was established by a group of students that recognized the need for black students to have their own space in the residence hall. One of those leaders was former student, UI graduate Gabrielle Miller. Miller spent her last 3 years on campus as an RA worked for months on the proposal for the floor, which would eventually become approved. Along the way, they experienced a couple of disapprovals. “Originally we didn't have a lot of people on our side we got a lot of backlash for wanting to put the LLC together, it wasn't just from residence life but it was also from some of our peers,” says Miller.

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Looking back on last year’s YGB floor Claudia made sure that every staff member regardless of background is understood the idea behind the YGB floor, “I supervised 12 RAs and me made sure that they understood the concept of YGB and it's something that doesn't just fall on Kyah, Annie or me, it is a team effort.” The inaugural school year of the YGB floor did come with challenges, but Gonzalez and her team faced the challenges head on. Gonzalez was there for the residents and refused to allow anything to stand in their way of success. “It's been a roller coaster of a year, but it has also been very good. The success has completely outweighed the