Africana Studies students travel to the Cayman Islands to present at an international conference
Lehigh’s storybook campus led two students to an equally storybook destination this summer: the Cayman Islands. Lya Joseph ‘25 ‘26G and Emmanuella Agyemang ‘26 traveled with Simone A. James Alexander to present at the 17th Biennial Conference of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars (ACWWS), held June 12-15, 2025. The trip was transformative, offering conversations with leaders, writers, and scholars from around the globe.
The conference’s theme “Global Feminist Leadership in a Time of Crisis: Scholarship, Advocacy, Activism, Creativity, and Pedagogy” offered presentations on real-time issues facing women and the world today. Alexander, professor of English and director of the Africana Studies program, longtime member and current President of ACWWS, has tasked herself with mentoring the next generation.
“One aspect of transformative feminist leadership is mentoring junior scholars and students, and ultimately choosing the next generation of female leaders,” Alexander says. With help from the Africana Brettschneider fund, Joseph and Agyemang were able to join her at the University College of the Cayman Islands.
Empowering Experience
Joseph, who graduated in May with majors in political science and Spanish and a minor in Africana studies and is now pursuing a master’s in politics and policy at Lehigh, underscored the importance of ensuring departments have funding to support students. “Attending these conferences helps students to see what they can do with their career, see what they can do with their major, and keep students inspired,” she reflects.
For Agyemang, who is pursuing a double major in journalism and Africana studies, hearing from women was eye-opening. “Hearing from so many women on the work they're researching, the papers that they have written, the books they've written, the projects that they're still putting forth was so empowering because I don't see that a lot in my day to day,” she says. Seeing the incredible careers of these women opened up possibilities for Agyemang about the different career paths she could pursue.
The chance to see accomplished Black women in academia had a similar impact on Joseph. “I would say it was very empowering to see all of those women, especially Black women, pursuing academia and being able to come together with fellow academics,” she says. The conference inspired Joseph to consider expanding her academic and career interests beyond her political science major, as she was exposed to interdisciplinary work combining fields like economics, gender studies, and African studies.
Spotlight Recipient
Lya Joseph ‘25 ‘26G and Emmanuella Agyemang ‘26
Undergraduate Students