New Student Organization Spotlight: Western Sahel Student Association

Part of being a college student means finding a community that creates a sense of belonging and welcome. At Ohio State, there are over 1400 student organizations, however, some students still struggle to find a place to fit in.

Maïmouna Ba, a fourth-year student in international studies and president of West Sahel Student Association, founded the new student organization in May. Ba said that Sahel is a subregion in Africa consisting of roughly nine West African countries.

"Sahel is the northern half of Africa, extending from Senegal to Eritrea," Ba said. "We all share a similar culture, religion, and history, and despite the divisions caused by colonization, our cultures remain intertwined."

Ba said she was involved in other organizations like the African Youth League but had a hard time finding people from the Sahel region at Ohio State. She founded the organization to bring together her friends and others from this region.

"I've always wanted to be involved in clubs and everything, but I realized that when I went to different organizations, most people already knew each other," Ba said. "I also wanted to see more representation within the country I'm from by creating an organization to showcase our cultures, increase representation and awareness seemed like a good idea."

Ba said she initially had doubts about establishing the organization, but with the support of her close friends who also represent the Sahel region, she was able to take the first few steps. 

"I was really excited to get everyone on board and start the process. I was nervous about not having a good turnout or people not showing up, but I was proven wrong after our first event, the involvement fair. We received a lot of love and support from external organizations as well," Ba said.

Takko Ndiaye, a fourth-year nursing student and the secretary of WSSA, said what sets this organization apart from others is their closeness. She said WSSA is more specific to the people from her country and the surrounding area, unlike larger organizations where it's easy to get lost in a larger pool of people. 

"It's more tight-knit and focused on the culture of my country,” Ndiaye said. “With WSSA, I've met a lot more people from my culture.” 

Ndiaye said that despite the majority of the population in AYL being Nigerian or Ghanaian, which is near the Sahel region, other communities are still overshadowed. This has led to the creation of new organizations that center on a specific African country or subregion. However, Ndiaye they still collaborate with AYL to bring all African communities together.

 “It's hard for other cultures, like the Somalis, Ethiopians, and Eritreans, to feel seen,” Ndiaye said. “That's why other student organizations, such as SSA and the North African student organizations, create their own separate spaces to avoid getting lost within a larger organization."

Ba expressed her desire for everyone to feel represented on campus and have their own space to be themselves. She commended Ohio State for supporting student organizations. 

"I just want everyone to feel represented on campus and have a space to be themselves," Ba said."