My name is Maya Perkins and I am a proud member of the class of 2020. Though born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, I currently reside in the Queen City of Charlotte, North Carolina. At Dartmouth I am majoring in Sociology modified with African & African American Studies. Due to my love for learning, I am also completing a Senior Fellowship.
I decided to enroll in Dr. Bell’s course, Race, Gender, and Performance, for a couple of reasons. Given the course title and syllabus, I hoped it would help me carry out my own academic research through its critical analysis and interrogation of attitudes, constructions, and ideas about race/ ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality, among other things. Outside of the classroom, I felt that she would be able to support the work I do on campus, given her experiences as a community organizer.
Dr. Bell exceeded my expectations. As the term progressed, she did all of this and more. Even though she has only been here for a term, she has developed and demonstrated a deep connection and commitment to Dartmouth students. Already, she is the go-to faculty, ally, and mentor because she is genuine, passionate and caring. Dr. Bell is the embodiment of self-emptying. She pours selflessly into her students, such that she fills them up with the love and inspiration necessary to carry on. This is important, as many Black and brown students feel a sense of un-belonging and invisibility. Dr. Bell makes her students feel seen, worthy, deserving, powerful, and loved.
It is rare that you meet someone whose internal furnace burns so bright that the heat of its embers radiates far beyond the fireplace. That rarity is Dr. Bell. She is emblematic of true selflessness and unrelenting love and compassion. I am blessed to have worked so closely with her over the course of the term. In our interactions, I never felt like “just a student.” She always made me feel like my voice mattered and that my work was valued. I'm a better person because of it. I pray that Dartmouth College sees the value that Dr. Bell brings to Dartmouth.