Rita Simone Applewhite Black

RITA – [Senior Interviews 5]

 

Rita Black is the most popular person at Wellesley College.

…is one of Rita’s favorite lines.

Regardless of what you think about her popularity, though, I don’t think anyone could deny that Rita Black is a force. You can feel her energy and intelligence when you’re with her. She is a force that has pushed through countless obstacles in life and is ready to take on the world beyond Wellesley’s walls.

Rita Black fills any room she’s in, not just with her fur coat and dramatically long nails, but with her stories and other people’s laughter. I don’t know how many times I’ve walked in to Tower Dining Hall in the middle of a busy day to see a massive group of people intently listening to Rita’s elaborate recounting of a hilarious story. She’s also one of the smartest people I know; she’s a walking encyclopedia of random historical knowledge and memes who has shaped many people’s Wellesley experience in ways she probably doesn’t even realize!

Where are you from?

Rita was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She went to a specialized high school that had a rigorous curriculum that pushed students and faculty to focus on getting high test scores, which left many students struggling to be inspired by their schoolwork. Rita explained to me how she did not thrive in the large classes, how often she felt the negativity of such an intensely competitive academic environment, as well as her how racially segregated the school was. I always wondered why Rita was such a detailed and dedicated student, but learning about her high school experience put it all together; the skills, self-discipline, and willpower she gained in those four years prepared her academically for Wellesley College, where Rita would come closer to unlocking her full potential in other aspects of life.

Why did you come to Wellesley? Why did you stay?

Rita came to Wellesley ready for something new. “I like being the center of attention,” Rita says, and Wellesley seemed to offer her the opportunity to be “a big fish in a little pond.” While she considered larger, more well-known institutions initially, she realized that the schools were too big and did not fit her needs well. When Rita visited Wellesley campus with her older sister, Olivia, who was a junior at the time, she immediately knew that #thiswastheplace for her.

“I didn’t come here for an average college experience, because I knew this place wasn’t going to give me that…at Wellesley, you can practice being singular.” I was initially confused that Rita spoke about singularity when she had also made it so clear that she came to Wellesley craving more attention, more support, and more depth in relationships than she had had in high school.
But after thinking about it, I realized that Wellesley does give us space to be both dependent and independent. Being singular does not mean we can’t rely on others.
This place teaches us that we can be confident in our abilities, proud of our individuality, and focused on our own goals, and also be part of a larger unit, a community of women that supports one another in achieving those individual successes.

 

Have you found home, passions, purpose @ Wellesley?

The past four years have been a huge growing experience for Rita because she has been able to explore her own identity and interests in ways high school never allowed her to do.

“I still have some kinks to work out, but I did find myself here.” She also found her undying passion for classical antiquity and extremely complicated math (that I cannot quite understand no matter how many times she explains it to me), which led her to declare her majors in “two of the whitest departments at Wellesley.” Rita is the only Black Math major in our graduating class.

“I’ve been taking Latin since 4th grade, and I really enjoy reading intellectual texts,” Rita tells me. She is currently working on a thesis that focuses on her interest in the history of oral and written traditions, and listening to her go into details about how the use of the scroll over bound books changed the course of history reaffirmed my belief that being a nerd, being unapologetically interested in something, is beautiful.  

Much of Rita’s twenty-one years of life has consisted of breaking barriers, going against people’s expectations, and pushing others to expect more from one another, and I know for a fact that she will not stop doing this after graduation.

 

summer/wintersession highlights?

Rita is part of a program called Manage Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). This program, an 18-month fellowship, provides Black, Latinx, and Native American students who career prep and insight into various industries as well as internship opportunities at top companies in finance, entertainment, and consulting.

Through MLT, Rita found an internship at The Walt Disney Company in LA, where she spent the summer doing global marketing research, collecting and presenting data on pre-released movies. She said she felt “truly inspired and confident” taking leadership roles and through working in a predominantly white, male-centered professional environment, and was reminded how important it is for women – especially women of color – to be vocal about their ideas and believe in themselves when others may not.

But the best part of this LA experience for Rita was going through it all with a fellow Wellesley student. In classic Rita fashion, she told me all the ridiculous things her coworkers said and did, the celebrities she saw walking around, the movies she got to see before they were even close to being released. But she spoke most enthusiastically about “The Collective,” a coalition of black creative producers based in LA that she and her roommate had the opportunity to meet. At an event hosted by this group, Rita was able to see with her own eyes “black excellence” at work. “I’m telling you Lia… we walked into this room where there were five black women just standing there, wearing towering shoes and elegant gowns, giving me Olivia Pope vibes. And we were standing there in shock. They were so powerful and beautiful.”

For Rita, this summer served as a confidence booster as well as a window to a future she didn’t know could be hers. Being amidst a group of individuals who were proud of who they were and killing it in their respective industries made her believe she could do it too. Seeing these successful men and women supporting one another as they navigate worlds that are at best ambivalent, and often hostile to Black people, and Black women especially, made her believe she could do that too.

The enthusiasm I saw on Rita’s face while she told me all of this made me smile. It’s awesome to know that your friends know how amazing they are and can be.

 

What next?

After graduating from Wellesley, Rita will be going back to work at Disney! She’s excited to start her new life in LA.
What about further down the line, Rita? What are your big life goals?
“Oprah is my woman,” Rita says bluntly. “No kids, big ass career… and she’s a fox! Wealthy black women are smart, philanthropic, powerful and especially after meeting the people I did this summer, I know I want to be a part of that.”

 

Do you have any advice for younger students?

“If you are a prospective student, know what you’re getting into. Wellesley is unique. There’s nothing like this out there,” but that also means not expecting the same kind of experience you would get at a co-ed school, a non-liberal arts school, or a bigger university.

Rita suggests doing research on the school and its campus culture, and talking to students and alumni who know what life here is like. But even if you think you knew what to expect, sometimes college gets rough. “You’ll grow into it, though, so don’t be so discouraged if things aren’t going well right away.”

Although I’ve only known her for two and a half years, in this short time I’ve seen how deep and beautiful Rita Black’s love goes. When I needed a place to sleep last year because my dorm was far away from my friends’, it was Rita who immediately set up her couch for me (with a teddy bear, travel toothbrush and pillow mint). When I was at my low points last year, she was there to listen but also call me out on what I needed to hear. Rita has also been the one who has opened up and shown me the beauty of being vulnerable, of letting other people see your scratches and scars.

I’m grateful for the many friends I’ve made at Wellesley who push me to be a better person, like Rita, but today I would like to express my gratitude for Rita Simone Applewhite Black for her resilience and intelligence.

Thank you for being resilient, for being vocal, and for being at Wellesley. This place is what it is because of people like you!

Thank you for your intelligence – for proving to yourself and to the world that you are capable of doing so much, and that you are a force to be reckoned with.