Khalia matriculated as an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois in 2021. Originally from Chicago, IL, Khalia recounts what it was like moving to Wheaton, IL, at age seven and attending a predominantly white school as a young Black girl. Later she discusses her decision to attend the University of Illinois, the development of her political identity and personal interests, and how her identities as a revolutionary queer, Black person have shaped her community building experiences at the University and in other spaces.
L.C. arrived at the University of Illinois in 2013 as a librarian and enrolled in the PhD program for information science in 2020. In this interview, he explains what it was like growing up in Grovetown, Georgia, shares his educational journey, and discusses his placemaking experiences as a Black transmasculine student and staff member at the University of Illinois.
