BLACK HISTORY MONTH STUDENT-ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT: RICHARD HOUSEN JR., MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Over the course of Black History Month, yorkulions.ca will profile prominent Lions student-athletes of colour through the return of our Student-Athlete Spotlight series. They will discuss the success they’ve achieved both on and off the field of play. Today is our first feature of the month, and it features Richard Housen Jr. of the men’s volleyball team. 

Tell us about yourself. What’s your major? What do you do outside of your life at college?
 
Honestly, I just had my first in-person tutorial this semester. I’ve really enjoyed it! Last semester everything was online, so I was only coming in-person for practice, games, and other team events. This semester is my first time coming in for actual classes and I am loving the in-person experience a lot more. I’m actually socializing with people, meeting new people in my program, speaking to professors in-person, and I really enjoy this format of learning.
 
Why did you choose Business & Society as your major?
 
Coming out of high school, I knew I wanted to major in business at Seneca College. I was in business entrepreneurship. When I came to York, I was looking for something similar, but I also realized the entrepreneurship side of business maybe isn’t for me. I wanted to expand more on the administrative side and learn how that works. When I found out about Business & Society, I thought it would be like the perfect complement for entrepreneurship.
 
Which of your classes have stood out to you as most interesting?
 
I’m in a humanities course called Canadian Cultures right now, and I’m really enjoying learning about a lot about the Indigenous past and how they were treated in Canada. We’re learning it through plays from that era, and I’m enjoying that. It wasn’t what I was expecting to learn to begin with, but I’m glad it is what I’m learning about and enjoying it. I had a similar course in high school, and that was honestly the first time I got introduced to the previous hardships of Indigenous people the proper way. I think we all got taught about Indigenous peoples when we were younger using the wrong terminology; we had it introduced it to us in a very negative way but I’m now learning more about it as I grow up and I’m enjoying it a lot.
 
February is Black History Month. What does this month mean to you?
 
Black History Month sheds importance on learning about our past and working together to build ourselves up moving forward. I think during this month, everybody is learning new things that they might have not even known existed or happened in the past. Bringing these conversations to light is how change can be made. That’s how our future can be better than our past. I think the importance is always learning and having an open mind and also moving forward together.
 
Today’s last question is about inspiration. Who inspires you?
 
My dad. He came to Canada at young age as an immigrant from Jamaica. He is usually private about his struggles; I think he just doesn’t want me to think negatively about everyone around me only wants to have a fresh mindset and always be positive. But I definitely think that he’s been through a lot especially just coming to a new country at a young age and being so different compared to  everyone else around him. He stuck through it and it’s honestly one of the reasons why I came to York because he also came to York. When I was getting out of high school. I knew that ending up at York would make him proud. So I’m following in his footsteps.