SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — The newest alumni group at SCAD is providing a first-of-its-kind resource for students, and soon-to-be graduates of color. The Black Alumni Coalition launched in January.

Friday, WSAV sat down with the group’s president to talk about their new mission. 

“We are here to help you grow and flourish and not feel like you’re alone on your path,” said LaTricia “Trish” Brown, president of SCAD’s Black Alumni Coalition.

Not only is Brown the president of the new coalition, but she’s also a local designer and image consultant. The 2009 graduate says her experience there was wonderful, but she and fellow alums saw a need for something more.

“So, we just felt like as Black alumni from SCAD we knew a lot of the pain points, and we knew what the experience was like for us and some the things we encountered, not only at scad but when we left SCAD,” Brown said.

The Black alums started meeting, primarily on zoom, in 2021, and officially launched the group in January 2022.

“The entire mission of the SCAD Black Alumni coalition is to create a worldwide and lifelong partnership, and community, of Black alumni of SCAD,” Brown said.

They’re doing that through networking events in Savannah and Atlanta, bringing together Black and Brown creators to provide mentorship to current and future alumni.

“We need the alumni that are getting ready to graduate to sign up. we have mentors available to answer questions and help you with your portfolio,” Brown says. “So really we just want to make sure the experience gets better and better for Black creators from SCAD.”

Most of all the Black alumni coalition aims to create spaces where Black and Brown artists won’t have to water down their vision, as they launch promising careers.

“Most people only see the goal once it’s achieved,” Brown said. “And so, just be patient with yourself and give yourself grace.”