PAYING IT FORWARD FAMU STUDENT BODY

Vice President Makira Burns Launched A Nonprofit To Help Students Succeed

BY [ Kara IRBY-PAYNE ]

s soon as Makira Burns stepped foot on Florida A&M University’s campus in 2018, she could feel the potential energy radiating through her shoes. She wasn’t on a college tour but had been invited to perform at a concert with the Mahogany Dance Theatre with her highschool dance team from Central Florida.

“I didn’t know about HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] until I was a junior in high school!” Burns said. As a first-generation college student, Burns recalled not having anyone to turn to when it came time to submit applications. Though Burns knew FAMU was the institution for her, the road to acceptance wasn’t a smooth one: She wasn’t offered any scholarships or financial awards.

“I didn’t let the lack of financial aid stop me,” Burns said. “I knew FAMU was going to change my

Burns certainly hit the ground on campus running: Before classes had even started, she had already started following current student leaders on social media. As a first-year political science and prelaw student, Burns joined the FAMU basketball cheerleading team and ran for freshman class senator. She won her election and would continue serving as a class senator during her second year and senate internal development and select committee chairwoman during her third year on campus.

In 2021, Burns was selected as a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow, and worked with the Florida Department of Transportation to craft and propose new public safety policy measures for safer driving in the Sunshine State. In 2022, she was selected on behalf of the Biden-Harris administration as a White House HBCU Scholar, an ambassador for the White House Initiative on

Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for HBCUs. That same year Burns accepted an internship with the U.S. Embassy in London. She joined Mission London for ten weeks in the United Kingdom.

“My whole family is rooting for me and is so proud,” she said. “My life has completely changed.”

In 2021, Burns launched Igniting Scholars, a nonprofit which helps high school and college students obtain scholarships and internships through resume building, interview preparation, career readiness planning, and personalized scholarship lists. So far, one student she has helped received $40,000 in scholarships.

“I wanted to be able to give back to students who may be experiencing the same things I went through coming to college,” Burns said.

Burns wants her legacy on campus to be one of paying it forward and giving back. As a fourthyear student, she was elected Student Body Vice President in 2022. In her role, she worked alongside Student Body President Zachary Bell and assisted with student recruitment efforts, which involved traveling up and down the east coast to connect with prospective students. Her favorite project was the Home for the Holidays Initiative, in which the Bell-Burns Administration partnered with The HBCU Shuttle to transport students back to their families last December. As the Student Chair of the 2022 Homecoming Committee, Burns also assisted with planning homecoming.

“I want people to know although I went through many trials and didn’t have a ton of resources, I still did everything I could to be great and make a difference,” she said. “If I could make it here at FAMU, they can too.”

Upon graduating in May 2023, Burns intends to pursue fellowships at the White House or a renown law firm before attending law school, where she wants to focus on corporate law and litigation. Ultimately, she wants to use those skills to make a difference in the public sector.

“God put me on earth to do something huge,” she said. “I go to sleep and wake up thinking about it. It’s bigger than myself.”