Today@Sam Article
Commencement Spotlight: Arnesha Young
April 29, 2025
SHSU Media Contact: Campbell Atkins
Arnesha Young
For Arnesha Young, Sam Houston State University means more than just a degree. The choice to become a Bearkat led to a foundational community rooted in purpose and a lifelong commitment to excellence.
“Sam has given me many opportunities that I never expected,” Young said. “If you have high aspirations and are willing to put in the work, this is a great place to start your journey.”
As the daughter of a U.S. serviceman, Young called several different places home growing up. The Gulf Port, Mississippi native also spent time overseas in Belgium before landing in Texas.
“It was rare for us to stay in one place longer than a year,” she said. “When I started to get comfortable, it became time to move again. It was hard to socialize and communicate with others.”
Young wasn’t convinced what her future had in store until she came across an email in her inbox from SHSU in 2020. The prompt encouraged her to apply at a discounted rate and led her to investigate the unique opportunities that await Bearkats.
“The main thing that brought me to Sam was the culture and the character it has. It tied into my own character and work ethic,” she said. “I ultimately wanted to study English, and I liked their program.”
Young quickly found a home in her classmates and faculty in the English department. After dabbling in creative writing, her love of culture and history urged her to minor in French.
“I’ve always had a knack for history. If something interests me, I like to dive right in,” she said. “I really wanted to learn more about the French culture and language. I now have a much better grasp of those cultural aspects and how people communicate with one another through different dialects.”
Her involvement in the Department of World Languages and Cultures led to a close collaboration with Miriam Akoto, assistant professor of French and applied linguistics. This guidance helped her establish the basis for her research and a life-changing opportunity.
“It all started with a conversation with my professor,” Young said. “There are a lot of aspects of Texas culture that have French influences, but we’re not aware of it. This led to my research project, “Hidden in Plain Sight: The French Influence in Texas”.”
The extensive research, which began in her junior year and highlights the influence of Cajun French culture of East Texas, ultimately earned Young a spot at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Pittsburgh. The prestigious gathering of student scholars brings in presenters of various disciplines from higher education institutes throughout the country.
“It was a very rewarding journey. Dr. Akoto and I worked hard to ensure everything was ready for the presentation,” Young said. “I was nervous at first, but it went well. I got to meet and network with a lot of new people and learned how to expand on the research I have so far.”
To attend the conference, Young received a Sponsoring Undergraduate Research (SPUR) scholarship from Sam’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS). Her work will ultimately be published in The Measure: A Journal of Undergraduate Research, an annual journal that publishes the best research by undergraduate students from courses in CHSS.
“To pursue higher education is to invest in yourself,” she said. “Like life, you get out of it what you put into it. The world is a crazy place, but Sam helped me prepare for it.”
The honors student aspires to continue her education following her May 10 graduation and pursue her master’s degree.
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