Serena Page instills confidence and determination at FMO's State of the Black Union

Photos by McCall Vickers

Serena Page, reality-TV star and influencer, encouraged Northwestern students to stay authentically themselves, determined in their goals and to find supportive mentors on Thursday at Lutkin Hall. 

Page, a popular media personality who found fame after winning Love Island season six, stood out to viewers for being unapologetically herself and speaking her mind. Nearly two years after her breakout summer, she has amassed over 2 million followers on Instagram and over 3 million on Tik Tok. She also has established partnerships with several major brands including NYX Cosmetics, Spotify and most recently Shea Moisture. 

“Be the first one to take charge and be authentically yourself,” said Page.

Throughout the event, Page highlighted her experience as a Black woman in the entertainment industry. She told audience members about her journey of moving to California to engage her creativity despite being raised in a traditional, white-collar family. Page’s piece of advice was to stay persistent and motivated. 

“It took literally, like, six different reroutes, but the goal never shifted,” Page said. “You're going to fall, you're going to get rejected, you're going to do all that, but it's all a part of the process.” 

Along with her career, she emphasized the importance of having mentors. Being new to the industry, she highlighted actress and singer Ryan Destiny as a mentor of her own. Page said that finding individuals to guide and advocate for her was vital. 

“There’s a lot of people in the industry that are willing to help with anything,” Page said.

With Page’s season being one of the most popular in the show’s history, students were excited to show her support. Adrianna Lewis, first-year Northwestern student, said the assembly was an important event for the black student population. 

“It made it feel like they know us and are looking out for us,” said Lewis. “They know what we want and it's nice to see they are listening to Black voices.”

Lewis said Page’s answers felt genuine and that Page did not hold anything back, which inspired her. 

“I really appreciated it, because she felt like it was a friend,” Lewis said.

Logan Farmer, first-year Northwestern student, said that she has similar aspirations to Page. She said that this event gave her hope for the future. 

“Yeah, I've been wanting to go to LA since I was little too,” said Farmer. “I have always been interested in entertainment, so I think just hearing all this advice is so helpful.”

Page closed out by spotlighting her ways to stay grounded in herself while under public scrutiny. She noted that Black women are given less grace than others, and that she is no stranger to hate. 

“I wasn't going to minimize myself in any way just because I'm a black woman,” Page said. “Like, if anything, I was gonna turn it up.”