Join me in supporting the Council on Minority Political Affairs.

Although my giving page is no longer active, you can still donate. If you would like to provide any additional support, please do so here.

My name is Ruth Elendu and I am a fourth-year student at The Ohio State University pursuing a dual degree in Middle Eastern studies and African studies, and minoring in Arabic, theatre, and history. My entire family is from Nigeria and I was born there before immigrating to Ohio. My cross-cultural experiences have motivated me on my path to become an international human rights lawyer, specifically hoping to work in regions in the Middle East and Africa that have been affected by conflict. 

During my time at Ohio State, I have had many leadership and career experiences that have had a profound impact on who I have become during these past several years. I became the first Black editor-in-chief of the Journal of Politics and International Affairs (JPIA) and was the president of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship. I also had the pleasure of giving back to my first-year scholars' group, the Program for Advancing Scholarship and Service (PASS), by becoming a peer leader and then a peer leader advisor. I also received the Critical Language Scholarship for Arabic, in which I extensively studied the Arabic language for two months through an institution in Meknes, Morocco. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to intern for US Together, a refugee resettlement agency in Columbus, Ohio, and I am currently an intern for the Governor’s Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce. One of my proudest achievements is that I founded and became president of the Council on Minority Political Affairs (COMPA).

Before I came to Ohio State, I was aware of the lack of support for people of color (POC) who were pursuing fields in the social sciences. Upon entering undergrad, I had hoped that what I had observed previously was the result of not knowing resources that supported POC in those fields, especially as it pertains to political science, international studies, economics and public policy. However, those hopes were short lived. Not to mention that in my classes, I would look around and find little to no cultural diversity and notice how our voices were either drowned out in the conversation or just one in a sea of many others. I founded a new student organization, COMPA, to give a platform to POC voices in politics and similar social sciences fields, the first of its kind at Ohio State. This organization created a space to discuss current political and social issues in an inclusive environment and provide solidarity and the resources to succeed.

I am proud to use my platform on the 2022 Ohio State Homecoming Court to fundraise for COMPA. By donating to this fund, you are not just supporting COMPA in its endeavors, but you are also making a statement that diversity in politics and the discussions we have around these issues are crucial to enacting real change in our society.