Black Student Union (BSU) is one of Niles West’s most prominent and popular clubs. From the Black History Month (BHM) assembly to the Black Student Summit, the club offers opportunities for Niles West’s black students. But who’s the student face behind the ever-popular club? The answer: Junior Lydie Boussoukou, who dedicates hours to perfecting every BSU meeting, summit, and performance.
Boussoukou attended Chicago Math and Science Academy before starting at Niles West her freshman year, and she joined BSU as a sophomore. It became clear to BSU leadership that Boussoukou was, and is, dedicated to the club like no other, ultimately earning her the position of president, or as Dillin Randolph refers to her, “Madame President.”
“I was introduced to Lydie last school year during the BHM assembly, where Mr. Schmitt, her teacher said, ‘Hey, see her, she’s going to be somebody special‘, and I was like, ‘okay, I don’t really know who she is,’ but then I took over as the sponsor of BSU and she was the president. Lydie has lived up to that name, she’s Madame President. She takes care of things, advocates for the group, and she’s somebody who I feel like the entirety of the BSU can rely on to make sure that they’re getting what they need,” Randolph said.
Since Randolph took over as the sponsor of BSU, he and Boussoukou have developed a close relationship. They depend on each other to run the club, but Boussoukou also looks to Randolph as a mentor.
“[Randolph’s] presence is very welcoming, and he knows what students want. I’m just very glad he’s our sponsor, and I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else in the world to be honest,” Boussoukou said.
As Boussoukou knows, great power comes with great responsibility. Although her role as president of BSU isn’t simple, she is glad that her voice is heard as she feels like she advocates for the BSU community as a whole, whether it be when she’s busy coordinating the BHM assembly or just when she’s planning out the weekly BSU meeting.
“BSU means a lot to me. Since I’m first in charge after [Randolph] I have the power to do a lot for my community and provide for them. The club is very dear to me and I want to shape it in a way so everyone feels like BSU is a space where people can look back and think ‘BSU was fun’ and I want people to enjoy themselves and be able to express themselves as I feel that isn’t really possible during the school day for all black students,” Boussoukou said.
Junior Marvin Rhone is a member of BSU and has known Boussoukou since their freshman year.
“Lydie is a great leader. She’s hard-working and always speaks her mind. She is kind and always ready to step up and do what she needs to do. My favorite thing about Lydie is how easy it is to get along with her. She is fun to talk to and she’s witty,” Rhone said.
Outside of being a varsity track runner, BSU is the main extracurricular Boussoukou is involved in, and her role in BSU has shaped her high school experience more than anything else she has participated in.
“The BSU community contributed to my high school experience a lot, like a lot. I became president this year, which was huge to me, and BSU helped me realize my voice matters and that my voice reflects a lot of opportunities for the BSU community. BSU helped me realize I don’t have to hide my ideas and shy away from things I think need improvement, whether it’s within the club or Niles West,” Boussoukou said.
BSU member and junior Arielle Pierre Louis considers Boussoukou to be one of her closest friends and has known her since their freshman year.
“Lydie is one of the most determined, hardworking people I have ever met. She is also very generous and caring,” Louis said. She took charge of BSU when no one would and no one had to tell her. Without her, I genuinely believe BSU would crash and burn. She does all this for BSU while also being a part of the track team, having a part-time job, and on top of all that, balancing her grades as well,” Louis said.
Outside of school, Boussoukou likes to volunteer, specifically at the Skokie Public Library. Along with volunteering, Boussoukou loves to cook, and bake, and even recently went to state for the FCCLA Star Culinary competition. In the future, Boussoukou has dreams of attending college and pursuing one of her passions.
“I’m thinking of continuing to pursue culinary arts, dig deeper into the cooking and baking world and learn more about it, or go into psychology because I feel like the stigma around mental health is really huge and it’s an important topic,” Boussoukou said.
When asked about her biggest inspiration, Boussoukou made sure to mention her parents, of course, but also brought up former Niles West BSU president and Cornell University student Cherie Animashaun.
“I truly feel like my biggest inspiration is Cherie. She’s out there doing big things, and being a leader like she always has been, and I feel like I would love to be that type of girl too. It’s not every day that you see a black girl from the same school as you become something big,” Boussoukou said.
