1. What is your name, graduation year, degree earned at Westminster along with any other further degrees?
Rai'an Harris-Klaus
WC '14 with a self designed Sports Medicine major.
Logan University - Doctor of Chiropractic 2017
2. Why did you choose to attend Westminster? What made the school stand out to you?
I loved that Westminster gave me the option to do many things, not just one. I could play softball, be in a sorority, and be involved with any other student clubs that I wanted to be a part of.
3. What activities, sports, and/or organizations were you involved in during your time on campus?
I played Softball, am a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Student Foundation, and I announced for football, soccer, volleyball, and both men's and women's basketball.
4. In your opinion, how did Westminster set you up for success later on in life?
One of my favorite things about Westminster was that we were exposed to all kinds of people with all kinds of backgrounds. I also loved how much of a challenge activities and clubs were to get into. It made things in the 'real world' much more realistic.
5. With Westminster College being a predominately white institution, were there any times when you felt outcasted or felt separate from your peers? Explain. Were you able to overcome this? If so, how?
I think as a Black individual, I felt how I tend to feel at most places, constantly in the minority. Sometimes, I feel like that played to my advantage because I was easy to spot and remember, especially when things were going well. However, it also does feel like you're a shiny token sometimes as being the only Black person in a group can tend to get old fast.
6. Did you ever feel like you were treated differently in the community of Fulton on account of your race?
I remember in a class, being grouped - culturally - with the African students in that same class. I felt that was disrespectful to all of us. I'm a Black, middle-class, American. I have a very different culture than the group of African students that were in the class with me from various countries, as I'm sure they had differences within themselves. It was quite frustrating having to call a teacher out in front of the class for even assuming that we were all the same based on the color of our skin.
7. What accomplishments have you achieved since your graduation from Westminster?
Since graduating from Westminster, I have started 1 non-profit with my colleagues from Logan University. The non-profit was established to help further the philosophical minds of chiropractic students so that they could understand on a much deeper level what our profession was about. I also opened my own Chiropractic office, Skyline Chiropractic in 2019 - 6 days after giving birth. It's been a crazy few years with a pandemic thrown in there, but I've learned so much about myself and my family during that time. I honestly wouldn't trade it for the world.