Aitina Fareed-Cooke, ’12, ’16, creative arts strategist, Buffalo’s poet laureate, national recording artist, and founder of Get Fokus’d Productions, delivered a powerful speech to the incoming Class of 2028 during Buffalo State University’s annual First-Year Convocation on August 23.
“You will need just enough grit, grind, and grace to carry you forward on this road towards success,” Fareed-Cooke told students. “It’s on you now. Be ready for it. You got this, and we got you. Now go win.”
Fareed-Cooke addressed a full auditorium in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall for First-Year Convocation, the Buffalo State tradition that officially introduces and welcomes its newest students to the campus academic community.
Fareed-Cooke, who earned her B.A. in English and M.S. in education from Buffalo State, uses digital media art and storytelling to ignite thought and expand perspectives. In collaboration with a collection of creatives, and through the mentorship of emerging artists, she amplifies community voices using a social design approach, creating a ripple effect of positivity within the creative arts.