Undergraduate Student Government President Andrew Pierce and his mother Tina Pierce at the Ohio State University Alumni in Government event at the Ohio Statehouse in June 2022. Courtesy of Andrew Pierce
When Tina Pierce was running for Undergraduate Student Government president in 2000, she was pregnant with her son Andrew. Although she did not win the vote, her legacy was fulfilled when Andrew Pierce, a fourth-year in public policy, was elected USG president in 2022.
Absorbing what he needed to know when he ran for USG president from his mom, Andrew Pierce still looks to her for advice while paving his own way in USG as the third Black president at Ohio State.
Tina Pierce said she’s is a proud Buckeye alumna, serving as the current chief of strategy and belonging for Ohio State’s Alumni Association and a member of the Columbus Board of Education. She earned four degrees at Ohio State from 1997-2009: two bachelor’s, a master’s and a doctorate of philosophy in political science. She also served as a USG senator for social and behavioral science from 1998-99.
Andrew Pierce’s leadership in USG marks a historic term, as this is the first year USG’s executive branch positions and the speaker of the General Assembly are held solely by Black students. Pierce serves alongside Vice President Derek Moore — the first Black vice president of USG since 1983 — and Speaker of the General Assembly Yondris Ferguson.
“Being at one of the largest universities in the country — the largest university in the state of Ohio — which is predominantly white, and which is comprised of maybe 3-4 percent of Black students, it speaks volumes to how not only we select our leaders but also to the experience of which those leaders bring,” Andrew Pierce said.
Though the top leaders in USG are all Black, Andrew Pierce said Moore, Ferguson and himself have different experiences and approaches to leadership.
“I think as you talk to each of the three of us, you will see how we are all three very different individuals but all have the same lived experience of making sure that we do the best that we can for our communities,” Andrew Pierce said.
Tina Pierce when she was a USG senator, she said there “was a void of Black and brown people.”
“It was very different from what it is now. There were fewer of us in USG, definitely in
positions of leadership. I was the only senator of color,” Tina Pierce said.
Tina Pierce said during her time in USG, she implemented diversity center positions, ensuring there was always a person of color serving in the organization. She also was responsible for diverse programming and initiatives that funded student organizations’ efforts to raise awareness about diversity on campus.
“I had a huge responsibility to represent not just the students for social and behavioral science, but also the students of color,” Tina Pierce said. “The USG that I take pride in, that I am committed to helping today and beyond is this USG, which has a firm belief in the recognition that while we can go far alone, we can go further together.”
Tina Pierce continues to advance the Black community at Ohio State in her role in the Alumni Association, creating a culture of belonging that appreciates diversity and expands inclusion within the association.
The positions and programming Tina Pierce created within USG have evolved into the current Justice and Equity Committee as well as the Allocations Committee, both of which have the largest amount of funding in USG’s administration today, she said.
Those are not the only remnants of Tina Pierce’s influence in USG today. Andrew Pierce said he grew up watching his mom in leadership positions and has carried over her values into his role as president.
“My mom has influenced how I move and shake and operate within USG. She taught me how to not just go for a project and do whatever you want, but to be strategic and plan out what it is you actually want to accomplish,” Andrew Pierce said.
Andrew Pierce said he grew up on Ohio State’s campus watching his mom take classes and talk about community organizations. He eventually built his managerial skills by helping his mother start Columbus’ WORTH Foundation — a nonprofit committed to creating change in communities through civic education, leadership development and community engagement organization, according to its website.
Tina Pierce said her son still creates his own path for what it means to be a Black leader at Ohio State.
“Andrew has the great ability to make every opportunity his own; he does not walk in my footsteps. Andrew looks at what I did and reflects on how he can improve upon that to make it better,” Tina Pierce said.
Andrew Pierce said since becoming USG president, he has worked with his administrative team to create an atmosphere in the organization where Black students are not only heard within USG but pushed to reach and serve every group of students on campus.
“It’s really just looking at the needs of not only Black students on this campus and marginalized communities on this campus, but figuring out yes, Black individuals may be the vanguard of social justice in all areas,” Andrew Pierce said. “But how are we as a people ensuring that our community is accepting and advocating for all communities?”
This story was updated at 1:21 p.m. to reflect that Tina Pierce served as a USG senator from 1998-99.
