Jude Bourdeau: Creating Identity in Multiple Roles
Some of the graduating WCU students at the Kente ceremony knew Jude Bourdeau ’25,
who gave the speech at that event, as “Mr. West Chester” for the many visible roles
he held on campus.
“I’ve been called many things during my time here, each name representing a different layer of the identity I’ve built on this campus,” he said.
An accounting major with a minor in digital marketing, Bourdeau was a role model as a peer mentor in the Dowdy Multicultural Center, supporting other students of color in their transition to the University. He served as president of Black Men United and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the Black Greek letter organization, plus historian of West Chester’s student chapter of NAACP. He was a resident assistant and building manager for Sykes Student Union. Carrying a golden microphone, he conducted on-the-spot student interviews as a social media ambassador for WCU’s Instagram account while interning with the University’s Communications and Marketing office.
Growing up the youngest of seven children of immigrants in a Haitian household, Bourdeau understood how much his parents sacrificed: “They have gone the mile and then some for us.” He and his siblings knew the value of opportunity — and knew not to waste it.
Bourdeau told the graduates that West Chester gave him “space to evolve from follower to founder. … [becoming] more than a student: I became a builder. …
“You don’t have to fit into one identity to belong. You don’t have to follow anyone else’s dream to honor where you come from. You are allowed to build something new. … We are the dream. We are also the architects of what’s next.”
Bourdeau is starting his next chapter. After interning in accounting firm Ernst & Young’s Philadelphia office, he’s joined its technology risk section.
“We are not here simply because of our own strength, but because of the love, the sacrifice, and the legacy of those who came before us,” he concluded. “Now, it’s on us to carry that torch — not just forward, but higher.”
Read more about Jude Bourdeau in the WCU Magazine.
