February 04, 2013
When he first came to campus as a freshman, Rahsaan J. Coefield,
Esq. ’05CPS couldn’t help but notice St. John’s University’s
incredibly diverse student body. And now, nearly eight years since
his graduation, he’s made diversity the focus of his career.
“Being surrounded by such a varied group of students provided me
with an opportunity to change my perceptions,” recalled Coefield.
“St. John’s is a melting pot, and that really benefitted me in
regards to what I do now.”
Coefield currently works as the Equal Opportunity Manager/Labor
Relations Advisor at the District of Columbia Department of
Employment Services. In this capacity, he monitors the agency’s
compliance with anti-discrimination laws and oversees the working
conditions of unionized employees.
“There are so many people out there who are not well-versed in
discrimination or employment law,” he explained. “But even though
they may not know the complex legal issues, they can tell when
they’ve been wronged, whether because of the language they speak or
their religion. Those are the types of cases we see here.”
Coefield’s job certainly keeps him busy, but that’s nothing new for
this energetic alumnus. During his student days at St. John’s, he
served as President of the Theta Epsilon chapter of
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and Vice
President of Activities for Haraya, the University’s Pan-African
Students’ Coalition.
“Those were great experiences,” Coefield said. “Learning
how to communicate with administrators and other campus officials
is important – it teaches you how to work out issues and interact
in a professional environment, and collaborating with fellow
students is also critical. In many ways, you can learn just as much
outside of the classroom as in.”
During his time with Haraya, he helped to coordinate lectures with
notable names in the academic and artistic communities, including
scholar Cornel West, poet Maya Angelou, rapper Chuck D. and
activist Angela Davis.
For Coefield, these were enriching experiences and, ultimately, he
found his time at St. John’s – especially his interactions with
such a diverse group of fellow students – opened his eyes about
race.
“It was really interesting for me to meet people from Trinidad or
Jamaica or Haiti, who didn’t necessarily identify themselves as
‘black,’” he noted. “I wasn’t used to that, so meeting them helped
to change my perception and also gave me a greater appreciation for
culture, music and identity.”
Although he lives and works in Washington, DC, Coefield’s ties to
St. John’s remain strong. He participates in the University’s
annual Alumni Insider’s View…U.S. Capital Program, explaining to
students what it’s like to live and work in the District. He keeps
in close contact with other alumni in DC and recently attended St.
John’s pre-game reception held prior to the Red Storm Men’s
Basketball away game against Georgetown.
“I jump at any chance I get to sing St. John’s praises,” Coefield
said. “I may be a bit biased, but I think a lot of people who came
out of St. John’s in my era are doing some phenomenal things, and
I’m proud of their accomplishments. We used to sit in the same
Haraya meetings, were members of the same organizations, and now
we’ve all had success, and that’s a great thing to see.”