Editor’s note: In honor of Black History Month, the Daily is running a five-part series on influential and prominent African Americans in the ISU community. Today’s story profiles athlete Nanette Allen, junior in speech communication.

Though someday she may be a famous singer, right now Nanette Allen is concentrating on her studies and playing volleyball.

Allen, junior in speech communication, is a member of the ISU volleyball team. She said she became interested in athletics in grade school.

“I wanted to get involved with something instead of being at home and not doing anything,” Allen said. “I always liked being outdoors, playing with the boys, that kind of thing.”

Allen was involved in Minority Athletes in Action her freshman and sophomore years. The group is no longer active at Iowa State, she said.

Another big part of Allen’s life is singing.

“I really, really, really, really love the entertainment business,” she said. “I sing the national anthem here, at numerous games: men’s basketball, women’s basketball; I even sing at my volleyball matches. Singing has just been one of my first loves … I think that’s what I want to do with my life.”

After graduating from Iowa State, Allen plans to go to Los Angeles or New York City to attempt to launch a singing career. But schoolwork is also important to her.

“I’m trying to focus on my studies so that if my singing career doesn’t work out, I’ll have something to fall back on. So I’m kind of preparing and making sure I have other options,” she said.

She said she didn’t plan to go to school at Iowa State.

“I think coming here to ISU wasn’t something in my mind … it just stumbled across from nowhere, out of the blue,” Allen said. “I’m a Christian, and so I think it was destined that I came here to Iowa State — God’s choice.”

Allen has a fraternal twin sister, Natalie, who also attends Iowa State.

Ames is very different from Allen’s hometown, Pasco, Wash., she said. She likes how people here are “hospitable and friendly.”

“Where I’m from, if I leave and go to someone’s house or to a grocery store or somewhere, I’m going to lock my door, my car door,” she said. “I come here, and people leave their cars running while they’re at the grocery store. They don’t lock their doors for anything. … It’s safe here.”

One thing she would like to see at Iowa State is more diversity, Allen said.

“The only thing I don’t like about being here is it’s not that culturally diverse — like they don’t have BET … Black Entertainment Television,” she said. “They don’t have those kinds of things here.”

Additionally, there are few black students at Iowa State who are not involved with athletics, she said.

“The majority of African Americans that do attend ISU are athletes. I don’t know why that is,” Allen said. “ISU does a good job of bringing in minorities, but there’s a kind of problem of keeping minorities here at ISU.”

Allen said she doesn’t think the reason is the same for all minority students who leave the university.

“It’s not truly based on a majority, a group of people; I think it has to be pointed to the individual as to the reason why they might not be here at ISU. … You can only blame them,” she said. “I don’t think you can really blame the majority, like all blacks, whatever the case may be.”

Allen said she does notice quite a few minority students at Iowa State.

“You do see a lot of Asians, Latinos. It’s culturally diverse in that when you’re walking around campus, you do see minorities, a lot of people of races different from yourself. But I think there could be more minorities here at ISU,” she said.

Allen said she feels very positively about the university’s multicultural centers and diversity programs.

“They’re working hard to bring more cultural diversity here to ISU, trying as hard as they can to get Asians, blacks, whites and everybody united together,” Allen said. “I think they’re doing a good job of it, but there’s always more that could be done. There’s always more that could be done.”

She doesn’t know how to make Iowa State a more diverse university, she said.

“As much as they try to get more cultural diversity to ISU, again, it all comes back to the individual: How much are they going to try to get involved and do what they can to make Iowa State more of a cultural salad bowl?” she said.

However, Allen said learning about different cultures can help. “[Iowa State could use] programs that could bring about more awareness of Hispanics and African Americans,” she said.

Allen said she doesn’t try to think of herself as a role model for other black students.

“I try to be me; I try do what’s best for Nanette and hope that everyone looks at me in a positive light,” she said. “But if people look at me as a role model, then hey, I don’t know. I can only do what I can do for me.”

She said though she appreciates Black History Month, people shouldn’t just look at black culture during February.

“I think Black History Month is som