The Next 150: Student leaders carry PVAMU’s legacy forward

A century and a half ago, eight young Black men climbed the steps of a small school built on the grounds of a former plantation. They had no way of knowing what they were beginning. History would come to call them the “Unknown Eight,” the first students of an institution that, two years earlier, the Texas Legislature had chartered as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas for Colored Youth.

What started with eight students has grown into more than 87,000 alumni. What started as a single classroom has grown into Prairie View A&M University: the second-oldest public institution of higher education in Texas, the state’s oldest public HBCU, and one of the nation’s leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

There was no sprawling campus filled with generations of tradition. No Homecoming as we know it today. No Panther Stadium. There was, however, a beginning.

On Aug. 14, 2026, Prairie View A&M University observes Charter Day, commemorating the 1876 legislative act that made that beginning possible. Charter Day 2026 marks 150 years since the University’s founding, transforming an annual observance into one of the signature events of the University’s yearlong Sesquicentennial celebration.

It is a moment to look back. But perhaps more importantly, it is a moment to ask who carries Prairie View forward.

For that answer, look to its students.

The significance of Charter Day is rooted in what became possible in 1876.

The establishment of Prairie View created an opportunity for generations of students to pursue an education at a time when access to Black Texans was severely restricted. What began with a legislative act and eight students willing to believe in it would grow into an institution whose graduates have become educators, scientists, engineers, nurses, business leaders, public servants, artists, entrepreneurs and changemakers.

For 150 years, each generation has inherited something from the one before it: traditions, expectations, responsibilities and a charge to leave Prairie View stronger than they found it.

That makes the role of student leadership particularly meaningful during the Sesquicentennial. The students serving Prairie View today are not simply leading during another academic year. They are serving at the intersection of the University’s first 150 years and whatever comes next.

To explore what that responsibility means, PVAMU spoke with Jaquavous Doucette ‘26, president of the 44th administration of the Student Government Association and now a Prairie View City Council member, and I’munique Liggens, a senior serving as president of the 45th administration. We talked about Charter Day, the weight of inherited legacy and what it means to lead when history is unfolding around you.

For Doucette, Charter Day carries meaning shaped by several chapters of his relationship with Prairie View, chapters that almost never began.

Doucette was initially denied admission to Prairie View A&M and had to appeal the decision before he was ever allowed to set foot on The Hill. That history makes everything that followed feel, in his words, full circle.

“Charter Day holds a particularly meaningful place in my heart because I experienced Prairie View A&M University from so many different perspectives. During my time as SGA President, I had the privilege of representing the student body during a historic period, while also being a member of the May 2026 graduating class. To walk across the grounds of Prairie View as a student, knowing the generations of Panthers who came before me, was something I never took for granted. That feeling was even more significant because I was once denied admission to Prairie View A&M University and had to appeal my initial decision. To eventually become SGA President and graduate from this historic institution was a full-circle moment for me. Charter Day reminds me that Prairie View A&M University is more than a university; it is a legacy that students are entrusted to carry forward,” said Doucette.

As SGA president, Doucette worked directly with PVAMU President Tomikia P. LeGrande on the vision for the University’s 150th anniversary, a role made more meaningful by the seat he simultaneously held on The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents as its Student Regent, only the second PVAMU student ever appointed to that position.

“My relationship and work with President LeGrande allowed me to become a more visible and effective voice for the student body. Throughout my administration, I had opportunities to serve on several important committees related to the university’s 150th anniversary, which allowed me to bring the perspective and experiences of students directly into those conversations. I viewed my role as making sure that as the university celebrated its history, we also remained focused on the students who would ultimately inherit that legacy. My experience as a Student Regent on The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents gave me an even greater appreciation for President LeGrande’s vision. Sitting in Board meetings and watching her articulate her vision for Prairie View’s 150th anniversary gave me an opportunity to see the level of intentionality behind this historic milestone. Working with her allowed me to better understand that the Sesquicentennial was not simply about looking backward. It was about positioning Prairie View for the next 150 years,” he said.

Doucette wanted students to see themselves as more than an audience to that history.

That distinction becomes especially powerful in 2026. There is only one generation of Panthers who can say they were students at Prairie View A&M during its 150th anniversary year. There will only be one SGA administration entrusted with representing the student body at the exact moment the University crosses from its first century and a half into its next.

And that brings history directly to the doorstep of today’s student leaders.

For current SGA President I’munique Liggens, who served as chief of staff under Doucette before being elected to lead the 45th administration, the Sesquicentennial is both a celebration and a charge.

Liggens and her administration have set their priorities around developing student leaders, amplifying student voices, building campus partnerships and promoting service, civic engagement and Panther pride.

“The 45th Administration is committed to strengthening the Student Government Association and enhancing the student experience. Every initiative is designed to leave both SGA and Prairie View better than we found them. Advocacy begins with preparation. Before we can effectively represent students, we must first be prepared to lead them. That is why we are investing in officer development, strengthening our understanding of our governing documents, and building a leadership team that is visible, accessible, and accountable. I believe we can go far alone, but we will go even farther together,” she said.

Liggens sees her administration’s role as both custodian and builder, honoring what came before while documenting it so it isn’t lost.

“As Prairie View celebrates 150 years of excellence, we have a responsibility to honor our history while preparing for our future. This administration is committed to preserving the legacy of Student Government by documenting our history and recognizing the leaders who paved the way before us. We believe that by understanding and respecting the past, we strengthen the foundation for what comes next and inspire the leaders of tomorrow,” she said.

That sense of partnership extends to how her administration works with University leadership, which Liggens ties directly to PVAMU’s long-range strategic plan, Journey to Eminence.

“We believe progress is not accidental. It is built through an intentional, consistent and accountable partnership. This administration will lead a proactive approach to collaboration with university leadership, ensuring that student concerns are not only heard but acted upon with urgency and purpose. When students, faculty, staff and administrators are aligned in purpose and held together by shared accountability, we do more than strengthen SGA. We elevate Prairie View A&M University into its next era of excellence,” Liggens said.

The symbolism of this moment is difficult to miss. Charter Day honors the action that made Prairie View possible. Student government represents the voices of the young people who demonstrate why that decision continues to matter. One speaks to the University’s beginning; The other speaks to its future.

That connection between legacy and leadership is at the heart of this year’s Charter Day observance and the broader Sesquicentennial theme: Rooted in Resilience, Rising in Eminence. The roots extend back 150 years. The rising belongs to those here now.

Doucette mentored the incoming administration closely before handing over the office, and his advice to Liggens reads less like a farewell and more like a charge.

“The time is now, and the torch is in your hands. You are no longer simply the Chief of Staff. You are now the leader of this organization. There will be moments when you hear ‘no,’ but a ‘no’ does not have to be the final answer. Continue working, continue advocating, continue building relationships and continue pushing until you find a path to ‘yes.’ At the same time, remember that you cannot do everything yourself. Leadership is not about trying to carry the entire organization on your back. You have to build a team of people you can trust and rely on every single day. Most importantly, remember that you are leading during a moment that students decades from now will talk about. Lead with courage, humility, and purpose, and always remember who entrusted you with this responsibility: the students,” Doucette said.

And for the generation of Panthers now walking The Hill during its 150th year, Doucette hopes the moment leaves them with more than pride.

“I hope this generation understands that being a Panther is a responsibility, not simply a title. Take pride in Prairie View A&M University. Speak up when people criticize or diminish our institution, particularly when those making the criticism have never walked these grounds, attended this university, or experienced what it means to be a Panther. But pride must also be accompanied by productivity. We have to be willing to work hard, achieve, serve and contribute. We are standing on the shoulders of generations of people who fought, sacrificed, and persevered to make Prairie View what it is today. Now it is our responsibility to honor that legacy by becoming the kind of students, alumni, leaders, and citizens who make the next 150 years even greater than the first,” he said.

Anniversaries naturally invite people to look backward. At Prairie View A&M, there is much worth remembering.

There are generations whose names fill history books, and there are the Unknown Eight, whose names may never fully be recovered but whose decision to show up in 1878 made everything since possible. There are students who arrived uncertain, some, like Doucette, who were told no before they were ever told yes, and left prepared to change their communities. There are faculty members who taught, challenged and inspired them. There are alumni who returned to give back and others who carried PVAMU into places its earliest founders could never have imagined.

But 150 years cannot simply be a finish line; It must also be a starting point.

That is why the voices of PVAMU’s student leaders matter on this Charter Day. They remind us that institutions do not move forward on history alone. Every generation must decide what it will do with what it has inherited.

Honor those who built it. Understand what they endured to make it possible. Celebrate what it has become. Then accept the responsibility of carrying it forward.

On Aug. 14, 2026, Prairie View A&M University marks 150 years since its beginning.

History is already written.

Visit the pvamu.edu/150 to explore upcoming Sesquicentennial events.

-PVAMU-