‘You Belong Here’: Mahershala Ali ’96 Returns to Empower Saint Mary’s Students

Like so many Gaels before and after him, Communications major Mahershala Ali ’96 crossed the commencement stage with equal measures of trepidation and anticipation. Born in Oakland, California, and raised in nearby Hayward, he was the first in his family to earn a college degree.  

At that point, Ali did not know what awaited him. Certainly, he could not have anticipated that, over the next three decades, he would receive two Oscars for his roles in Moonlight and Green Book, star in numerous acclaimed shows and films, and become a household name. 

In the years since, Ali has visited his alma mater often, screening his films, connecting with students, and even speaking at Commencement himself. On January 15, he came to campus to meet with members of the Black Student Union and Saint Mary’s High Potential (HP) Program, which has long supported first-generation and low-income students, including Ali himself. He also met with recipients of the Moonlight Scholarship, which Ali helped create in 2015.

At the day’s first event, two dozen students filled the seats in Hagerty Lounge, chatting and snacking as they waited for Ali. The atmosphere was laid-back and unfussy. Apart from balloons affixed to the fireplace—purple, gold, and white, the colors of the HP Program—there was little to indicate that soon, a movie star would enter the scene. 

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When Ali did arrive, mid-conversation with High Potential founder Tom Brown, he maintained that relaxed energy, at ease in this space, with this community. Chameeta Denton, MA ’10, who now directs the HP program, stepped up to the podium to introduce Ali and emphasized “belonging” as the theme of the day. 

“This moment is for you,” she told the students in the audience. “One of the reasons why we asked Mahershala to come is to showcase that you can be successful. You can look like this.”

Ali, taking the microphone, echoed Denton’s encouragement. High Potential, he said, “is the community that was key to me getting into this school and navigating my time here. And it was the people, the faces, and the faculty that gave me the opportunity to blossom and bloom after school.”

Vital to the Culture

After his remarks, Ali sat down for a moderated question-and-answer session with Antonio Ponce ’26, a lead Peer Mentor with the HP Program. Early on, when asked about his Saint Mary’s experience, Ali was candid, particularly about the “loneliness” and struggle of being a young Black man on a then-predominantly white campus. 

He likened the experience of maintaining a Black identity as a college student to building a sandcastle: “It always gets chipped at, almost washed away. You gotta keep trying to build it.”

In HP, Ali shared later, he found much of the community and support he was seeking. For him, the Program proved to be a “bridge,” one that is “honest about the world not being fair” while also providing the tools to “go out and make the world fair for you.” And, he said, “It's about learning how you learn and learning how to navigate the world.”

While that process is frequently challenging, Ali acknowledged, “I want to re-emphasize how important you are, for the campus and the culture of the school.” He expressed hope, too, that Saint Mary’s would continue to reflect the diversity of the wider world.  

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“Please do everything in your power to take care of each other, look out for each other, and help each other succeed,” Ali said, gaze sweeping out over the audience. “It's not about proving you belong here. It's about knowing you belong here.”

Toward the end of the conversation, a cluster of balloons dislodged themselves from the fireplace, floating to the ceiling—a visual metaphor, perhaps, of energetic potential and rising to new heights. 

High Potential “is the community that was key to me getting into this school and navigating my time here. And it was the people, the faces, and the faculty that gave me the opportunity to blossom and bloom after school.”

—Mahershala Ali ’96

Showing Up

After lunch, Ali took part in a different kind of student-led conversation: podcasting. He joined Angelina Landeros '25, the High Potential Graduate Assistant, for an interview filmed and produced by Adanna Ogu '25. The podcast took place in the Sound Studio, part of Saint Mary's new, state-of-the-art Student Media Center.

Later, Ali sat down with 15 HP students in the High Potential office, many of them Moonlight Scholars. For Jessiah Jones ’27, a Business Administration major and vice president of the Black Student Union, the conversation was both familiar and deeply personal. 

Like Ali, Jones grew up in the Bay Area, in the city of Vallejo. He resonated with the actor’s memories of driving through the Caldecott Tunnel, headed east toward Moraga. “For Black students from the Bay, it’s true: When you go through that tunnel, your whole world shifts,” Jones said. 

Meeting Ali, Jones felt “relief” at how relatable he was, he said. “Obviously, this is Blade, this is the man from Green Book. But he’s also just a guy.”

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After sharing a bit about his own background, Ali asked those present to share a bit of their trajectories. Jones was struck by the vulnerable space Ali created. 

“I got to share things about myself I haven’t shared much of anywhere else, and learn things about peers I didn’t know, even those on my own BSU team,” Jones said.

Ultimately, Jones will remember how present and attentive Ali was, in that room and throughout the day. “It was less of what he said and how he acted,” he said. “A lot of people, when they come back to a community, it can be for show. But Mahershala wasn’t like that at all. 

“You could tell that he saw you, that he was trying to listen and understand. It was all just a very humane interaction. I was very grateful for that.”

Story updated January 23, 2026, at 3:20 p.m. Pacific

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