If you find yourself at the Height Lounge in the Waverly Building on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m., CAS senior Alain Balan will politely approach you and hint that you might want to leave. You don’t have to leave, of course. Balan would actually love it if you stayed. But be prepared, as he’ll let you know, “It’s about to get really loud in here.”
There’s possibly no occasion as consistently energetic and lively as Thursday afternoon Games Day meetings, of which Balan is chairperson. Held by the Academic Achievement Program, Games Day is a weekly space for AAP students, and anyone else interested, to unwind with activities as diverse as improvisation or a game that requires you to literally spit water all over yourself.
Balan quietly watches over it all. At first, his soft demeanor may seem a stark contrast to the liveliness of Games Day. But when Balan speaks, he does so with meaning.
“Some people just talk to talk, but I feel like he’s one of the few people who really chooses when to talk, when to say something,” AAP director Michael Funk said.
Balan admits, when he first came to NYU, he was the shy kid who always sat at the back of the room.
“I always liked being around a lot of people,” Balan said. “But I wasn’t the person to go up to someone and start a conversation and introduce myself.”
At the end of Balan’s sophomore year, he worked to move outside his comfort zone and ran for various executive board positions. While he lost in the race for the Gentlemen of Quality eboard, he became the upperclassman representative at the Black Student Union.
Even with this position, Balan had plenty to work on, as he still saw his quietness as a weakness. His peers recognized this need as well, and Alexis Toney, the BSU president at the time, told Balan that he needed to come out of his shell.
“Alain was extremely quiet … he wouldn’t really say much,” Toney said. “Everyone knew who Alain was, but we didn’t know who Alain [really] was.”
Toney noticed a change during Balan’s junior year — she said he “found his niche.” That year, Balan stopped commuting and began to live on campus. He no longer sat at the back of the room and became more involved in various organizations, eventually approaching Toney about wanting to run for BSU president.
“I was nervous about leaving it in the hands of Alain … but I was certain in the fact that if Alain wanted to do it, and I knew if Alain was committed to something, that he would put his all into it,” Toney said.
And he has. This year, BSU has seen an incredible retention rate, with approximately 80 percent of students returning after the first meeting. They’ve also planned more events than ever before — most notably, NYU’s first Black Homecoming, a major, weekend-long celebration meant to debut in 2012, but which was canceled because of Hurricane Sandy.
“He definitely, as president, has taken that ball [from previous presidents] and just kept going with it,” Steinhardt senior and BSU vice president Asha Nelson-Williams said. “With the help of his leadership, the BSU has planned so many events, and we’ve done so much more than we’ve done in the past semesters.”
Balan is still the same young man who arrived at NYU four years ago, but instead of letting his quiet nature hinder him, he’s found a way to use it to his full potential.
“He leads often by actions and by mere presence,” Funk said. “I think it’s that level of commitment and thoughtfulness that really sets him apart from his peers.”
Balan’s ability to lead by action over voice has already made a lasting mark on the next generation of his community. One such member of that generation is CAS freshman Chevaun Samuels, who recalls Balan’s leadership during a six-week summer Opportunity Program last summer.
“Having a friend like Alain, and knowing that I can be with him and come to him for advice whenever I need, it’s just amazing,” Samuels said. “He talks to me on a real level. He doesn’t worry about what other people are saying or what anybody else is doing.”
Balan works to connect with communities through “small, one-on-one relationships.”
“I think any impact I’ve made is small-scale … letting people know that I believe in them,” Balan said. “Letting people know I have faith in them, and know their potential, and just supporting them and helping them get there. I think that’s the biggest thing.”
Balan hasn’t completely undergone a transformation. He’s still reserved, and he may not immediately come off as a leader in the traditional sense. But whether in his dedication to the BSU, Games Day or other endeavors, Balan demonstrates that it is not the level of noise that matters — it’s the quality of work that drives a leader and the people around him. Enough said.
— Jeremy Grossman
Studio photography by Alexis Bynum, other images by Jonathan Tan/WSN