Isha Alaina Tubera ’26, co-editor-in-chief of Underground Magazine, is anywhere but beneath the surface of the College of William and Mary. She serves as Student Assembly senator for the class of 2026, a position that she was newly appointed to this year. As a Posse Scholar, her posse was fundamental to her campus experience. Tubera also participates in a research lab, Nutritional Epidemiology and Food System Analytics.
Tubera explained what it means to be a Posse Scholar.
“I’m part of Posse 2, so when I first arrived, there were only Posse 1 and 2, and no one knew what Posse was or who the scholars were,” she said. “It’s a unique position to be in, since Posse was so new to campus, there was an ‘unofficial’ expectation to define what being a Posse Scholar looks like at William and Mary. For those who don’t know what the Posse Foundation is, it’s a nonprofit organization that provides full-tuition scholarships to student leaders across the country with Posse-partnered schools, focusing on empowering student leaders to reach their potential.”
She outlined how her time as a Posse Scholar has shaped her experience on campus, highlighting the relationships she made along the way.
“Reflecting four years later, Posse and its presence have grown so much since my first year, which has been very beautiful to witness,” Tubera said. “I’m incredibly grateful to be surrounded by student leaders in my Posse who fulfill their mission and dedicate their time to making an impact on campus in their own ways. I continue to be inspired by those in Posse 2 and the Posse scholars on campus — your hard work, your passion, your drive do not go unnoticed.”
Tubera holds the position of co-editor-in-chief of Underground Magazine with Camille Batts ’26 after the publication’s inactivity in 2024.
Tubera highlighted what her role consists of, emphasizing the magazine’s intention of being an inclusive space for marginalized voices.
“Its mission and purpose as a literary arts magazine for marginalized communities on campus, to promote and uplift marginalized creative voices, were too important to let this organization remain inactive,” she said. “So, my role as co-editor-in-chief over the past two academic years might look a little different from other roles, since we had to essentially start from the ground up. Camille and I were both on Underground exec prior to its inactivity, so we still had our previous CEICs and executive team members’ information to help guide us with the process of reviving it — hence our first issue back’s title being ‘Reawakening’ — but we had lost all of our funding and had to learn how to navigate those processes and reestablish ourselves and our presence on campus and within the MCO community.”
She spoke further about her time on the Underground as a whole.
“Being part of Underground has been an incredibly transformative experience, not only in my role as co-editor-in-chief but also by introducing me to new opportunities, such as becoming media council chair,” she said. “I love my executive team, our general body members, how far Underground has come since last fall, and I’m so excited to see what the future holds.”
Tubera reflected on the inclusive space that the magazine fosters on campus for all identities to celebrate their diversity. She spoke about why this acceptance is more important now than ever.
“With our political climate, it’s essential to curate this space where we can discuss our issues as people of color, as members of the LGBTQ+ community, and any other identity that is held, where there is no judgment,” she said. “But it’s also equally essential to curate a space where we can celebrate who we are and our life experiences, because there is resistance to oppressive power through joy.”
The Underground works to extend this celebration of identities into the greater community; Tubera outlined the publication’s collaboration with other multicultural organizations on campus.
“In the past two years, we’ve taken pictures at various MCO events, including LASU’s cultural showcase, NAISA’s Powwow, FASA’s Pilipino Culture Night and BSO’s Stompfest.”
Tubera mentioned her contentment with how the magazine operates internally with the same inclusivity.
“The beautiful thing about Underground is its collaboration with our general body, making it a magazine for the people, by the people,” she said. “In addition, one’s involvement is highly flexible. People can choose to model, attend a general body meeting, help with page layout or choose to submit. Even with our submissions, we will take any form of artistic expression, because who are we to put guidelines on what art looks like?”
When reflecting on her overall time at the College, Tubera realized her favorite memories were with friends.
“I will say, it really is the little things, like getting ready together in my dorm for an event, cooking together, staying up all night to talk, reminiscing and laughing at inside jokes that will always bring a smile to my face,” she said.
As a kinesiology major with a concentration in public health and a minor in film and media studies, Tubera describes her plans for after graduation.
“I plan to work or continue research for up to two years, then return to school for a master’s in public health with a concentration in epidemiology,” she said. “However, I am keeping my options open for any opportunity that follows grad school, whether that be me continuing my education or research, resuming work at a health department, or something entirely new; whatever is meant for me will come to me.”
