As a generous friend who worked tirelessly within the community and expressed himself through art, Steven Devon Anderson will always be remembered for his endless joy and desire to help others.
An active member of the African American community at Texas A&M and several organizations, Steven always sought to help those in need. His close friend, La Tresia Wilson, said there was never a moment he wasn’t there for others.
“He was always caring, always working to seek success as much as possible and if you needed anything, he was there,” Wilson said.
Steven enjoyed socializing with people and making them feel as loved as possible. Even with all his commitments, he always made time for the important people in his life.
“The summer coming into A&M, Steven and I spent almost everyday and every weekend together,” Wilson said. “We would go go-kart racing. We’d go out to eat, go to the movies. Anything that he’d want to do, we always did it. We were also transitioning into college so we’d spend every moment together that we could. Those were some of the best memories with him, just talking all the time and spending time together.”
When Steven wasn’t spending time with his friends, he was devoted to academics and organizations to better the community at A&M.
“He loved helping people and being involved with organizations,” Wilson said. “He had an on-campus job, so he was always working and trying to give back.”
Steven continuously fought for civil rights at A&M. Wilson said he was always looking for new ways to spread awareness for the African American community.
“He was an activist on campus, so he did a lot of the protests, he did a lot of the walks we did through campus,” Wilson said. “He was the Vice President, at one point, for NAACP on campus, so that was something he was always doing.”
However, Steven’s generosity expanded beyond the African American community. Wilson said he was always searching for new ways to help those in need. Steven joined several organizations and developed relationships with professors and alumni to help him succeed while supporting others as much as he could.
“He loved being active in the community as much as possible and strived to make changes and help people be better. He did a lot of that through his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, NAACP or any community events he could do,” Wilson said.
Throughout college, Steven made art as a way to express himself. He could always be found writing and had even begun authoring a book.
“He was very musical, and he was an artist,” Wilson said. “He loved to draw. He loved to write poems and anything with music. That was his way of speaking and expressing himself, so he would always write poems and speak those at events to get out how he was feeling.”
Whether he was spending time with friends, working in his organizations or writing poetry, Steven always went out of his way to uplift others. Wilson said it was rare to see Steven upset, and he made it a personal goal to help others feel happier.
“Steven was a joyful person,” Wilson said. “He was always smiling and laughing. There were very few times where you could ever find Steven upset. He hated seeing people upset and seeing people mad, sad, down, whatever it is. He would always try to uplift them in whatever way possible.”
Wilson said Steven was special because he knew no stranger and would always go out of his way to help others.
“Steven lived to make an impact on somebody, whether it was a family member, a friend, whoever it was, even if it was a stranger,” Wilson said. “He lived to impact people so he would always try to have those conversations that make you think, make you challenge yourself and make you grow in the ways you express yourself.”
By exemplifying what it means to be a selfless servant despite hardship, Steven’s positive influence will never be forgotten.
“He had a passion and a drive behind everything he did,” Wilson said. “He was someone who was as powerful as he could be as a 21-year-old African American male, coming from a community that didn’t have much. Still, he came to A&M and struggled to make his way through, but he would never let those things he came from [to] define him. He would always find a positive out of every negative that was in front of him.”