Articles

Days-Massolo Multicultural Center Retreat

By Ashley Beck

September 27, 2024

It may have been raining outside but that didn’t stop the DMC orgs and fellows from rising bright and early on Saturday, September 7th for our Annual DMC Retreat. Co-led by DMC Director Koboul E. Mansour along with DMC fellows Nickie Conlogue and Jun Reiss, the retreat was an incredible opportunity for our student organization leaders and fellows to learn about campus resources, reflect on their work last year, and collaboratively brainstorm new ideas for this academic year.

As part of the Retreat, we had the opportunity to connect and engage with campus leaders  from Students Activities, the Writing Center, the Counseling center, and the Opportunity Program. We kicked off the day’s activities by practicing our communication and collaboration skills with Student Activities’ Assistant Director, Nadiyah Roberts-Green. She challenged us to find three friends to make a tasty sandwich with but with a twist. We could only use the unique ingredients we were assigned to. This creative activity really pushed us to think outside the box! 

Our next workshop opened the space for us to delve into the world of linguistic diversity and reflect on how language impacts our everyday lives. Guided by the Writing Center’s Multilingual Specialist and Assistant Director, Laura Widman, we engaged with personal linguistic experiences, such as dialects and code switching. Following the workshop, the student leaders were able to connect with Laura and discuss ways to continue these conversations in our everyday lives, and future community building efforts. 

After our lovely lunch break, we welcomed the Counseling Center’s Director David Walden who challenged all of us to approach advocacy and social organizing from a place of empathy. We wrapped up the day with a passionate discussion about campus resources with the Opportunity Program’s Director, Aaron Ray. Aaron sparked a lively brainstorm of ways to make campus resources more accessible for new students.

I’m thankful for all of the speakers’ insights and support. Furthermore, I’d like to highlight our incredible director, fellows, and DMC organizations who made this event such a success. I can’t wait to see what our incredible fellows and student leaders will do this year!