Alumni Spotlight

Over a couple of years, I expanded the role into a full department of 8 people and 6 different areas that oversee our university’s three Learning Centers, Tutoring Services, Supplemental Instruction, Assessment and Program Reviews, Student Success initiatives, Accreditations, and Curriculum Management. Much of my portfolio revolves around student learning, collecting, analyzing, and using data, and providing support.

My role means I get to be in conversations with leadership on our campus and help make decisions that lead to actual change. I think the voice I’m able to have in those meetings is guided in part by the ideas I learned during my time at BGSU. The degree program instilled thinking critically and creatively, exploring different perspectives and experiences, and including marginalized communities - all of which are at the core of my responsibilities at UM-Dearborn. I have been fortunate to build my area and ensure staff from leadership to student employees (many of whom in peer learning roles) represent the diversity we see in our campus and local community.

My favorite memory is presenting at the research symposium and winning the Best Undergraduate Research my second year! Researching topics and presenting information in a way that is accessible and engaging for people is one of my favorite things to do now, and I think that love started in my undergraduate program and with the opportunity to participate in the symposium. Also, meeting Dr. Sarah Rainey-Smithback had a lasting impact on my life. Sarah is a force and so passionate about her work, and I learned so much inside and outside of the classroom from her. She was always there for insight, constructive feedback, and encouragement during my time in the program (and after!)

As a DEI Coordinator, I am largely responsible for supporting the diversity-oriented strategic planning efforts across the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), UCAR, and UCAR Community Programs (UCP). In my role, I co-facilitate DEI education programs such as the NCAR/UCAR Equity and Inclusion (UNEION) series and bystander intervention and difficult conversations training. Furthermore, I advise our internal teams on best practices to promote psychological safety, inclusion, and equity in their science and in the workplace at large.

The CCS program was instrumental in preparing me for the world in which I live and work today. My coursework exposed me to critical concepts such as power, privilege, oppression, and difference, which all helped me reflect upon and conceptualize my lived experiences in the context of the United States. My coursework also strengthened my ability to empathize and perspective-take with people and experiences that were different from my own. I am forever-grateful to the CCS program and my professors for providing a secure learning environment in which I could unpack and analyze the myriad aspects of my marginalized and privileged identities. I, too, am grateful for being taught a lexicon that helps me in my continued exploration and meaning-making of mine and others’ identities, both personally and professionally.

One of my favorite memories from my time in the program would have to be the day I officially became a CCS student! I initially entered BG as a sociology major and quickly realized it wasn’t the best fit for me. However, one of my classes that first semester was an Ethnic Studies course called, “Introduction to African American Studies,” and it was a complete game-changer. The course jump started my interest in Black history and helped me develop a critical perspective on my lived experiences as a Black woman at a historically white institution (HWI). My engagement in the class demonstrated that I could learn about my identities and histories in a scholarly setting, and that there was immense value in doing so.