TAKING ACTION: Students Make a Difference at Agnes Scott During the Pandemic —By Nicholyn Hutchinson A defining characteristic of Agnes Scott College students is their ability to lead, and the COVID-19 pandemic crisis shone a light on how they do so with passion and purpose. Leveraging technology and social media tools, they took on active roles in serving the campus community. The Scotties of Color Healing Circle, headed by Tiyamika Williams ’22, held virtual support groups weekly for students to check in regarding their mental health and sound baths to help them cope. Danie Weinstein ’22, president of Hillel, and Teresa Enriquez Texis ’21, president of the Catholic Student Association, spearheaded initiatives that ensured students had virtual spaces for prayer during the Holy Week, daily readings/ reflections and other activities. Cydney Owens ’21 held weekly virtual Zumba classes for students to assist with stress relief. And the list of the inspiring students who contributed in their own impactful ways to the college’s response to COVID-19 continues.
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Chan Spaulding ’22, chair of COSMO, the Coalition of Student Multicultural Organizations, moderated “A Conversation on the Social and Culture Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” which was a webinar featuring artist, activist and alumna Yehimi Cambrón ’14 and Kathy ’68 and Lawrence Ashe Associate Professor of Sociology Regine O. Jackson. The webinar was part of a series
conceived and hosted by the Gay Johnson McDougall Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion to discuss the cultural, racial and social implications of the pandemic. “These issues are ongoing and during the pandemic they have progressed. We really had to have these conversations to raise awareness and educate people because the issues are not really as publicized as they should be,” says Spaulding. “We were just exercising what we do at Agnes Scott. If any school was going to do this, it was going to be Agnes Scott that really got the information out there to represent these people who need their stories to be heard.” Spaulding notes that attendees, many of whom were not affiliated with Agnes Scott and learned of it from social media and word-ofmouth, shared positive feedback. “I heard from a lot of people who didn’t want it to end because it was informative, and there were comments like ‘I didn’t know or think about that,’” she says. “And that’s the reaction we wanted. We wanted people to learn what they didn’t know before and look at things differently.” Tsering Shola ’23 took action by establishing a Facebook group connecting students to resources including housing, storage and transportation. Also serving as a platform for people to stay informed and share positive messages, the group has 350-plus members made up of students, faculty, alumnae and individuals from the surrounding Decatur community. The college’s Division of College Advancement and Office of Alumnae Relations partnered with Shola on the initiative under the name Scotties Helping Scotties. The spark for Shola’s idea came after hearing a fellow student’s worries amid the news that local colleges were beginning to send
students home for the remainder of the spring semester. “I became aware of COVID-19’s differing impacts when my friend, an international student, expressed her concerns about traveling home where she would be susceptible to contracting the virus,” she says. “At the time, Agnes Scott had not yet implemented a policy regarding remote learning, but I realized many students, especially lowincome, international and those who do not have a home or a safe home environment, would be disproportionately affected.”
For Shola, starting the Facebook group was an especially meaningful way to pay it forward. “Throughout my first year at Agnes Scott, there have been a plethora of incidents where a friend, faculty member, staff or someone I didn’t personally know supported me unconditionally and in moments of need,” she says. “In times of great uncertainty, it was a natural instinct and response to help my peers by creating a Facebook group that would facilitate accommodations for students in need.” Ximena Guillen ’22, president of PathMakers, an interdepartmental program supporting first-generation college students at Agnes Scott, organized a virtual scholarship panel, encouraged mentor check-ins and connected students to resources. Guillen notes that the transition to college for first-generation students can be difficult, and many of them on campus have developed
