Issuu

QUlture For The

SECOND EDITION

EFFLORESCENCE EDITION

Credits

Executive Editor Toyloy Brown III

Executive & Financial Director Kodi Greenaway

Director's Assistant

Derek Hernandez

Administrative Assistant

Student Organizations

Pratibha Thippa

Videographer

Eleven multicultural student organizations showcase their biggest events of the year

Kanayochukwu Umelo

Photographers

Crandall "CJ" Yopp Daniel Passapera Connor Lawless

Roundtable Facilitator

Christiaan McCray

Writers

Emily DiSalvo Dena Dupree Averial Evans Chatwan Mongkol Christiaan McCray Ashley Pelletier

Layout

Connor Lawless

Featured Story

Alumna Feature

Brianna Millor '17 shares her experience as chief of community engagement in Boston

In The Issue

Roundtable Discussion Five students discuss their experiences as people of color on campus

Day in the Life

QU students Gabriella Colello & Emily Diaz share their stories

Fashion

Students show their styles during the day and at night

Greek Life Learn more about three of the sororities at QU

AFrican and Carribean Student Union Mr. & Miss ACSU Pageant By Christiaan McCray: Celebrating your culture and your background is what the African and Caribbean Student Union stands for. The club’s annual Mr. and Miss ACSU pageant continued encouraging just that for its participants. One goal of the event was to learn who can embody their cultural roots in the most creative fashion. Contestants proved why they were worthy of winning through their introductions, cultural and formal wear and answers to important questions regarding African and Caribbean countries. While winners were crowned at Mr. and Miss ACSU, the competition is meant to inspire everyone to appreciate what countries the contestants are representing. ACSU President Kairyn Jimenez said she believes the pageant is important as it reminds people to stay in touch with their heritage and that they can be themselves at Quinnipiac. “Making the nominees aware that there's home here,” Jimenez said. “I think that was pretty dope, seeing how happy everyone was embracing their cultures.” While the organization welcomes people of any background, Mr. and Miss ACSU demonstrates the significance there is for people who have African and Caribbean heritage to feel appreciated and amplified at a predominately white institution. “Embrace Africa, embrace the Caribbean, don't forget about your country. Don't forget about your home, Keep being you,” Jimenez said.

South Asian Society Bollywood Fest By Emily DiSalvo: The Quinnipiac South Asian Society held its most highly attended event since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 4 — Bollywood Fest. SAS prides itself on creating a sense of community for South Asian students on campus by hosting cultural events, speakers and lots of good food. But COVID-19 restrictions have prevented the group from gathering in person and fully experiencing events like Bollywood Fest. “Everyone was talking to each other, getting up from their seats, standing and talking in groups,” said Megha Patel, vice president of SAS and junior accounting major. “They were having fun.” The group did not watch any Bollywood films at the event but instead celebrated favorite movies, costumes and performers as Bollywood music filled the room. Kripa Patel, president of SAS, said that this was the first maskless event since March 2020. “We could see each other's faces,” Patel said. “It’s a different kind of engagement when you are not wearing a mask.” Unmasked faces enjoyed food that Kripa Patel said people were raving about all night. Being able to be a part of the traditions that they had only heard of prior to the pandemic holds particular meaning for this year’s executive board. “Us as juniors, we have seen every single form of either attending events or creating events and it’s just awesome to be able to connect to people on that level,” Patel said. “People were very free and very happy at the event.”

MULTICULTURAL STUDENT LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Culture Night By Emily DiSalvo: Students celebrated their culture at the Multicultural Student Leadership Council’s annual Culture Night on March 23. Food, dancing, music and an appreciation for one’s identity were common themes at the event, which took place in the piazza. “The purpose of Culture Night was to create an affinity space for many of the cultural and identity groups at Quinnipiac as well as an opportunity for the greater Quinnipiac community to learn about and immerse themselves in the represented cultures on campus,” said Pratibha Thippa, executive chair of MSLC. Thippa said that students were able to eat food they wouldn’t normally be able to find in the cafeteria and express their cultures through cultural wear and music. There were also performances for students to watch as they ate and socialized. “I really enjoyed seeing so many students from different cultures and identities interacting with each other and making new friendships,” Thippa said. This is just one of many events from MSLC that allow students to celebrate culture and meet other students on campus, according to Thippa. “[The events] are for all individuals to attend and enjoy and they should get involved in the future to learn from different perspectives and gain exposure to the different cultures represented on campus,” Thippa said.

Asian Student Alliance Stop Asian Hate

By Chatwan Mongkol: With the spike of anti-Asian racism incidents since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Student Alliance continues its ongoing advocacy to battle the hate by educating the Quinnipiac community while offering support. Anti-Asian hate crime surged by 339% last year, surpassing record numbers in 2020, according to data from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. “I feel like not a lot of people were bringing enough attention to it,” said Gillian Chung, ASA co-president, noting that the organization has been putting out infographics and a call-to-action video to raise awareness of the cause. That’s ASA’s main task. But what’s after that? They hope that people research for themselves. “We can’t spoon feed you if you don’t want to learn, but if we point out there’s an issue and it catches your eye because obviously it’s concerning and then you can learn for yourself and become aware,” said Dimytra Kowaleski-Pham, ASA co-president. Although there have never been any instances where students of Asian descent come to the ASA to seek comfort, the club said it’s ready to connect those students to resources on campus and provide support systems within the organization. Naomi Gorero, ASA public relations officer, said she has reached out to the club’s executive board members when she was a first-year student, inquiring guidance on how to be a part of the movement. It was beneficial to her. “I think it helped me to become more confident (and) to also be a part of this e-board,” Gorero said.

Black Student Union Euphoria Fashion Show By Christiaan McCray: The Black Student Union’s fashion show is titled “Euphoria” because that is the feeling it wants to produce for all involved. The show’s title also represents the longing of a return to the liveliness and joy in a world that saw the COVID-19 pandemic snatch that away. This feeling hits especially close to home for the BSU because the fashion show, the club’s signature event, was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus. “To have the show again after two years is monumental,” said Ja’Vielle Foy, president of the BSU. This BSU tradition, which has only been seen by those who were students in 2019, is more than just displaying beautiful attire and marveling at the aesthetics of the event. The fashion show also symbolized Black peoples’ ability to innovate and share their creativity which oftentimes becomes mainstream. “(The show) symbolizes how essential Black students at Quinnipiac are to setting trends and even beyond Quinnipiac, in the world, Black people are typically the center of pop culture,” Foy said. Lastly, the show provided a literal and figurative stage for everyone to display their work and show people that being Black is not a single, static thing. “Black people are not one monolith, we’re more of a spectrum of creativity and life and color and thoughts and ideas.”

Naturallyme The Price is Right By Averial Evans: NaturallyMe is a student-run organization that focuses on the self care of individuals. The club held an event March 9 titled The Price is Right where attendees had a chance to win a variety of prizes through guessing games where participants had to estimate the cost of hair appliances, accessories and products. These prizes included hair products, brush sets, hair accessories and dryer sets. The purpose of the event was to help people find products that work best for them and their hair without having to go through the expensive process of trial and error. The Price is Right served as a tool to expose more people to the organization and to showcase that its not only for women and their self care, but for men as well. “I think that this event will help us target both genders along with everyone else who is not familiar with the org itself,” said Kodi Greenaway, treasurer of Naturally Me. “We hope that this event will bring more people to our meetings, more people to other events and build a bigger NaturallyMe community.”

Sawhney LEadership Fellows

By Emily DiSalvo: The new Sawhney Leadership Program at Quinnipiac will help underrepresented students thrive in corporate spaces, and Donald Sawyer, vice president for equity, inclusion, and leadership development, said it’s off to a great start. “We have some students who are seniors, so some of the information is rather immediate,” Sawyer said. “Understanding how to approach the job interview, the 30-second commercial when you are doing your introduction.” Sawyer said the intention of the various seminars and learning experiences associated with the fellowship is to “demystify” the corporate world for students who are typically locked out of the field by centuries of systemic racism. The program is named after the son of a late Quinnipiac professor whose is now working at Blackstone Group Inc. Professors and other campus leaders nominated the inaugural cohort of fellows based on campus involvement, but the next group will be selected through a new formal selection process. The bi-weekly seminars help the fellows get to know themselves better – assessing their strengths, their leadership styles and ultimately how to network in the corporate world. Members will eventually visit corporate offices and jobs to get a sense of the space. “It may be some things that seem basic, but not everyone has access to that information,” Sawyer said.

Latino Cultural Society Paint N' Sip By Averial Evans: The Latino Cultural Society is a culturally based student-run organization that is focused on supporting students who identify as Latinx or Latino in the Quinnipiac community while being open to any student to join. They provide a space for Latino and Latinx students to be seen and surrounded by people with shared experiences. LCS held a Paint N’ Sip event on April 4, where attendees were able sip on non-alcoholic rosé and paint a woman of their choice that was highlighted by the club and seven other student-run multicultural organizations. Each club chose a woman of their culture that they felt should be spotlighted for their accomplishments. LCS chose to highlight Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina supreme court justice. The Black Student Union selected Angela Davis, the International Student Association nominated Malala Yousafzai and the Indigneous Student Union picked Gladys Tantaquidgeon, to name a few. The importance of this Paint N’ Sip was to broaden people's scope of women's history. “The event is geared towards representation of women of all backgrounds,” said Emily Diaz, public relations chair for LCS. “I think that through that, different students and students of color, can see themselves represented in this excellence — in this accomplishment and possibility for themselves throughout the women that have been highlighted within this event.”

Black Law Students AsSociation Thurgood Marshall Awards

By Emily DiSalvo: President of Quinnipiac’s Black Law Students Association Djess Jacques said that Black students are underrepresented at Quinnipiac School of Law and that the purpose of the organization is to assist students in this field. “We want to help Black and minority law students excel professionally and academically,” Jacques said. The BLSA continued helping students with its 33rd annual Thurgood Marshall Awards to honor two legal professionals that embody a commitment to civil rights and community service. The event, which took place on March 29, is the association's flagship. This year’s honorees were Georgia Attorney C.K. Hoffler and Johnnie Booker, retired diversity executive. The backdrop for this event was the ongoing Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who like the honorees, is a Black woman in the legal community. “If ever anyone listening to this had some confusion about whether racism or gender bias exists in the country or the world, all you have to do is replay the confirmation hearings last week of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson,” Hoffler said. “It was more to me a shameful disgraceful display of racial animus, micro or macroaggressions of race and gender issues and an attempt to discredit one of the most eminently qualified jurists in this country.” The Thurgood Marshall Award for civil rights has been given to leaders like Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION Selcouth

By Ashley Pelletier: The second-annual Selcouth, held by the International Student Association, is an arts-based competition designed to amplify the voices of its participants. “The overarching theme of Selcouth is experience, but most importantly, emotions and other feelings exclusive to said experiences,” said Hephzibah Rajan, the director of diversity and inclusion for the ISA. “International voices amongst all allies and art lovers are welcome to participate in the event to share their work.” Selcouth accepts a number of mediums for judging, including poetry, art, photography and essays. Rajan hopes that participants would take pride in their submissions regardless of their place in the competition. “I hope that participants can look back at their work and feel proud that they shared it with a lot of people,” Rajan said. “While there's only one winner, everyone should feel happy about competing because the talent is often really good and the competition is high. Additionally, I hope that the audience learns something from each person's culture and experience.”

Minority association of pre-medical students BIPOC Mental Health Awareness & Socialization By Chatwan Mongkol: With the goal of creating awareness around mental health issues, the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students teamed up with Quinnipiac’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness to host a Jeopardy-styled game, featuring fun, cultural questions. The focus of the event revolved around the BIPOC community. “I think it’s important because I don’t think it’s talked enough about,” said Haizhu Jewel Hu, president of MAPS, asserting that students mostly learn the scientific side of mental health in psychology classes but not through individual experiences. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that 1 in 5 Americans will experience mental illness in a given year while more than 50% will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their lifetime. While white people experience the same level of mental illnesses as those who are not, people of color face more obstacles when it comes to accessing help. The clubs provided event-goers with resources. Jennifer Martinez, vice president of NAMI, said she wanted attendees to understand how challenging it is for a person of color to struggle with mental health problems in a predominantly white institution like Quinnipiac. “We try to give people the support systems to feel like they're not alone and they don't have to suffer alone (and) that there are people here to help them if they need help,” Martinez said.

Brianna Millor Boston’s youngest cabinet head and a protector of Black joy prefers the attention not to be on her By Toyloy Brown III

Leaders tend to stand out. They command the room and demand everyone’s attention. It’s not surprising for some to even bask in the glory they’re given. Quinnipiac alumna Brianna Millor, 27, possesses these qualities. She can easily enjoy the adulation that comes with being the youngest cabinet head in Boston’s mayoral office. But she doesn’t. She despises being the center of attention. The mere thought makes the self-proclaimed introvert squirm. Proof of Brianna’s evasion of the limelight is a few bewildered looks from her staff who watched journalists walk into her office to interview and photograph her. By her own admission, she has turned down multiple story requests from publications in the city, including the Boston Globe. “I've never been the person in the spotlight, and it does bother me because I'm like, ‘I rather have this community member (shine),’” Brianna said. “I always seen myself as the support or the amplifier for things that are happening … there's so many people that are on the ground doing that work, and I just see myself as a vessel for that.” Brianna is the chief of community engagement for Michele Wu, the city’s first woman and Asian American mayor. Brianna, a Dorchester native, was appointed Jan. 3, and Enrique Pepen, director of the Office of Neighborhood Services, said that the wunderkind’s success is a testament to her talents.

“I think that speaks to what she's capable of,” Pepen said. “Where she could bring that leadership to the table without her having a long-lived experience where that hasn’t been the common trend of the city of Boston. I think she's breaking many barriers at the moment, as we speak.” The Office of Community Engagement can be viewed as the front-line of city hall. As chief, Brianna oversees the Office of Neighborhood Services and monitors all staff liaisons that are assigned to specific neighborhoods and cultural communities. She ensures that her team is responsive to the physical and cultural needs of the city. Pepen explained how he has noticed Brianna’s ability to empower everyone, inside and outside her office. “Whenever there's a chance for one of the neighborhood liaisons to speak with the mayor or herself, she gives them the floor to do so,” Pepen said. “She's always elevating other voices, doesn't matter if you're working for the city, if you're a community activist, if you are a member of a civic group.” While Brianna knows how to highlight people when progress is made, she is just as adept at responding to emergencies, going beyond what is required of her job responsibilities. This was exemplified on April 4, when a heavy fire in a triple-decker building in Dorchester displaced nearly 20 people and left two firefighters with minor burns. Part of her department’s job is to respond to fires and assist those affected. Brianna’s duties do not force her to be present at the scene, but she was anyway.

“‘She says, ‘I got to go, I'm going to go to this, to ensure that the families are taken care of,’” Pepen said. “She doesn't have to attend. But she noticed the gravity of this one, and she put everything down and she just went. And she had the firsthand experience of what these families were going through, and I think that's just one of many instances where I've seen her leadership come out.” The genuine desire Brianna has to show up for people in her city when they are in need is rooted in her upbringing. It goes back to the days when her mom, who is from Haiti, was a steady rock of love and support for family and friends. “I've seen my mother be that for so many people and I've always wanted to be the person, the connector,” Brianna said. “My house was always a house every cousin came to, every friend came to and my mother was the person that every person talked to and was like ‘I need this advice.’” At an early age, Brianna knew she wanted to help people in need. She chose the realm of politics as she saw it as a “vehicle for change,” although she is not a politician herself. Becoming an advocate for others wasn’t only a seed planted at home, but also through her early years in schooling. Brianna was a student in the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity program. It allowed her parents to have her bussed from the mostly Black neighborhood of Dorchester to the predominately white Brookline school district since she was in the second grade. While the schools she attended offered some academic benefits,

she was one of a small number of students of color and experienced some discomfort from being outnumbered in a space. She understood that she wanted to play a role in helping others and improving conditions for people who didn’t fit in with the majority like her. To follow her passions, she thought attending a college in Washington D.C., the mecca of politics, was what she wanted. Instead, in 2012, she chose to be a political science major at Quinnipiac because of the picturesque campus and the school being the right size. Feeling like just a number wasn’t in her plans. She picked Quinnipiac since she wanted an “opportunity to make an impact.” It also helped that she received a helpful financial-aid package, she chuckled. Brianna’s time at Quinnipiac academically and socially prepared her for her career. When she was in the master’s program for public relations, she learned how to analyze and synthesize heavy amounts of information and clearly communicate it to different groups. In the untraditional sense, Brianna was prepared through the social situations that she encountered while at a predominantly white university. Even though she found pockets of community at the university, she felt she was not always safe as a Black woman. The U.S. elected Donald Trump as president when Brianna was a student in 2016. She was not in favor of him being voted for a myriad of reasons but noticed how brazenly others on campus expressed their excitement. When leaving the Rocky Top

Student Center on the York Hill campus, she recalled witnessing students shrieking with happiness. “There's people that are celebrating this victory and I'm petrified,” Brianna said. “Can I feel safe in this environment knowing that there's so much hate that's being spewed around, so much negativity and so much racism … It's just like, ‘Wow, this is really where I'm at.’” This distinct experience was a sort of wake-up call, making her consider if it is possible to fully know if a predominately white space can be safe, especially as a Black woman that advocates for marginalized people. This moment also hardened Brianna’s resolve to enter the political world so she can understand how to “undo what has been done,” righting the wrongs that exist in the laws of this country and in her home city of Boston. During Brianna’s graduate student year, she interned for then-council president Wu and went on to work for her for three years. Brianna did constituent service support, neighborhood and community organizing for Wu’s city council office along with other tasks. One of Brianna’s skills that have helped her excel in this field is her ability to evaluate people for the right positions. “She's looking for an individual that has lived experiences with whatever role she wants to fill. You can see it in the liaisons

that she's hired,” Pepen said. “Obviously, she looks at people’s resumes and everything, but she wants to see if she can vibe with them. She wants to sense their vibe, make sure that they're good for the role spiritually and mentally,” Brianna’s own spiritual and mental well-being is also significant. It is not lost on her that her experience as a Black woman is comprised of different challenges that many in the U.S. cannot fully understand. While seemingly antithetical, this is part of why one of her biggest areas of growth has been to prioritize happiness.

“I used to take life very seriously,” Brianna said. “I joke a lot more now because these problems and wanting to attack the big issues could get very dense.” Indulging in happiness is not a prerogative simply for her. It is apropos that she also strives for the bliss of others. “I have a pin on my table that says ‘protect Black Joy,’” Brianna said. “Where I keep my happiness is from protecting that and it's an intentional action … As a Black person, you can't just go through life and expect people to not try to take that joy away. But that's your only form of power and resistance is keeping and protecting that joy.”

As a Black person, you can't just go through life and expect people to not try to take that joy away. But that's your only form of power and resistance is keeping and protecting that joy.”

Roundtable Discussion Evan Chen Evan is a sophomore health science major and a biology minor on the pre-physician assistant track. He is the secretary of the Asian Student Alliance and is an EMT at QU EMS. He also is the organization’s historian.

Hallye Boughner

Hallye is a first-year nursing major. She is an office assistant for multicultural education in the Department of Cultural and Global Engagement at Quinnipiac. She is also a general member of the Black Student Union and the Quinnipiac Student Nurses Association.

Tyrese Williams

Genesis Paulino

Tyrese is a senior criminal justice major and is a player on the men’s basketball team. He interned with the Department of Cultural and Global Engagement, gathering information on campus regarding equity and inclusion.

Genesis is a sophomore sociology major and a women’s and gender studies minor. She is the secretary of the Latino Cultural Society and the programming chair for NaturallyMe.

Hallye: Definitely. The nursing program was one of the main

reasons I came here. I come from New York so coming from a diverse background and being multi-racial as well, it was definitely an adjustment. That's why I decided to join the first-year immersion program. It was preparation for me to come here, so I wasn't completely blindsided. At the same time, as much preparation you're gonna get, you’re not going to be fully prepared to be in an environment that’s completely different to you.

Evan: I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood, so from

a young age, my parents always told me ‘you're different than everyone else.’ In terms of coming to Quinnipiac, since I was so used to being surrounded by white people at a young age, I kind of got used to that and my parents told me before going to college they were like, OK, you're going to a larger school, there's gonna be more white people and so your life has prepared you for this.’

Q: How has living on campus as a student of color affected you?

Genesis: I think looking for people to room with has been the

Christiaan McCray

Q: Why did you choose Quinnipiac and did you have any hesitation coming to a predominantly white institution?

Christiaan is a junior journalism major. He is also a staff writer at The Quinnipiac Chronicle. In this roundtable, he acted as the facilitator and a participant in the discussion.

hardest thing. My roommate and I, we literally scavenge through all social media and the Facebook group page like ‘maybe she is a woman of color to recruit.’ Because I think it’s just easier rooming with people of color. Even though we're very different amongst the multicultural community, I think something that we have similar is this idea of collectivism, of if I succeed then we all succeed.

Christiaan: Freshman year I lived in Ledges, and I was the only

Black person on the floor and everybody else was white. At first, it definitely stopped me and it was definitely hard to be in that scenario because everybody looked at me as that one Black dude and you can constantly hear the microaggressions around there.

Editor’s note: Some of the panelists' answers have been condensed for clarity. Q: Have you ever experienced any instances of racism, microaggressions or bias at Quinnipiac, and if so can you detail it?

Q: Do you think the school can prevent all racist or biased incidents from happening? If so, how?

Genesis: This one time the security guard, I was showing my ID,

trol. Us being at Quinnipiac, why can't we take a stand and change something?

I had my permit on my dashboard and he stopped me. And he goes, ‘who are you, where are you going?’ I was like, ‘I'm a student here’ and before I could even finish he’s like, ‘But what are you doing here, you can't park here.’ He looked at my Qcard for the first time even though I had it in my hand and he was like, ‘Oh, OK, it was just a misunderstanding’ and then, let me go.

Tyrese: Up on York Hill they towed one of my Black teammate’s

cars repeatedly. It was probably happening the first semester, they towed it like four times. So we kept asking certain security guards. ‘Why are you guys towing the car?’ They said it was the same white security guard. He went up to him and asked him and he couldn't give him a reason why he was towing his car. So that just goes to show you, honestly on this campus, they'll do anything that they want on this campus just to show that they have a little bit of power and that's what I feel.

Hallye: There’s nothing right now that comes to mind, but to kind

of speak on the dorm thing, I feel like because I’m in a suite with seven white girls, I definitely ventured out and I've created my own safe space, which I feel like that's why I haven't experienced microaggressions as much because I go to the multicultural suite and create my own safe space among my people.

Tyrese: I feel like you can only control what you can actually conHallye: They need to uphold more diversity here on campus and inclusivity. Personally, I'm passionate about multicultural issues, while exploring equity and inclusion concepts. That’s why I work for the Department of Cultural and Global Engagement. They have to promote those diverse values here on campus, I think that's their responsibility as a university.

Evan: I think there's just a lack of transparency between administration and students. If they're gonna say they're going to make changes, then tell us about it.

Q: What changes would you like to see made?

Tyrese: One of the big things, when I was working my internship

with Professor Don Sawyer, was he's trying to get a barbershop on campus, which I think would be amazing. But also if you would be able to figure out a way to get a salon on campus that would be super dope too. I think the conversations that we have in those establishments really shape how we think.

Genesis: I think that with this new recreational center being built, I think that we should have a bigger space. I think that there should be multiple suites designated to people of color.

Day in the life

Gabriella Colello

The future Ph.D. who once thought she was incapable of getting a college degree

Gabriella Collelo sobbed in her white Volkswagen in a University of Connecticut parking garage in December 2018. She just dropped out of college after three semesters.

By Toyloy Brown III She was a commuter student at UConn’s Hartford campus and needed to be close to home to assist her mom who learned she was going to have an 18-hour brain surgery during Garbiella’s freshman year. The anxiety that sprouted from this discovery along with other traumas contributed to Gabriella’s mental and emotional well-being deteriorating. She partied excessively to numb her heartache and worked full-time as a line cook in a Wallingford restaurant to relieve some of the financial strain in her household.

“I'm going to fail again, there's no way,” Gabriella thought. She was wrong. “I finished summer semester with all A's, and I remember being fucking terrified that I was going to drop the ball or disappoint myself again. But then I didn’t and I just kept doing really, really good.”

Gabriella left UConn with a 1.8 GPA

In August 2019, she graduated with a 3.7 GPA and an associate of science in paralegal studies. Gabriella planned to find a job immediately.

The tears that rolled down her cheeks that day in December embodied her hopelessness.

Yet, she didn’t because of Kathy Taylor, a professor at her community college.

“I didn't think I was capable of getting a college degree,” Gabriella said. “I was so terrified of what I was going to do with my life. I had student loan debt, and I had no idea what to do. I just remember feeling so disappointed in myself and like I was worthless or that I was stupid, and that I had let everybody down.”

“She is the only reason I'm in college today,” Gabriella said. “She sat me down, and she was like, ‘you're not joining the workforce, you're going to finish your bachelor's degree.’ So she helped me fill out my college application, she even paid for some of them. She was this huge support in my life.”

Gabriella enrolled in Naugatuck Valley Community College in June 2019 after leaving UConn, and her goal was to get an associate’s degree, so she could become a paralegal. She still expected the worst to happen.

Taylor is Gabriella’s mentor and the first Black attorney she met. She encouraged Gabriella to continue her education because she knew there was a bright future ahead of the recent graduate.

“I immediately just saw how intelligent Gabriella was, how inquisitive she was,” Taylor said. “She just exemplified what we say about lifelong learning. I can see … the potential and see her ability to add her unique voice to scholarship.” After community college, Gabriella enrolled at Quinnipiac in August 2020. She’s a senior political science major with a 4.0 GPA and is the president of the Indigenous Student Union.

“I don't think I could go through my education and not try to improve the situation for people coming up behind me,” she said. Once Gabriella, 23, graduates from Quinnipiac in May, she will attend the University of California, Irvine for her Ph.D. in political science. She wants to become a professor with a focus on decolonial perspectives of Indigenous people from Oceania and how ideologies like white supremacy crush ideas from those native to the region.

Just as important, she wants to be a professor that supports students. "If it wasn't for these educators in my life, I would not be here,” Gabriella said. “I know how much it helped me to have a person like that. So if I could be that person for somebody else one day, then I think that I would have accomplished my goal in life.”

She initially believed she wanted to specialize in American politics, but decolonization piqued her interest more. Her desire to be educated in this sector also coincided with her Pacific Islander background. Her mom is African American and Tahitian, which is French Polynesia, and her dad is Italian. While Gabriella grew up in a household where she practiced her Pacific Island culture, she never engaged in Oceanic history in school. She lived in a predominately white neighborhood where she felt ostracized because of her background and appearance. When she enrolled in a new school for 6th grade, classmates called her "Mexican Gabby." In high school, people described her as "exotic" since she is biracial and has a Pacific Island background. Many assumed the latter meant she was Hawaiian. Gabriella is an avid dancer, which unfortunately for her, is another way people have showcased their shallowness. She’s danced Hula and Ori Tahiti professionally since she was 12, making appearances from birthday parties to BravoTV. But as Gabriella matured, she realized that the way she views her culture’s dances is different from how others perceived it. “I remember showing up (to dance) and people thinking that I was a sex worker … or just men making lewd comments at me,” Gabriella said. “Something that I saw (as) cultural and sacred, and something that I wanted to share had turned into something commodified and sexualized.” Whether perceiving her culture’s dancing as crude or making blatant assumptions that all Pacific Islanders are Hawaiian, the ignorance of too many has driven Gabriella toward trying to fix that problem through education. At Quinnipiac, she made a mock syllabus for the potential implementation of a Pacific Island studies class, and outside of school, she worked on the early stages of a bill to add Pacific Island studies in Connecticut schools.

Emily Diaz The trilingual sophomore helping future lawyers and Nicaraguan students By Ashley Pelletier When Emily Diaz, 19, wakes up in the morning, she has a long day ahead of her. First, Emily goes to her classes. She is a political science major with a minor in women and gender studies. While many choose to go into political science to pursue a career in government or activism, Emily isn’t sure which direction she wants to go in. However, she said that political science keeps her informed on the biggest issues of the day. “Picking poli-sci was about educating myself on the things that I find important in order to be able to have the proper background, when speaking about government and all the things I find important,” Emily said. “It comes with a lot of controversial conversations when we're talking about abortion, critical race theory … I feel like I can't have a conversation about it if I have no idea what I'm talking about.” Gabriella Colello, a senior political science major and president of the Indigenous Student Union, worked as a peer catalyst in Emily’s political theory course in Fall 2021. Immediately, she noticed Emily asking intelligent questions and showing passion for her work. “I just remembered being really blown away by a lot of her work and seeing some similarities in her experience as a woman of color to some of my experiences,” Colello said. Along with her classes, Emily works two jobs at Quinnipiac: one as a translator and the other as a receptionist at the Edward and Barbara Netter Library on the North Haven campus. As a trilingual person, speaking English, Spanish and French, Emily acts as a go-between for law students and their clients. “These people are struggling to understand what lawyers and the legal students, the interns are explaining because they don't speak very good English,” Emily said. “I have the chance to come in and help them understand things a little bit better and create that bridge so that they receive the proper aid that they deserve.”

She got her job at the library through a connection with the Latino Cultural Society, for which Emily is the public relations chair. This led her to wanting to provide the same support she received to others in the community. “It worked out amazing because I love my job,” Emily said. “I love to be a peer leader for students and give them opportunities and support them.” Emily’s second job also relies on her knowledge of both Spanish and English. She tutors children from Nicaragua once or twice per week through Quinnipiac’s language exchange program. “It's kind of nice to be able to take my abilities and work with someone else and hopefully better their English,” Emily said. “I love to dive into new languages and giving another person that opportunity is really important as someone within the Latino community, who has family members who don't speak fluent English and have thick accents. A lot of times, we are ridiculed and mocked for not speaking proper English and so when I see students who are learning how to speak English, I think that it's important (that) I have the time to devote this time to them.” If she has a free moment between her classes and her two jobs, Emily spends her time with friends and fellow LCS members in the Multicultural Suite in the Carl Hansen Student Center.

“I found it important to see other people like me so LCS is an outlet for me to relate to other people,” Emily said. “I get to talk about my culture, talk about food, talk about things our parents do, meet people from the same background, other Costa Ricans or Ecuadorians and then joke about all these things that we do. It's really nice. We can relate, laugh and lean on each other in ways that I can't do with other people.” Attending a predominantly white institution is not something Emily is unfamiliar with. Despite living in a racially diverse New York community, her high school had mostly white students. However, she still finds herself uncomfortable at Quinnipiac with the environment that oblivious professors can create in the classroom, especially for students of color. “Professors aren't there to support the students of color in the classroom, to defend them and be on the other side or speak out for them," Emily said. "Students have to do that for themselves and oftentimes it's uncomfortable." Emily cares about creating an equitable environment for students of color at Quinnipiac, inside the classroom and out, and that shows. Colello, while initially working with Emily in an academic setting, bonded with her over activism outside of academia.

"Her passion for what she does is just so evident,” Colello said. “That’s one thing I really respect about her. At the same time, when you’re dealing with such heavy issues such as inequity on campus, she still remains light-hearted and positive and optimistic and doesn’t let those things get her down.” While Emily brings positivity to the table of on-campus activism, she acknowledges that it is added weight to an already stressful time for her and other non-white students’ lives. “It's a lot of pressure and the pressure comes on us, because if we don't say it, then who will,” Emily said. All of the passion that Emily has put into speaking out about inequity on campus is apparent to those who see her and how she interacts with the community. Colello said that she sees Emily pushing herself further in her remaining two years at Quinnipiac. “I know that she’s going to be making huge changes,” Colello said. “I can see her moving up in the ranks of the Latino Cultural Society … I also see her becoming a role model for younger students, especially women of color on campus as someone who remains steadfast.”

Fashion

Daytime

My philosophy that guides my fashion is simplicity. Sticking to simple things like colors such as black, green, and earth tones add a cohesive look with different pieces. When wearing those colors, you can go dramatic with the accessories such as jackets, or sneakers. But my philosophy is simple is more.” - Jalil Coverdale

Nightlife Fashion

Expressing myself through fashion is important to me because fashion can make us feel empowered and more in touch with our inner selves. Expressing myself through fashion makes me feel more confident.” - Rose Jean Louis

Greek Life

Alpha Kappa Alpha

By Chatwan Mongkol: Growing unity while improving social status among college women is what the Xi Omicron Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. thrives for. The chapter’s six members are heading toward this goal through five main activities – honoring arts, bringing awareness to HBCUs, advocating for women’s health and wellness, promoting Black-owned businesses and creating global impact. “We recently had a program at Quinnipiac, actually it was like two weeks ago, where we did a cash envelope on programming as far as budgeting and improving financial literacy,” said Janae Vanburch, president of the Xi Omicron Chapter of AKA and University of New Haven senior.

The service sorority was founded by nine Black students in 1908 at Howard University. The local chapter was incorporated in 1984 consisting

of women from Quinnipiac, UNH, Yale University, Albertus Magnus College and Southern Connecticut State University. “I have some sorority sisters that are STEM majors and I'm a political science major, so I think it's having a vastly different group of women that are skilled in different things coming together,” Vanburch said in regards to what’s unique about the sorority. Gillian Scott is one of the active members from Quinnipiac. The senior physical therapy major said joining the sorority has helped her feel more at home at a predominantly white institution. “The values of Alpha Kappa Alpha are ones I have always strived to build in myself,” Scott said. “I sought to join this organization in order to develop friendships and lifelong bonds with women who also uphold these values.”

CHI UPSILON SIGMA By Ashley Pelletier: Almost 42 years after Corazones Unidos Siempre Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Inc. was first chartered, its legacy continues at Quinnipiac University. Isabella Diaz, a graduate student and member of Chi Upsilon Sigma, said that the sorority is a testament to the work that the first sisters put in to support the Latino community. Women were only just beginning to be accepted into Rutgers University when the sorority was first chartered in 1980. “Our founding mothers saw that there was a need for support of Latino students, women specifically, because they were pretty new to higher education,” Diaz said. The current sisters of Chi Upsilon Sigma find inspiration in their predecessors, taking the values they emphasized and first applying them at Quinnipiac in 2013.

“Giving women a chance to find a home away from home and also build connections with other organizations and people from different cultures,” Diaz said. “That’s the kind of ideals that we were founded on and why our founding chapter sisters here at Quinnipiac decided to bring the organization to campus.”

ZETA PHI BETA By Ashley Pelletier: On March 24, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. celebrated its first anniversary of being chartered at Quinnipiac University. “Doing this for a year feels really good,” said Alexia Huertelou, Zeta Phi Beta president. “Being able to celebrate all we’ve accomplished within our organization … is just great.” The historically African American sorority’s roots go back to Jan. 16, when it was founded in 1920 by five women at Howard University. When it was first chartered at Quinnipiac about a century later, it started with its own five members and the group set out to improve Quinnipiac’s diversity. “I think it’s a big accomplishment because being able to charter during a pandemic is something that is really big and being able to charter on a PWI campus is rewarding and something that we’re proud of,” Huertelou said. With two of the original five graduating in 2021, it was up to Huertelou to initiate traditions and events for Zeta Phi Beta. The three main events included a karaoke night, a feminine hygiene product drive and a philanthropy volleyball game. “It wasn’t easy,” Huertelou said. “Making a better place, making it more diverse, more open. We’re able to partner and work with other organizations and we’re doing great work.”

Faculty & Students

To see the future We must be not afraid To stare into the whims of destiny and fate To envision our paths that we alone create The life we breath molded into shape An original form that is often imitated With a style and grace that could never be replicated

This ... is the QUlture - Ja'Sean Johnson-Henry