What’s the mission of the Center for Student Diversity?

The purpose of the CSD is to provide support, advocacy and programming for underrepresented and marginalized students while also creating space for the entire campus community to learn about differences and feel a sense of connection and belonging to the campus community.

Why is student diversity important in general?

It’s important to celebrate who we are as individuals and within our respective communities, but we also want to share that with each other. I think it fosters learning and growth. Once we leave this bubble, we won’t be in spaces where it’s just people who think like us, who look like us, who talk like us or who share similar beliefs, backgrounds or experiences. The CSD is a space for you to unpack some of the beliefs or thought processes that you had growing up. Through programs and initiatives, we create opportunities to learn about other cultures and other identities in a safe and communal way. This will enable folks to contribute meaningfully to a society that values us all.

You’ve been at TU in various roles for seven years. How have you seen the university grow over that time?

When I first got to TU I served as the assistant director of leadership in the Office of Student Activities. Shortly thereafter I transitioned into the associate director role in the CSD where I worked primarily with our Black students on campus. We have seen a shift in the demographics of our student body. We are now a majority-minority institution, which aligns with Baltimore as well as the state. Because of this, TU is attracting a diverse faculty and staff demographic as well. Special shout out to the Black Faculty and Staff Association for creating a community on campus for so many of us.

In your LinkedIn profile, you describe yourself as a “mentor, thought partner, community builder.” You mention “centering identity, culture, and connection is my jam.” What do you mean by that?

My spirit speaks from a place of vulnerability and transparency. I am extremely open with students. Boundaries are set in place, of course, but I want students to see themselves in me because I was them at one point in time. I’ve made connections with students, faculty and staff across the university on a personal level. I feel like if I can make that personal connection with you, then that makes our professional relationship that much easier. I get it from my paternal grandfather. They say that he never met a stranger. I will talk to anybody as long as they will listen. And so I lean into that when I want to make connections, particularly with our students of color.

You’re a first-generation college student. What did that mean to you and how do you think that changed the trajectory of your life?

I was a part the Young Scholars Program at Ohio State. It was a program for underrepresented students in nine major cities in Ohio. You start in sixth grade. Every summer, you would take college courses on campus for two weeks. You would engage in the co-curricular aspects of college life. Once you got to your senior year of high school, if you maintained a certain GPA, you got a full ride, tuition and room and board.

I was not as involved as an undergraduate as I was in high school or even at the graduate level. Especially working on a college campus now and knowing all the things that I could have engaged in. But I didn’t have someone to say, “Hey, Keiwana, you should join this student organization” or “You should be a part of this group” or “You should study abroad because all of these are going to contribute to your success once you leave this space.”

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How has the Center for Student Diversity’s mission been impacted by our current political climate?

We have recently updated our mission. We wanted to make sure that we were aligning with the president’s priorities. The one most connected to us is creating that sense of belonging for students.

I recall being in a space on campus of primarily white male students. I asked one of the students if he saw himself in CSD programs, and he just shrugged his shoulders. For a lot of people, when they hear “diversity,” they only consider a black-white binary. We want to make sure that we are dispelling that myth. It’s not just about race and ethnicity. It’s about religion. It’s about culture. It’s about thought. It’s about ability. It’s about sexual orientation, sexual expression. And so how can we make sure that we are honoring those identities, but also making space for people to be curious?

What we decided to do was to focus on storytelling. That is the best way for us to amplify diversity. In a time and space where our stories are being erased, we wanted to make sure that we were amplifying those stories, that we were collecting those stories, sharing those stories, and even archiving those stories.

So rather than doing individual programming for each of our populations, we really focused on things we could do together. We implemented programs that included all the populations that we work with. One is called “A Taste of Heritage,” and every spring semester it will focus on a different aspect of culture and identity. This year, we focused on food because food connects us all, right? So we brought our communities together, and we told stories about our traditions surrounding food. Next spring we will highlight the significance of music in various cultures. This year, we are also combining our cultural graduation celebrations into a collective mosaic celebration. We plan to incorporate different aspects of each of our identities and cultures into a shared communal space.

You earned your undergraduate degree from Ohio State and your doctorate from Penn State. Who do you root for when they play each other in football?  

I’m a Buckeye, 1,000%. You don’t even need to finish the question.