By Sylvia Rodriguez, Amanda Gebre, and Gabriela Gaytan-Aguirre
Gaby: From the start, we all put forth skills we deemed necessary to navigate the journey we set
ourselves on. In gaining the funding from BLI, it allowed us to curate events to cater to
broadening student experiences and perspectives. Through our experience in creating events
centered around creating connections, as a team of three, we have all led and learned the
necessary skills involved in doing so. For me, that looked like event planning, including
materials, budget, and activities, as well as collaborating with our team to ask for their input and
working with them on these projects. In planning for our initiative, we began small, with an
event called “Intercultural Speed-Friending.” We looked to establish an audience for our future
events, as well as a platform to build off of with feedback or even returning participants. Our first
event proved to be successful, but we did have our hiccups. We were afraid that the lack of
advertising would prove our event to be a failure, prompting us to expect a challenge of lack of
attendance. In response, we all personally advertised our event and made an effort to be seen,
through friends, social media, and other platforms for students. In the end, the event was
successful, with participants even asking for the next date of our following event. As we planned
for our second event, we planned for it to be large with lots of performances and food. At first, it
seemed feasible based on the amount of support we received. As we began the planning process,
we were again and again met with barriers that really unmotivated us and our plans, but through
reflection as a team, we went forth and decided to go on as planned. Though our second event
wasn’t as successful as we wanted, it allowed us all to see who truly mattered at the end of the
day, being the participants or the experiences created through what turned into an intimate
experience filled with food, friends, and kind music. From the beginning, we felt challenged, but
as a team, we learned to adapt, allowing all our skills to shine through despite setbacks.
Amanda:
In university life, forging connections across campus is not just a goal but a necessity. The B.L.I
Grant transformed our vision of this into reality. The grant provided more than just financial
support; it offered validation and encouragement for our events. With this backing, we planned
our first event, Intercultural Speed Friending, with the concept to break down barriers and make
genuine connections one-on-one.
In crafting this inaugural event, we seamlessly integrated several B.L.I Habits as the backbone of
our approach. We began by embracing “Collect, Combine, Create,” where we gathered, asked,
and pulled from many people and sources to craft ideas that responded to creating an
environment that celebrated one another. With this, we recognized leadership is collaborative, so
we also embraced the habit of “Expect Challenges.” We were met with a load of challenges but
with that habit in mind, we were already able to persevere by making backup plans, reframing
our goals, and ensuring we stayed accountable for ourselves.
Through the trial and success of the first event, we turned our focus to our next event, Unity in
Diversity. We aimed at celebrating cultural expression on our campus. From securing a venue to
collaborating with various student organizations, the grant provided the necessary support for our
team and others to participate without limits. Reflecting on our journey, it’s clear that the grant
was instrumental in shaping the success of both events from start to finish. By providing
financial support, validation, and resources, it empowered us to create inclusive spaces where
students from all backgrounds could come together, learn from one another, and celebrate
diversity.
The B.L.I Grant not only funded our initiatives but also served as a testament to the importance
of promoting intercultural understanding and unity within our campus community. As we look
into the future, we are very grateful for the support of the Barger Leadership Institute in investing
in students’ ideas and maintaining our campus environment through it.
Sylvia:
Our idea, initially aimed at connecting different students across different communities, evolved
through different names over time. Eventually, when we got feedback from our peers in
Leadership Lab, we were able to take the idea and really hone in our efforts on what exactly we
wanted to achieve. We began reaching out to departments, personal connections, and student
representatives across different multicultural organizations on campus. Through engaging others
in the idea, we gained support, and also gained a huge partner from Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion through Housing. They were able to help us gain support from not only student
organizations, but also the multicultural councils on The Hill neighborhood. Their advocacy and
connections to us made an invaluable contribution to help us launch our events and assist others
in creating friendships across diverse cultural backgrounds. Our first event, Intercultural Speed
Friending, was a huge success, and we were able to engage students, faculty, and staff in our
initiative. For the second event, although we experienced some setbacks and last minute
decisions, we made sure to communicate both to those participating in the event, BLI, and those
students we already had signed up to ensure that we could properly postpone it for a week due to
some issues in ordering materials and food. Despite that, the event ended up being an intimate
experience for participants and we even had an alumni stop by and talk to us about how he was
impressed with what we had achieved. Out of this experience, I definitely learned a lot about
ordering, room booking, collaboration, and connecting across different cultural groups. I think
that this idea can be continued in the future if we keep on establishing a culture of working with
one another and being respectful towards each other’s leadership styles, and varying cultural
perspectives. I believe that having cultural humility is key to organizing and creating
intercultural interactions.
