action plan: latina students on a predominantly white christian...

Action Plan: Latina Students on a Predominantly White Christian Campus

Kaley Lindquist

Azusa Pacific University

Mari Luna De La Rosa

Role of Diversity in Higher Education

Running Head: Action Plan! Lindquist 1

Action Plan: Latina Students

Research has proven that in order to be an effective advocate, one must investigate their

own awareness, knowledge, and skills in relation to the groups in which they desire to be an

advocate for. I decided to embark on a journey of self assessment to analyze my perceptions,

biases, and understandings of what life is like for Latina college students on predominantly white

Christian campuses. I wanted to understand a group that was different from me in ethnicity,

heritage, tradition, and experience. Through investigating the narratives of students in this

population and researching various events and literature, I developed a further understanding of

the group, knowledge of their experiences in higher education, and skills that I can use in order

to be an advocate for and work with these students in my current and future endeavors. The

experience really re-informed my reality. It deeply contributed to and reshaped my personal and

professional goals by pushing me to grow beyond what I have previously understood. The

experience widened my view of diversity and opened my eyes to what is going on throughout my

campus. It contributed to my professional development and growth by helping me realize the

needs and desires of Latina students on campus. I established three objectives in order to advance

my awareness, knowledge, and skills in order to better understand and advocate for Latina

college students on predominantly white Christian campuses.

First, in order to become more familiar with and understand the culture of Latina college

students on a Christian campus like Azusa Pacific University, I felt compelled to analyze my own

biases and assumptions of the population. I wanted to evaluate my awareness of this population.

Pope and Reynolds (1997) discuss this and assert that, “multicultural awareness consists of the

attitudes, beliefs, values, assumptions, and self-awareness necessary to serve students who are


culturally different from oneself” (Pope & Reynolds, p. 207). I felt that it was necessary to start

off with personal reflection and self assessment. I did this primarily through journaling and

keeping track of my thoughts and feelings throughout the first weeks of my experience. I looked

specifically at the population of Latina students at APU because that is where the majority of my

experience with college students and student affairs has been. As I began to understand my self

and my perceptions of Latina students, I started to watch cultural films and pop culture films that

depicted the cultural life of Latinas and their experiences. I attended church services on and off

campus so as to develop a greater awareness of the uniqueness of Latinas on Christian college

campuses. This was so valuable and important to the process because it gave me a foundation for

my further investigation.

As I moved forward, I wanted to develop a greater base of knowledge about Latina

students. I wanted to know what the research, literature, and demographic statistics had to offer

in understanding my role as an advocate. After I became more aware of my own understanding

of the culture and the experiences of Latina students on Christian campuses, I wanted to gain

increased knowledge as to the resources available for them on campuses, specifically APU. This

required investigation through meetings, interviews, books, articles, and resources such as

LASA. I was inspired to continue pursuing greater knowledge and establishing this as a personal

objective for this project after reading that “multicultural knowledge consists of the information

individuals have about various cultures. For the individuals who have inaccurate, incomplete, or

biased knowledge about various cultures, that information base must be corrected or completed

before multicultural development can proceed” (Pope & Reynolds, p.270). In order to achieve

my overall goal of becoming an effective advocate for Latinas, I needed to complete my


knowledge and reevaluate what I thought I already knew about this population.This step was

crucial in my journey because it helped me to feel connected to the group of students I was

looking at. It gave me depth to the experiences I heard about and added factual truth that they

were not alone in their narratives. It showed me the extent that Latinas are in need of advocates

and resources on campuses, and allowed me to realize my role in that.

My final objective was simply to be a better advocate by cultivating multicultural skills.

“Multicultural skills allow for effective and meaningful interaction such as seeking consultation

as necessary with people who differ from them culturally” (Pope & Reynolds, p. 270). Since I

had made efforts to truly be aware and knowledgeable about the journey of Latina students on

Azusa Pacific University’s campus, I wanted to be intentional about developing and pursuing

advanced multicultural skills in order to be more effective when working with Latina college

students in my current role as a graduate assistant and in the future as a student affairs

professional. I decided that this objective of skills was critical to my mission in becoming a

greater advocate because the skills I learned were invaluable in becoming capable of

understanding and fighting for the resources Latina students at APU need and want. In order to

develop skills I pursued relationships with multicultural mentors in order to keep myself

accountable and help to continue my development beyond what I could do on my own. The

communication and relationship with my mentor was a pivotal point in this experience that

helped me to feel safe and confident in what I was trying to pursue.

In order to complete my objective of gaining an awareness of the population of Latina

students on predominantly White Christian Campuses, I started by investing in the process of

personal reflection. This involved keeping a journal of my feelings, thoughts, hopes for the


experience, analysis of my perceptions and possible biases. I wanted to inventory my

experiences with the Latinas on campus. I thought about what my view of them was and how I

saw them fitting into the campus culture. I journaled and discussed with peers about my ideas

about what the Latina experience at APU might be liked. I tried to imagine what student’s

responses might be in order to prepare myself for interviews and discussions. I realized that I

never had given much thought to how other’s experiences might be different than my own, how

other’s might have seen the culture and mission of APU differently than I did as an

undergraduate student. I was surprised at how many friends came to mind as I thought about my

interaction with this population. Where at first I felt I was so far removed from the Latina culture

and experience, I saw that I was close to so many people who identified as Latina. I had gotten

glimpses of the experience, culture, and heritage of Latina students through roommates, friends,

classmates, church members without even acknowledging it.

I felt encouraged to continue in pursuing my objectives as I reflected through written

assessment, journaling, discussion, and prayer. I felt motivated and excited for the journey in

front of me. My reaction to this project began as anxiety and worry as to the amount of work and

vulnerability. However, as I continued to process and reflect, the anxiety turned to excitement

and the worry changed to interest. I felt honored to be reevalutating and reinforming my

experiences with new ones. I felt empowered to become an advocate and move past my old state

of mind. As I struggled through certain class discussions, I found myself going back to my

readings and reflections. I realized that I was scared to confront certain things in my heart, in my

experiences, in my surroundings. But as Reason (2005) states, “you cannot teach what you do


not understand” (Reason, p. 56). I had to confront certain things if I wanted to move forward and

be an effective student affairs professional and student advocate.

Now as I look back on my journal and reflections, the documentation of conversations,

and memories of my thought processes, I see how I slowly fell in love with the process of

discovery a culture different than my own and a heart of advocacy for all students. I believe that

this process was crucial for me to move forward, that I had to reflect “on [my] own racial justice

attitudes and actions... Student Affairs Professionals must complete this process if they are to

promote racial justice ally development in the students they serve” (Reason, p. 56). This is not a

project that stops here; “the development of multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills is a

continuing and unending process that requires learning and relearning” (Pope & Reynolds, p.

272). My first step towards multicultural competence was a journey of ups and downs that

benefitted my growth immensely. It definitely helped to enhance my “level of multicultural

sensitivity and skill” (Pope & Reynolds, p. 272).

My second activity that helped me to cultivate awareness of the Latina student experience

was watching films that depicted some cultural practices or experiences of young Latina women.

I chose two films that I felt not only reflected a Latina girl navigating her education and her

cultural captial, but also were modern and relative. The first film I watched was the 2002 film,

“Real Women Have Curves”, suggested by my mentor. This film was excellent in depicting the

real life tribulations of normal Latin women. I felt connected to Ana, the main character, a first

generation Mexican-American living in Los Angeles. She is experiencing some of the paradigms

that I was specifically looking at. Ana has graduated from high school and is on her way to

Columbia University. She has to navigate her traditional parents and their expectations of her


along with her ambitions for higher education. Her heritage is an integral part of who she is and

she learns to admire that part of herself and her family. However, she realizes that her personal

goal to attend college does not have to mean abandoning her past and her family. She has to

embrace her future and her identity as a Chicana.

I chose to watch a second film that was less focused on the actual Latina experience, but

still showed important ways that it played into someone’s everyday life. “Sisterhood of the

Traveling Pants” is a film based on the best selling book series by Anne Brashares. The narrator

and main character, Carmen, is a half White and half Puerto Rican teenager. While the story is

truly about Carmen and her group of lifelong friends, there is a focus on her struggle between the

two parts of her identity. Carmen’s father is White and he and her Puerto Rican mother separated

when she was young. Her father moved away to another state and she rarely sees him. Carmen is

going to spend the summer with him after her sophomore year in high school. She is excited to

connect with him and show him what she has learned. She offers to make Arroz con Pollo and

tries to speak to him in Spanish, revealing that her parents used to speak together in Spanish

when they didn’t want her to understand. However, to Carmen’s distress, her father has gotten

engaged to a woman she has never heard of and he lives with her and her two perfectly preppy

blonde son and daughter. Thrown off guard by this news, her father’s refusal to speak to her in

Spanish, and her new stepfamily’s distain for her “foreign” ways, Carmen melts down as she is

forced to face that her race and culture keep her excluded from being a part of her dad’s new life.

She is embarrassed of her curvy shape as she tries on bridesmaids dresses with her soon to be

stepsister, and is horrified when her stepmother asserts that she is worried Carmen won’t look


uniform in the wedding next to her own children. Carmen confronts her father and the feeling

that he has abandoned her and her mother for something she felt he deemed as better.

Something that I was surprised at, as I watched each of these movies, was that the main

characters, Ana and Carmen, were played by the same actress. America Ferrera is an American

born actress whose parents emigrated to the Unites States from Honduras. Although Ferrera is a

marvelous actress with critical acclaim, it made me question the number of Latina actresses in

pop culture today. She is also the star of the film “How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer.” I

realized that I don’t see many Latinas in starring roles of films that aren’t about the Latin culture

or experience. I began to research how many Latinas there are in Hollywood and what roles they

are playing. I came across a great website called Latina that explored where Latin actors are

being utilized and under utilized. It was really an interesting experience to realize how many

actresses look like me, and how little look like certain other populations. This realization really

shaped how I moved forward in this experience. It reminded me of my privilege and that not

everyone gets to see themselves in the media in the way that I can be almost guaranteed to find.

It contributed to my overall growth by allowing me to see the culture, experience, and reality of

not only the Latinas in the film but in everyday life.

My final activity under Objective 1 was to attend a Latin American Church service in

order to gain awareness as to the girls at Azusa Pacific’s spiritual life and church experiences. I

found an opportunity to attend Celebracion Latina in the “Auditorio Principal” at the Christ

Church of the Valley location in San Dimas. As I was thinking about attending this service, I was

really nervous, more so than I thought I would be. I was nervous for a lot of reasons, but I think

mostly because I didn’t know what to expect. I don’t speak Spanish very well even though I’ve


taken four years of Spanish language and writing throughout high school and college. I didn’t

know what the church culture would be like or how people would respond to a non-Spanish

speaker trying to participate in their community. I knew that everyone would be nice and

accepting, at least I had hoped that would be the case, but it’s always a little nerve-wracking

doing something new. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Although I attend church services in

the same building earlier in the morning on Sundays, it was a totally different feel. I didn’t know

what to expect at all. I felt uncomfortable going to a new place by myself, but I was pleasantly

surprised. I was surprised with myself by how much I could follow along, how much I could

understand, and how once I was settled how much I enjoyed the new experience. The service

started out going straight to scriptures from the bible. Everyone pulled out their bibles. In my

regular service on Sunday morning there is a lot of introduction into the sermon. There are

usually videos and stories and announcements. There are a lot of visuals and attention grabbers.

But at Celebracion Latina, the pastor went straight to read out of the word and began preaching

the message with little distraction. The people and the pastor were dressed nicer than in the

morning service, where many church goers (especially younger students) were dressed in jeans

and Tshirts or even sweats. There wasn’t as much reliance on technology (TVs and lights, and

sound. people were not reading the bible on their phones or taking notes on their Ipads, like my

home church encourages and even has apps for). It felt like an intimate conversation rather than a

traditional sermon like I am used to. There are more children and families in the large service

even though they offered separate services/locations for children and teenagers. I really

appreciated this experience and enjoyed seeing the differences between this service and my own.

This related to my experience with one of the students I interviewed. Amaris’s father is a

Pastor of a large Spanish speaking congregation in Fontana. She was talking about her large


church family and the kind of community that she is a part of at her home church. The church is

connected to lots of other Spanish speaking communities and churches all over the southwestern

United States. Amaris is an ambassador for her church and attends youth conferences that

connects Spanish speaking churches to each other and to Latin speakers, pastors, and references.

It is a collaboration of churches and people. They join together to discuss ways to get Hispanic

and latino youth involved in the Latin American church community and ministries. They

communities partner together to build bonds and cultural ties. They can relate to each other

because of their language, heritage, and experience. These two experiences with Celebracion

Latina and Amaris’ church reminded me of the privilege I have as a White American Christian.

So much of Christian traditions that are represented in our country and even at APU through

bible classes and chapel are reflective of White American Christianity. It really inspired some

true thought and reflection on what privilege I experience everyday and what it would be like for

someone whose heritage and religious traditions were slightly different or completely separate

from the American norm.

As I began to analyze my awareness, I felt more confident moving forward to developing

knowledge. I wanted to be competent in order to move on to developing skills. In order to

effectively complete Objective 2, I starting by reading two novels. I had researched online and

asked for suggestions from my multicultural mentor. I started off with House on Mango Street by

Sandra Cisneros and then to complement my film choice, decided to read Anne Brashares’

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I chose to read both in order to get a biographical perspective

and also a less academic view of the culture and tradition and language of Latina youth and

family. I wanted to hear stories that were fiction and non-fiction. These stories were very helpful


in tying in the readings from coursework as well as research articles and news articles. I could

put a face and a name and a narrative to the academic work I was reading.

House on Mango Street was important to this process because of how it contributed to

my growth personally and my understanding of the academic readings, my student’s narratives,

and the overall experience of Latino communities. Esperanza grows up in a Chicano

neighborhood but is determined to get out. She desires a better life than the one she has on

Mango Street. The vignettes give deep and beautiful insight into the daily happenings of life in

an impoverished neighborhood. The most important thing I took away from reading this was that

even as Esperanza desired an escape from her life, she eventually realized she couldn’t

completely leave it behind. It was a part of her and her dreams, hopes, and future couldn’t

change that- they would always bring her back. Similar to the films I viewed, Esperanza is trying

to negotiate her identity. She wants a future for herself where she is not defined by the statuses

that she currently holds: poor, female, young, Mexican. However, the process lends itself not to

removing those parts of her identity, but learning to embrace them.

My fifth activity in this process was to learn more about the concerns and needs of

Latinas on campus at APU. I wanted to do this by investigating the organization LASA. I chose

to meet with member of LASA and hear what they had to say about being a part of the group and

the events that the group holds. LASA stands for Latin American Student Association and there

is also a division of LASA called LASA Women’s Network for Latinas. “The Latin American

Student Association (LASA) is a multicultural group of students that exists primarily as a support

network for Azusa Pacific University’s Latina/o community. From this foundation we work to

coordinate educational programming, advocate with administration for the needs of Latina/o

students, and serve the greater Azusa community.” LASA’s mission is to provide a space to


celebrate the ethnic and cultural heritages of APU students and community who identify as

Latino. Education is a large part of the group’s goal and they wish to serve not only APU’s

campus but the surrounding community as well. They are advocates for student needs on

campus. It is important for them to form a Christian community between Latinos on campus that

integrates their culture and heritage. This also supports their value of creating a “familia.”

Having a safe place to express their diverse cultures helps to promote leadership, achievement,

and community.

Speaking with various members of the LASA community, they all had different

experience with the group. Each year, the group goes through new leadership and membership

dynamics change. One student I spoke with, Raquel, had played an active role in LASA

leadership. She was passionate about the advocacy that LASA did and the cultural experiences

they offered like Coffee House and Sabor Latina. For others like Yolanda, they didn’t get heavily

involved with the group because of the leadership and dynamics when they entered as Freshman.

Yolanda has Bolivian heritage and didn’t feel like as a Freshman in 2008 that she connected with

the rest of the group whom identified as majority Mexican roots. The experience wasn’t what she

had imagined or felt like she needed at the time. She said that she would still attend events

occasionally and appreciated the groups efforts. Yolanda didn’t feel confident that she would fit

in or be able to connect deeply because she had a connected but not identical traditions and

heritage. As Broido (2000) explains, confidence is connected to one’s “identity and internal loci

of worth and approval.” Self-confidence is a huge factor in all students getting involved in social

justice groups and their willingness to act, articulate, and support their positions (Broido, p. 12).

There is no doubt that students support the work that LASA is doing on campus and in

the community. These responses were surprising to me in the range of emotions and experiences


that students had. LASA is doing an excellent job providing educational activities, community,

and advocacy. Still, just as with anyone else, I saw that these Latina students had multifaceted

and multidimensional identities and heritages. They had some things in common but not

everything. I could see that for some being a Latina was a huge influence on their experience and

LASA affirmed that. For others, like Yolanda, being Latina was only one aspect of her identity

and she related with other groups more deeply. I think I just expected LASA to be such a

powerful and important place for all the Latina students that I talked to, not just some. All had at

some point been a part of the group or were connected in some way, but most had fallen in and

out of leadership and involvement. This makes sense with school work and varying workloads

each semester.

My final activity to try to gain an increased and broader knowledge of the experience of

Latina students at Azusa Pacific University was to interview three students. I chose to speak with

three students from different backgrounds, school year, and viewpoints. I will use the student’s

initials in place of their names in order to protect their privacy. I spoke with Y.R., a senior Film

and Television major who identified as Latina with Bolivian heritage. Next, I had a great

conversation with A.S., a sophomore International Business and Youth Ministry student who is

connected to building the Latino youth ministry at her church and Spanish speaking churches

across the Southwestern United States. Finally, I interviewed S.B., a mother of two, who is

currently working full time and working to complete her degree at APU.

These interviews were powerful in helping my learning and increasing my knowledge of

the APU experience for Latinas. I really enjoyed having these discussions and being able to ask

questions about these student’s experiences. I was nervous going into these interviews because I

wanted to be very careful about I how approached the students. I didn’t want to give the


impression that I was only interested in them for academic and research purposes. I also didn’t

want to offend them by asking certain questions, making assumptions, or sounding ignorant as to

what they had gone through. I didn’t really know anything about the Latina experience before I

began this project and so I was really not sure what to expect. I was excited to learn and become

more connected to the experiences that were occurring on the campus that I went to as an

undergraduate, that I currently work with, and that I am still attending for graduate studies. Their

stories and narratives were important to me because these are students that I will work with.

Their experiences will not be far off from others that I will potentially work with in the future. I

should know what populations experience on the campus that I work at. I want to be sure that I

am aware and knowledgeable about the experiences that students go through. More than that I

want to be sure that I engage in intentional discussion with students about their experiences,

traditions, and heritage, “such engagement is necessary in order to create campuses that honor

and support the transformative learning, growth, and development of all its members” (Stewart,

p. 17).

After going through the steps and activities in hopes of becoming more aware and

knowledgeable, to complete Objective two, I wanted to reevaluate my skills and comfort level in

working with Latina students on campus. I did this through my continued effort to journal my

feelings, thoughts, and reflections. I made efforts to discuss my experiences and learning with

my multicultural mentor, peers, and friends. I found that where I thought I would feel competent

and experienced in working with Latina students on campus, I found that I had more questions

than answers. I wanted to feel ready and knowledgeable and I definitely made progress. I had

confronted aspects of my own privilege, become more aware of others’ experiences, and gained

increased and broaden knowledge. I still felt like I had much more ground to cover. My


reflections were similar to prayers, asking God to help me continue pursuing multicultural

competence and a commitment to becoming a more effective social justice ally. I see the

importance of diversity and its role in higher education. I see my role as an advocate and ally for

students.

My final objective was to gain multicultural skills in order to be a better advocate for

Latina college students especially on predominantly White Christian campuses. In order to

effectively complete my final objective, Objective 3, I established a relationship with a

multicultural mentor. I wanted to do this so that I would have a person to go to throughout my

journey, someone more knowledgeable, aware, and skillful than I was. I needed to have someone

to keep me accountable on my process and help me evaluate my process, skills, and reflections. I

first connected with Michelle Martinez and got some great insights from her. She was passionate

about multicultural awareness and social justice. I really believe that she is a fantastic ally and

asset to the APU campus. Unfortunately, our schedules were not compatible in a way that we

could stay in contact throughout the quarter. Fortunately, I work in an office that has vast

resources of people who are diverse. Fritzie Umana and I work relatively closely together. We

had already established a deep connection and a wonderful relationship. I felt so safe and

comfortable around her. It was such a blessing to have a mentor whom I trusted with what I was

sharing. Having her work so closely was another huge blessing because we were able to get

together for long lunch meetings or short 10-15 minute conversations.

I think that this was my favorite part of my entire process. I really enjoyed having Fritzie

share with me the stories of her youth, her traditions and heritage, and her hopes for her children.

I found that Fritzie was so passionate about sharing her experiences. She is currently in the

process of starting a family restaurant in Beverly Hills that will affirm her family’s Guatemalan


roots. Her family is still very connected to their heritage and traditions. It was inspiring to hear

her stories of her own struggle with negotiating her racial identity growing up and now how she

is embracing that part of herself. She has raised her children to be proud of who they are and

their family. She is also encouraging her children to pursue higher education and expand their

base of knowledge. I am so appreciative of the time that I got to spend with Fritzie. She really

was one of the best resources I was able to utilize in this process. I learned so much about her

experiences, my own privileges, my processing, etc. It was so helpful and growing. I know that I

will go back to the conversations that we had many times in my future. I will think often about

the advice she gave as I speak with students and try to understand their circumstances. Both

professionally and personally, I owe much to this experience.

As part of objective 3, I also committed to attending a diversity training workshop. I

found a workshop through Thought Leader Series called Developing and Leveraging Our Global

Intelligence. I was really excited about being able to participate in this experience on December

6, 2012. Dr. Slyvia Ann Hewlett spoke on how to reengage and reenergize your workforce. I felt

that this would be an appropriate workshop as the description affirmed that “Between the rapid

growth of modern technology and ever-expanding globalization, our world is more

interconnected than ever before. In our personal lives and business activities- working and

interacting across different time zones, languages and cultures- it is important that as diversity

leaders we also increase our Global Intelligence.” Unfortunately, I was not very pleased with the

results of the workshop. I didn’t feel like I was able to connect with the material. It was less

about global intelligence and more about recruitment strategies for colleges and universities. I

was just disappointed in the results and felt that I didn’t gain any further skills.


I had planned to use what I had learned from the diversity training workshop to hold a

small group conversation between myself, Frtizie, and the students I had spoken with. I wanted

to implement the skills and themes I learned to develop some strategies for APU to become more

affirming for the Latina students. Fritzie and I had many conversations about what needs to

happen in order for diverse groups to feel more accepted. I wanted to use the students to get

input on what things needed to change and what we could do to advocate for those needs. The

students gave such great input in our times together individually. With the end of the semester

and the disappointment of the diversity training, the small forum was not as successful as I had

hoped. I met with Fritzie and two of the students for a brief period of time and we discussed what

we felt the needs of the campus were. Everyone had different ideas of what needed to happen

and how to go about doing that. It was inspiring to hear that people had thought about the state of

our campus and the issues of diversity. Because we only had a very small amount of time, there

was no conclusions made about what we could do. I hoped that more would come out of this

conversation, but I am still glad that it was able to happen.

Overall, as I reflect on this process, I am so grateful for the opportunity to dive into

gaining an awareness, understanding, and developing skills. I don’t think that I would have ever

had the courage to pursue such lofty goals on my own accord, but I am so glad that I was able to

have the time and space in order to do so. “The college-going population is growing

increasingly diverse. This increasing diversity requires students to understand cultural

differences in order to interact across social groups on college campuses successfully.

Unfortunately, increasing segregation in American high school means that substantial intergroup

interactions often occur for the first time at colleges and universities” (Reason, p. 5). Coming to

really see this statement to be true on APU’s campus inspired a new sense of hope for


reconciliation and encouraged me to be passionate about advocacy. As a student affairs

professional, I must be willing to put myself out there and embrace diversity if that is the goal

that I hope my students will also achieve. It is going to be an ongoing process that doesn’t end

with this class or this program.

“The development of social justice allies requires more than one more diversity or

sensitivity workshop... Student affairs professionals who are responsible for planning educational

experiences for dominant group members must consider what we already know about students,

especially what cognitive development theories tell us, meet our students where they are, and

nurture them through what is likely to be a cognitive and emotionally painful journey” (Reason,

p.12-13). I think back to my time in undergrad and I realize that so much of what was difficult

was due to having to confront others, ideas, thoughts, lifestyles, and traditions that were so

different from what I had previously experienced. Diversity goes beyond racial reconciliation,

even though that is so deeply important, and extends towards all the groups that are oppressed by

the dominant groups on campuses and in our country in general. I see myself continuing this

journey and using the things I have learned from class discussion (vulnerability, what it takes to

make a safe place, sensitivity and respect, and understanding) as well as the key readings. I

appreciate the intentionality in the texts that we were presented with and the corresponding in

class questions. I know that I could have and should have engaged more vocally with the

questions, but the processing was slow going for awhile. I do intend to keep moving forward.

In Stage Two of this project I plan on diving deeper into my own biases, prejudices,

privileges, and understandings. After this process and learning and experience, the next steps

seem clear. I just have to continue to try to learn about others who are different from myself and

my family or neighbors. I want to continue to learn about the experience of Latinas and other


ethnic minority groups on Christian campuses. I think one thing that I realized about ethnic

groups on campus, especially at APU, is that there is groundwork already laid, but there is a deep

need for further advocacy and more allies. There is a need for a more diverse faculty and staff,

administrators, and policy makers.

I plan to continue to work to reach out to these students. I know that as time goes on and

everyone continues to get busy, it will be difficult. But even if I cannot participate in all LASA

activities, provide resources for Latina students, or influence policy right now, I am committed to

staying connected to my multicultural mentor and the students that I bonded with through

interviews. I think that even though it is a meager effort, that is the most important thing for me

at this point- maintaining relationships in order to better understand the narrative that comprises

their identity. I know that Fritzie, my multicultural mentor, and I will remain close and I can rely

on her to keep me accountable for my learning, advocacy, and skill usage. I know that through

these relationships I will continue to make progress in understanding this group and I will stay

connected to the needs and desires of this population.

As for my own privileges and perceptions of the world, “there are no easy answers to the

question of what can we do about the problem of privilege. There is no twelve-step program, no

neat set of instructions. Most important, there is no way around or over it: the only way out is

through it. We won’t end oppression by pretending it isn’t out there or that we don’t have to deal

with it” (Johnson, p. 136). I want to continue to use Fritzie and the relationships I have to better

examine myself and my own heart and attitudes. As I better understand myself and the

environment I’m in, I can diligently work to better the campus environment wherever I end up. I

hope to stay on campus at APU, but eventually it is likely that I will be a part of a new campus

culture. I can use the skills that I have learned to understand a new campus and develop new


relationships. I want to be a part of making whatever office I belong to a more inclusive,

affirming, and welcoming place. That can be done through various means, but I think that

intentional relationships and conversations are the best way that I learn. Johnson says it best by

confronting the dominant groups attitudes in saying, “There would be far more active opposition

to white privilege, for example, if white people lived with an ongoing awareness of how it

actually affects the everyday lives of those it oppresses as ‘not white’” (Johnson, p. 137). I want

to understand how my whiteness is intentionally or unintentionally affecting someone. I want my

attitudes and beliefs to be affirming and not oppressing others way of life, culture, and values.

Especially as I work with students I find that intentionality will be crucial. “Acknowledging

students’ emotions, and the root of those emotions, is essential in managing them. Providing a

supportive environment for students to discuss, reflect on, and challenge emotions facilitates

growth when done appropriately” (Reason, p. 59).

As I wonder what this project will inspire in my future profession, I try to envision the

reality of what I can really tangibly do to be a better social justice ally. I think that I can “pay

attention to privilege and oppression... [and] you’ll see opportunities to do something about

them” (Johnson, p. 142). I do not want to continue living in naivety. I want to be aware of what is

going on around me and the social justice issues that exists in my office, campus, culture, and

society at large. I know that I can participate in intentional relationship and dialogue because I

am aware from experience that, “attentive listening is especially difficult for members of

dominant groups.” I think it is true but so difficult that the path of an advocate has to be that “if

someone confronts you with your own behavior that supports privilege, step off the path of least

resistance that encourages you to defend and deny... take responsibility to do something about

it” (Johnson, p. 141). That is my goal.


But at the same time, is intentionality enough? I think back to the Pope and Reynolds text

and how clear it was that student affairs faculty and practitioners had a larger obligation to

students. We are often their voice and the only advocates that they will have in policy making

discussions. We represent their voices in staff meetings, administrative action, etc. In this way we

need to continue to participate in additional training and learning. We must commit to further

“education workshops, extensive examination of the literature, and multiculturally oriented

supervision to help [us] develop greater multicultural competence. In addition to examining the

curriculum and current training practices as identified previously, the profession needs to develop

effective continuing education programs and delivery systems to reach the goal of multicultural

competence” (Pope & Reynolds, p. 273). As we continue to be exposed to these training

sessions, workshops, literature, and discussions hopefully we can all realize that as

“one student said, ‘I can support someone even if I do not agree completely,” and this brings us

“to a central paradox in the promotion of multicultural competence” (Stewart, p.11).

As a result of this process of taking time to learn about a specific population and create

ties to it, I can see the implications for multiculturalism in higher education, student affairs, and

all my future learning and interactions. Multiculturalism is critically important to our world and

to effective learning. We can preserve the beauty of different cultures or identities within our

larger society, within our larger college campuses. I remember hearing all the time in my

undergraduate experience at Azusa Pacific, “diversity is unity.” It was a theme in chapels, justice

week activities, Residence Life programming, and it became a slogan for the campus call to

pursue diversity. A multicultural campus represents its students of all cultures and walks of life.

This can lead to great opportunities for students and faculty to grow deeper in their

understanding of others, enriching their learning, and helping to holistically develop and care for


students. I believe in the power of education and I think that the benefits of being on a college

campus are hindered when everyone is expected to conform to a singular image. I think that

education and especially Christian education at that is the best place for investigating diversity,

multiculturalism, and advocacy. I think it is more than a duty to society, but a higher call to love

people the way that Jesus explicitly tells us to love. A Christian campus should be a leader in

acceptance and diversity training. Understanding and supporting someone’s holistic

development, regardless of their differences, is important for all institutions of education.

“It is the collective responsibility of the student affairs professionals to respond more

effectively and knowledgeably to diverse student groups on college campuses (Pope &

Reynolds, p. 266). We are the agents that create programming, services and resources for

students, so we must understand their needs. We see this idea starting to appear as “campuses

have directed more efforts toward cultivating multiculturally sensitive and affirming

environments that espouse, through values, activities, and programs, an appreciation of cultural

differences, regardless of the number of individuals from historically and traditionally

underrepresented groups” (Pope & Reynolds, p. 266).

As this project comes to conclusion, I am left with so much more than I came in with. I

feel better prepared and equipped to work with diverse populations and present them with

opportunities, resources, and services that reflect their needs and desires. I think that this

opportunity has changed the way that I will serve students and reach out to them. I think that it

has changed the way that I will work to collaborate with student groups and other offices. It has

prepared me for my future career on college campuses in whatever office or program that may

be.


References

Adams, M. Blumenfeld, W.J., Castañeda, R., Hackman, H.W., Peters, M.L, & Zúñiga, X. (2010).

Readings for diversity and social justice, 2nd Edition. New York: Routledge.

Bernal, S. (2013, 01). Interview by K.E. Lindquist [Personal Interview]. Action plan interview.

Brashares, A. (2001). Sisterhood of the traveling pants. Delacorte Press.

Broido, E.M. (2000). The development of social justice allies during college: A

phenomeological investigation. Journal of college student development, 41(1), 3 -18.

Cardoso, P. (Director) (2002). Real women have curves [DVD].

Cisneros, S. (1991). The house on mango street. (2 ed.). Vintage Contemporaries.

Johnson, A.G. (2006). Privilege, power and difference. McGraw Hill: New York.

Kwapis, K. (Director) (2005). Sisterhood of the traveling pants [DVD].

Olivera, R. (2012, 12). Interview by K.E. Lindquist [Personal Interview]. Action plan interview.

Pope, R.L. & Reynolds, A.L. (1997). Student affairs core competencies: Integrating

multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. Journal of College Student

Development, 38, 3, 266-275.

Reason, R.D., Broido, E.M., Davis, T.L. & Evans, N. (2005). Developing Social Justice Allies.

New Directions for Student Services, no. 110. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Rodriguez, Y. (2012, 12). Interview by K.E. Lindquist [Personal Interview]. Action plan

interview.

Santos, A. (2012, 12). Interview by K.E. Lindquist [Personal Interview]. Action plan interview.

Stewart, D.F. (2008, March-April). Confronting the politics of multicultural competence. About

campus, 10 -17.


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