Scholars of Color Breakfast
Erica understood the need to implement a Scholars of Color Breakfast the moment she first arrived on campus. Situated in southern Maine, the whitest state in the nation, she was aware of the challenges UNE faced in not only building community but recruiting people of color. Last year, as the Director of Intercultural Engagement, she was in a position to make an impact like the one made for her when she was in undergrad. She recalls being at convocation and the speaker addressing issues she identified with as a person of color. “It was the first time I'd ever heard the term circadian rhythm,” Erica says. “She talked about the importance of not taking AM classes if you're not a morning person.” It was this experience that bolstered her drive to create space at UNE that would help build community. The first Scholars of Color Breakfast took place last year during UNE’s Convocation Ceremony. “I called everyone we invited… and their mothers,” she chuckles. It was this personal touch that would spawn a new program and legacy at UNE.
In August 2019, the Office of Intercultural Student Engagement hosted its 2nd Annual Scholars of Color Breakfast. “This year, it was so successful,” Erica recalls, “and a large part had to do with collaborating with other departments.” One such collaboration was inviting COM students to participate, exemplifying the university’s spirit of inclusivity: “Fides reached out to me because she wanted to do a mentoring program. And so she came and I thought, why don't we use this opportunity to see if people want mentors?” Second-year COM student, Fides Elamparo, COM ’22, recognized the importance of bringing COM students and undergraduates of color together. She is the current Chapter President of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) at UNE COM, a national organization that supports pre-medical and medical students of color. After the success of UNE’s MLK Day Celebration with the legendary Angela Davis, she reached out to Erica to see if they could work together. “Mentorship is a crucial part of the SNMA,” Fides explains. “One of my main goals this year is to strengthen this aspect between the COM and undergraduate UNE communities… I asked to meet up with [Erica] and she informed me of the Scholars of Color Breakfast… We agreed that having COM participate and mingle with the undergraduate attendees would be a good introduction to a potential mentorship program.”
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