| September, 18, 2019 |Juan Ibarra | editor-in-chief |
|---|
Photo by Joseph Serrata/The Collegian
C.O.M.P.A.S.S. hosted an event not only to celebrate five years, but also used the opportunity to bring together new members and prepare them for the fall semester.
The organization’s one goal is to build a support group for female students on campus, while helping them connect with staff or faculty to serve as mentors.
The intercultural network, which helps with C.O.M.P.A.S.S., also works with the Men of Color Collaborative.
As more women heard about the work the Men of Color Collaborative were doing, they wanted to get involved also, according to Dantrayl Smith, coordinator of intercultural student engagement.
“Women are being empowered, specifically here at TCC, and they want to have the same resources and support our men are having,” Smith said.
TR vice president of student development services Julie Amon speaks to C.O.M.P.A.S.S. members. Photo by Joseph Serrata/The Collegian
It was after this that Smith helped to bring C.O.M.P.A.S.S. underneath the intercultural network’s umbrella.
Making it a part of the intercultural network ensured that they could “expand it to the different avenues a lot of women really wanted,” Smith said.
During the Meet and Greet, students and faculty were given cards with questions on them in an effort to encourage communication.
Although the questions, such as “what do you value most in a friendship?” were standard for an ice breaker, student activities coordinator Kelsey Bratcher framed this activity as a lesson for all the mentees in the room.
Dare yourself to ask these kinds of questions and don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable, Bratcher said.
Learning lab manager Janine Dada spoke about her journey to where she is today. Dada has two master’s degrees, one in education and the other in computer science from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Dada also has a history in working as an artist and now as an instructor.
Dada touched upon life lessons she learned growing up, and gave practical information like taking a Myers-Briggs personality test to determine where your strengths in learning are.
You can’t control other people, you can only control yourself and the choices you make, Dada said.
“People are going to think what they are going to think,” Dada said. “People are going to say what they are going to say. And people are going to do what they are going to do.”
Smith told a metaphorical story about a car that had no sense of direction until it stopped to reorganize itself, and while telling this story compass charms were passed around the room.
“I want to let this program and mentors be your guide,” Smith said. “There is no reason to walk through your journey lost.”
At the end of the event, a group of students sat at a table reflecting on what the event meant to them and how the C.O.M.P.A.S.S. program could help them.
“It’s kind of hard being straight out of high school,” TR student Mariana Nasir said.
The meet and greet surprised the students as they assumed it was going to be something simple with not much depth.
“I already feel like this is going to be something great and something wonderful,” TR student Arianna Salazar said.
