Graduating multicultural students attended the first-ever multicultural graduation reception Saturday to celebrate their success at AU, an institution that prides itself on a diverse student body and reputation for international service.
About 15 graduating students, along with faculty, staff, alumni and family attended the event, celebrated in the form of an areyto, a term for a Taino Indian celebration through song, music, dance and history. The event was based on the Latino graduation reception sponsored by the Latino Alumni Chapter in 2004.
"We recognized that there were different issues that students of color needed addressed by the university and this created the need to open up the alumni chapter to all multicultural students," said Lorenley Baez, president of the Latino Alumni Chapter.
Petitioning began early this spring to have the Latino Alumni Chapter recognized as the Multicultural Alumni Chapter of AU by the Alumni Association Board. The name change will probably take place in October, Baez said.
Students were presented with blue and white stoles to wear on graduation day.
Seniors reflected on their time at AU during part of the ceremony.
Ed O'Keefe, a senior in the School of Public Affaris and Latin American Student Association member, recalled running the Latino Youth Conference for the first time as a sophomore. He said that the support he received from the Office of Multicultural Affairs was always available.
Mzima Scadeng, senior in CAS, reflected on her first experiences at AU.
"I wasn't a part of STEP [Summer Transition Enrichment Program] or the multicultural overnight, so my first experience at AU was not so multicultural," said Scadeng. "I find it magical that after four years we all come back together to celebrate this time."
Irene Castillo, an AU alumna, said confidence is crucial to success, no matter what heritage or race.
"We must believe in ourselves - when you walk into a room, you must decide you are as good, if not better than everyone else. Don't ever give up," Castillo said. "ADD, purple, black - it doesn't matter, believe in you."
Adriana Rodriguez, another alumna, encouraged graduates to leave a multicultural mark on the University.
"This is a legacy that students of color are leaving at AU when the director of multicultural affairs comes out to the graduation reception," Rodriguez said.
Baez closed the reception with a thank you to Helen Alatorre, assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
"In 2002 when Helen came to AU, it was like she came from heaven to help out [Director David] Owens who had been running Multicultural Affairs by himself," Baez said. "She's phenomenal, like Maya Angelou's poem 'Phenomenal Woman.'"
Alatorre will leave her position at Multicultural Affairs to return to California at the end of the semester.
