When Carolina Nutt told her friends she wanted to go to college, they didn’t believe her. They said a Hispanic girl would never be successful.
Now, years later, she proved them wrong and is now the USF St. Petersburg’s director of First-Year Experience, where she evaluates the need of new students in order to help them be successful in college.
This and other stories were told by USF St. Petersburg leaders, who joined forces to give speeches about diversity on campus in the Student Life Center Nov. 15.
The event, attended by about 10 students, was part of Diversity Week, a celebration of the campus’s diverse community and an opportunity to explore topics across a broad range of human identity, experience and interaction. The activities are intended to stimulate the campus community and help us to be a more inclusive culture.
Peer coach Alandria Savage set the event.
“I looked for diversity educated people (who are) conscious of what they say,” Savage said, who came to the campus from Memphis, Tennessee.
Speakers focused on subjects such as diversity, sexuality, becoming an advocate and learning from our own bias.
The speakers of the afternoon were Samantha Fiore, peer coach; Kania Davis, new director of Student Government internal affairs; and Milton White, assistant director of Veteran Services.
“Love yourself if and only if, you want to be happy,” White said, who spent 25 years in the Marine Corp., and experience firsthand how difficult life after serving can be.
The speakers also talked about how to be themselves when there are people around who don’t agree with a person’s belief.
“I love being part of the student body. It’s like the pulse of the campus,” said Davis. “The job is never done,” said Davis.
Pictured Above: Students learned from USFSP leaders, who joined forces to give speeches about diversity on campus in the Student Life Center Nov. 15. Roshell Rivas | The Crow’s Nest
