Pictured Above: Tristen Johnson has spearheaded multiple initiatives to increase diversity awareness on the USF St. Petersburg campus during her time as assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Courtesy of Tristen Johnson
By Annalise Anderson
USF St. Petersburg had become Tristen Johnson’s home away from home during her time as assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA).
Johnson has established lasting relationships with her students and colleagues since she joined the Student Life and Engagement team in 2018. She now thinks of them as family and, according to Johnson, “family is forever.”
During the Campus-Community Task Force on Inclusivity and Diversity meeting on Thursday, Johnson announced that Sept. 23 will be her last day with OMA as she moves “on to new professional opportunities.”
Johnson reflected on her time with OMA in an email to The Crow’s Nest.
“My experience in Multicultural Affairs has been amazing,” Johnson said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with students who actually care about what’s going on in the world. These students have taught me so much about myself and challenged me to think deeper about identities outside of my own.”
Johnson’s passions have shined through her work with OMA.
Arming her students and colleagues with a broadened perspective, Johnson is proud of “being able to train students, staff and faculty members on topics such as diversity and inclusion, implicit bias, white supremacy, anti-racism and Black feminism.”
Though these conversations may be difficult, Johnson believes they are necessary.
“I taught my students to speak up for themselves and others who don’t share the same identities as themselves,” Johnson said. “The students who work in OMA are living vessels of excellence. They are empathetic and open to helping others in any way they can.
“… They can see how inequities in institutions like health care, education, and the housing market have system issues that have historically hindered marginalized communities. They understand the importance of that history to learn from it so they can ensure history isn’t repeating itself.”
Johnson has established herself as a driving force for change on the USF St. Petersburg campus. But her achievements did not come without opposition from parts of the campus community.
“Being in a good environment did not mean there wasn’t pushback from some members of the campus community when we advertised programs that centered students who identified as LGBTQ+ or Black, or emails that centered real issues that affect Black people in the United States,” Johnson said.
“I always found myself responding to those emails I received (by) challenging campus members to think deeper about issues. It is important that people’s experiences are real and we cannot discount the real injustices that happen around us every day.”
Johnson founded USF St. Petersburg’s annual Diversity and Inclusion Conference, which hosted more than 200 professionals from universities, corporations and law firms around the country during its inaugural meeting on Feb. 1. She calls the conference her “brainchild” and it came as a result of her determination to ensure an identity for USF St. Petersburg in the Tampa Bay community.
“It was important to hold this conference (and keep this conference) at the St. Pete campus,” Johnson said. “This campus has so much potential and I wanted to draw more attention to the campus to help with admission and retention of students but increase community partnerships with the Tampa Bay area.”
Johnson also established Wednesdays in the O, a bi-weekly event that encourages students to participate in conversations happening at OMA.
Jerrica Stovall, associate director of Student Involvement, and Abigail Bradley-Tyler, Leadership and Student Organizations coordinator, played a role in bringing Johnson to St. Petersburg. Both are grateful for the impact she has made on the campus.
“I hired Tristen in the fall of 2018 and it has been incredible to see where she has taken the office,” Stovall said in an email to The Crow’s Nest. “She is passionate about racial injustice, challenging systems of oppression and that has been evident in her work.”
Bradley-Tyler called working with Johnson “a dream.”
“From the moment we met, I knew she would bring innovation, dedication, and inspiration to the OMA office and to the Student Life and Engagement team,” Bradley-Tyler said in an email to The Crow’s Nest. “Tristen’s ability to think big and go after those dreams has been pivotal to the USFSP campus.”
Director of Student Life and Engagement Dwayne Isaacs spoke about his coworking experience with Johnson. He knew right away that her passion for the work was undeniable and that she would be more impactful than anyone who had previously held the position.
“As a Black woman, (she) was so instrumental in making change and connecting with the student population in a way that I don’t think any of her previous predecessors have,” Isaacs said. “Not that they didn’t do good work, but she took it a step further.”
Even after Johnson and Isaacs had left their desks for the day, they often found themselves discussing with each other how they could make things better for students, faculty and staff.
“We are fully supportive of her new journey,” Isaacs said. “We already have plans to stay in contact … I am 100 percent confident that we will bring her back to do trainings and workshops.”
Johnson hopes that the person who fills her role as assistant director is well equipped to take on the OMA.
“Multicultural Affairs is not easy but it’s a thrill,” Johnson said. “The next person has to be creative and flexible. Until then, I know my students are going to keep providing dope content for Wednesdays in the O and their other programs coming up.”
Johnson encourages students, faculty and staff to take advantage of the resources and learning opportunities provided by OMA.
She hopes that the Diversity and Inclusion Conference will continue and thrive as an investment in building USF St. Petersburg’s relationship with the community and the nation.
“I am looking forward to continue to do diversity work for the better good of the world,” Johnson said. “This work is important to me and is my passion area. Wherever I can have an impact where I am educating others about inclusion, social justice, and equity is what I plan on continuing to do. I am a person of faith and I believe that I am set on the right path and my position in Multicultural Affairs has set me up for success.”
