Two College of Charleston students presented at the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Convention in Houston, Texas March 11-March 14, 2018. This year’s ACPA Convention theme was educating and role modeling the value of social justice and decolonization. Participants were encouraged to recognize different issues impacting higher education relating to social justice and decolonization, and engage in learning and understanding to promote change.
Joequise Wright and Eli Major-Wright who attended and presented are both Juniors at the College of Charleston and have been serving as First Year Experience Peer Facilitators for almost two years. They presented about how all College of Charleston First Year Experience Peer Facilitators use components of dialogue in the Synthesis Seminar to conduct conversations and lesson about social justice and diversity.
“I had a great experience at ACPA. It was amazing being able to show others what we do as PFs and how we try to promote social justice and change. I liked hearing about how other colleges attempts to incorporating social change with their students. It was also interesting learning about the social justice issues that are in higher education.” (Eli Major-Wright).
“My experience in Houston was very beneficial to me. It really assisted me educationally and professionally. When presenting, I established an understanding of self confidence and was able to expand my public speaking skills. I also attended many of the educational seminars. The session that impacted me the most was Incorporating Hip-Hop Culture In the Classroom. Being in that session really opened my eyes to the various ways that we could incorporate music, primarily hip-hop, in our lessons for our students. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who is willing to learn, who advocates for diversity and inclusion, and who just wants an all around positive experience.” (Joequiese Wright)
