Diversity & Personal Statement

My guiding principle is “To whom much is given, much is expected.” As someone who will have both a bachelor’s degree and master’s, I will have immense privilege and power over others who have not attended college even due to choosing not to obtain a degree or being closed out of traditional higher education due to cost or bias in the application process. It is my endowed duty to work to bring down the “ivory tower” of prejudice and oppression that exists in post-secondary education.

While I currently hold multiple intersecting marginalized identities that are currently under attack from both state and federal lawmakers, I still hold a great deal of privilege due to being a cisgender male who does not have any different abilities that allow me to find gainful employment and education. My goal in life is to create educational opportunities for people, especially students, to learn about the vast array of identities that each of us holds, and how to work to create an active accomplice mindset to fight for social justice for all. My other main career passion is assessing and reviewing residential curriculums and institutional policies in order to ensure that they are equitable and just and are not written and implemented from a socially unconscious framework.

My goal is to become a full-time researcher and instructor of the different aspects of how inclusion and Intersectionality affect college students, especially those who attend Minority Serving Institutions. 

My main interests areas of research are:

• Exploring the Sense of Belonging for Queer, Trans, and Two-Spirit Students at Minority Serving Institutions. 

• Comparing the Sense of Belonging Students hold at MSIs vs PWIs