#StocktonVoices
To embrace diversity is to care enough to listen with an open mind and to speak up during difficult conversations. The #StocktonVoices series gives students, faculty and staff a platform to both speak and listen to our own diverse voices.
Juan Diego Chaparro
I was woken up by the sound of tears from my mother. It was March of 2016, and my dad had just returned from a 2-month work trip. A Saturday morning when the sun was behind my curtains and the sound of birds chirping at the window filled my room with magic.
“For how long?” she asked as she fell to the ground when my dad responded. I knew it was going to happen; my friends had gone away, my teachers had gone away, and I was practically alone already.
One July morning he took off, leaving nothing but hopeful dreams of a better future behind. I was used to him leaving me, but never this far, never for this long. I waited next to the landline phone every night for a call that probably cost him too much money so I could get a glimpse of him and his sweet voice.
And then it was my turn.
I crossed a river, wore my flag, took many planes… y guapee, guapee hasta mas no poder (And I kept going until I couldn't walk anymore.)
La Avenida Rotaria turned into Bergenline Avenue. El Supermercado Garzon turned into Walmart Supercenter. I no longer had windows greeted by the sun, the birds didn’t chirp any more, and the only constant presence was the insufferable sounds of the ambulance outside.
Erika Gilchrist
As a professional speaker, I am charged with delivering content that is expected to influence the choices of those who are present in the audience. That is a responsibility that I take very seriously. Hence, I am constantly seeking new ways to make that happen.
Not only do I love being center stage, but I also thoroughly enjoy being a student. I am truly a lifelong learner with no end in sight. It’s this passion for seeking new content that brought me to a women’s conference in the spring of 2016. They advertised camaraderie, community, and personal growth – right up my alley!
I arrived excited about the new relationships I was going to develop, the products and services designed to promote personal growth, and the feeling of optimism about the future of women. But after being there for twenty minutes, I realized that something wasn’t quite right.
There were rows upon rows of vendors pushing their products, which wasn’t the problem. When you’re in business, you’re supposed to promote your merchandise. The problem was the vast number of vendors pushing external enhancements versus the minute number of vendors promoting services that spark deeper conversations about who we are as women and what we can contribute to the world.
Alexis Jenkins
As the new director of the GOALS/GEAR UP program at Stockton, I have the honor to impact students from the Atlantic City & Pleasantville Public School Districts in grades 7 through 12 and first-year enrolled college students.
Through this experience, I have learned the importance of collaboration and community. I love the phrase, “it takes a village to raise a family,” and with the GOALS team, we are providing that village for so many students in the Atlantic City & Pleasantville districts.
Like many of the GOALS students, I am a first-generation college student x3. I have gone through my own personal struggles in navigating higher education and wanted to share what I have learned with other students that aspire to attend college. This program is not only important to me, but it is important to my students and the growth of them as holistic individuals.
When I consider college access programs, I always think, “What would I want to know as a middle school and high school student considering college?” I often put myself in the student’s shoes, as it allows me to immerse myself in their world.
Loukaia Taylor is an alumna of the Communication Studies program and member of the Campus Committee on Diversity and Inclusive Excellence.
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