The Intercultural Center at Eastern Connecticut State University promoted inclusion and diversity across campus with its latest campaign, #IAMEASTERN. Running from Nov. 1-17, the campaign included several activities and events meant to celebrate the many cultures and beliefs of the Eastern community.  

#IAMEASTERN was a celebration of diversity, according to organizer Grecia Zaldivar, graduate intern for the Intercultural Center. “The overall mission is that we want all of our #IAMEASTERN members to be seen, heard, belonged and empowered,” said Zaldivar. “The campaign is designed to embrace diversity, inclusion and equity on our campus by having community members share their stories about the experiences that make up their identities and shape who they are.”  

The campaign included tabling in the Student Center, where visitors could learn more about the project and participate in activities. “One way that we grabbed our students’ attention to participate is by having a poster titled ‘Take a story, leave a story’ that allowed students to randomly select a story, read it, get inspired and then leave theirs,” said Zaldivar. “To help them write their stories, we asked the question: ‘What is an identity or experience that you want to share with Eastern?’” 

With 10 to 12 students attending each of the six tabling days, a variety of stories were shared, many pertaining to mental health. “I know many students felt a connection from reading other people’s stories,” said Zaldivar. “Students had [a safe place] to write about mental health, as many of them don’t have people in their lives that they can talk to about that experience with.”  

The campaign also sponsored a number of events. Diwali, the Hindu “festival of lights,” kicked off the project. Organized by the Asian Cultural Society, the event included Indian food, performances, activities, crafts and raffles. “Q-nnections” was a social event designed for Eastern’s LGBTQ+ community. “Our Stories Have Power,” organized by the student organization Freedom at Eastern as well as the Intercultural Center, was an open mic event that allowed students to share their experiences with immigration and promote their small businesses. Fifty-four students attended, promoting their work, sharing their stories and connecting with their peers.  

Guest speakers Dr. Steven Kniffley and Samantha Ramirez Herrera were also invited to speak with students. Kniffley is a psychologist whose expertise is research and clinical work with Black males and the treatment of race-based stress and trauma. Sponsored by the Office of Equity and Diversity, he appeared over WebEx to show his presentation “What is Racial Trauma?” 

Closing out the event, Ramirez Herrera, an activist, entrepreneur and immigrant DREAMer, came to Eastern to share her experience growing up undocumented. Her presentation, “Borderless Dream,” discussed “forging forward despite the challenges she faced and chose to come out of the shadows, allowing herself to dream big, and face her fears with courage,” said Zaldivar.  

After more than two weeks of encouraging diversity, equity and community, Zaldivar said she hopes #IAMEASTERN continues in semesters to come, with future events like talent shows where students can express what they shared in anonymous stories this year. “I'm hoping for next semester to make the event even bigger," she said, "with more people involved in the Eastern community.”