Archivist Note: Originally published on the Elections wordpress site. Sep 18, 2015 @ 01:15, “CANDIDATES STATEMENT September Elections: Pensby Representative”
Diamond Ray:
My name is Diamond Ray and I am running for the position of Pensby/Office of Intercultural Affairs Representative. I currently am the Community Diversity Assistant for Merion Hall and I am also a member of the Appointments Committee in the Self Government Association. Additionally, I am employed as a tour guide in Bryn Mawr’s Office of Admissions. I can confidently say that throughout all of my experiences since I started attending Bryn Mawr, I have made it a priority to encourage discussions of inclusion and intercultural awareness throughout the campus and beyond. I am certainly prepared to continue dialogues with Stephanie Nixon and Vanessa Christman on the subject of intercultural inclusion. I look forward to navigating a variety of different spaces on campus with the intent of increasing intercultural awareness between students and faculty. I always kept in contact with Vanessa and Stephanie since the first time I met them as a first year during the tri-college diversity program. Facilitating spaces for the encouragement and discussion of identity has always been essential to me and becoming a Community Diversity Assistant only increased my excitement.
As the CDA of Merion it is actually my duty to encourage dialogues about the variety of identities on campus and also to urge other students to be fearless in tackling uncomfortable topics about such issues. I am an active member of several groups on campus. This aspect would be valuable as the Pensby Representative because it grants me the ability to offer a unique lens on the conversations that are actually happening on campus and how the center for Intercultural Affairs could be more present. Ultimately, no one really has the ability to be or not to be qualified to facilitate or discuss issues of identity. As the Pensby/Ofiice of Intercultural Affairs Representative I would remind people of the power of their voices and execute that with those in the Pensby center to create a more interculturally aware environment for everyone on campus.