On February 15, history was made. Fourteen of my closest friends and I were accepted for common interest housing for the 2017-2018 academic school year. In addition, we later found out that our squad of fifteen first-years made history by being the largest group awarded common interest housing. Even when our group was putting the application together (huge shout-out to our Group Leader Mariel Ozoria), being interviewed, and picking our houses-it still did not sink in. The fact that I will be living a door away from the people that made my first year so memorable was shocking. Furthermore, the fact that we are all just first-years already planning ahead made it even special.
Our theme for our common interest housing was meaningful. It was meaningful because the theme was La Voz Latinx: We Will Not Be Silenced. We believe that we are able to increase Conn’s cultural awareness of the Latinx community by implementing events for the campus community. We plan to incorporate the advice of Prof. Judy Gomez of the Psychology Department (our adviser) with all the goals we plan for the coming semester, as well with others (staff and faculty at Conn). A few of us worked with Prof. Gomez in the S.H.E. Program sponsored by Unity House, so we understand how much diversity is important to her as well. Do not be mistaken: our common interest housing consists of some members that identify as Asian and Caucasian. We felt that if it was just individuals who identified as Latinx, it will not be inclusive and it will defeat the purpose of building community. In addition to programming events, we aim to work with centers on campus such as the LGBTQIA Center and Unity House to name a few.
As our first-year is ending, we are all eager to move into Smith House’s second floor and start enacting change on campus. Below are some of our few members’ thoughts on receiving the placement:
“We all contributed to making this happen. I felt overjoyed when we received the email because I know that next year I will feel much more comfortable with my housing.”
-Ericka Lagrange, Bronx, NY
“I feel we’ve been granted a tremendous opportunity to make our voices heard, to start the broader conversation on the importance of diversity and integration, and the first step in helping any incoming students.”
-Mariel Ozoria, Bronx, NY
“I feel like I was grouped with people in a similar situation as mine. Not only will we be solidifying our presence in a PWI but we will also bond and establish a strong and inclusive community Conn has never seen before.”
-Julio Cesar Herrera, Brooklyn, NY
“Knowing that I got common interest warms my heart because it will definitely make me feel at home. Coming to Conn was definitely a hard transition and the people that I met have made the transition so smooth. I share so many memories with them and I am excited to be living in the same housing as them. I can’t wait to make new memories and at the same time spread about what you stand for.”
-Rosalinda Pineda, Santa Ana, CA
“I think it’s a good way to unify and strengthen relationships with people who share something similar with each other. It’s always nice to be surrounded by people who you can openly speak to.”
-Jenyfer Garcia, Bronx, NY
“I feel it is going to be an amazing experience to share an entire floor with people that have the same passion as me to spread Latino culture around campus! Our idea is to integrate, and the change started with us getting together as a common interest group to bring more diversity to our campus!”
-Marcus Vinicius Pereira Pinto Jr, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
“I am thrilled to be living with such close friends, I really have felt a connection to everyone in this group and I can’t wait to move in.”
-Ned Manus, Boston, MA
If any members of the campus community have any questions or comments on how to incorpate their ideas for our common interest theme, please feel free to ask any of us!