By: Perrin Duncan
Our newest campus celebrity is the beautiful, outgoing, and spunky, Dione Gordon! Dione recently received the crown of Old Gold Queen, and she made history by being the first woman of color to receive this exciting title.
Dione is actively involved on campus. She is the Parliamentarian for DePauw’s NPHC, an avid volunteer for Tots Time, a Chicago Posse Scholar, a member of the Multicultural Student Services Advisory Board, a Resident Assistant, the Vice President for Exalt Gospel Choir, and a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.- Lambda Tau Chapter where she serves as the Education Chair of the chapter.
Get to know her, she’s got passion and drive like no other!
HerCampus: What is your favorite memory from your DePauw experience?
Dione Gordon: My favorite part about DePauw is that I have been able to travel about during Winter Terms and experience life through different lenses. This helped me appreciate the situations and people I took for granted, giving me an extra push to become more open minded to know about world issues and not just domestic issues.
HC: With this win, you said you started a movement. Can you tell us a little bit about what it means to you and to our campus?
DG: I started a movement by being the first student color to win Old Gold Queen and this helped me assure other students of color that they can do anything on this campus and get support with hard work, dedication, stepping out of their comfort zone and patience. This was a big deal for me because it showed me that I have the will to work for things and not give up because no giving up can bring great results.
HC: What are your plans for life after graduation?
DG: My plans after graduation are to utilize my passion for helping youth succeed, by moving to Brooklyn, New York and working as a full-time teacher for the 2015-2016 school year at Leadership Prep Ocean Hill.
HC: What is one thing you will miss when you leave DePauw?
DG: One thing I will miss about DePauw is the amazing people that I have met. The people I have met at DePauw, especially my best friends and my sorority sisters, have helped me grow and look at things in a different light. They have helped me grow into an amazing woman and I will miss being able to walk across campus to their rooms just to hang out and have study time with each other.
HC: How did it feel to win the title of Old Gold Queen?
DG: Winning Old Gold Queen was a big accomplishment. I couldn’t believe that I won to be honest, but hearing my name was a clear sign that hard work, dedication, stepping out of my comfort zone, and handing out cookies and candy worked. This honor to be the first student of color as Old Gold Queen was not for me, but it was for all the students of color who feel that they can’t run for Old Gold court or feel that their voice doesn’t matter. I am living proof that they can do anything they set their hearts and minds on.
HC: You are a prominent figure on campus, what advice can you give to your fellow students to make the most of their time here?
DG: The advice that I would give is to make your DePauw experience yours. I would never want you to leave DePauw regretting things that you didn’t do because you felt work was too much. I would say experience everything DePauw has to offer from study abroad to winter tern to ex-ternships because we know that our schoolwork will get done, but you have to live a little. Sleep will come, but you will never relive your undergraduate years, so live and experience as much as you can.