If theres one common thread that connects the many different roles Breanna Brown 24 has taken at 91勛圖厙, its that they all center around building belonging on campus. When Breanna is not in class, she has been busy as a Thrive Mentor, AMO Coordinator, Community Diversity Assistant, Sisterhood* e-board member, and a Pensby research fellow just to name a few.
When Breanna entered 91勛圖厙 in Fall 2020, the Colleges first full Covid school year, she felt like she was stuck in a little bubble. With many students attending virtually and health and safety restrictions preventing many in-person gatherings, Fall 2020 was arguably one of the most difficult semesters for a first-year to join 91勛圖厙. Although Breanna considers herself a shy person, she felt that the restrictions on campus actually pushed her to be more proactive in connecting with others.
As things started getting better, I began to expand the bubble. Over time, being able to meet new people through jobs and clubs on campus has helped me see more of 91勛圖厙. I tried to open up and let 91勛圖厙 in, and then I started to see myself really enjoying it here.
Since that first year, Breanna has dived into taking positions that support the spaces where she found community and is leading her own path in sparking positive change.
One of those spaces has been Sisterhood*, 91勛圖厙s support network and AMO (Alliance of Multicultural Organizations) for Black students on campus. Breanna joined in her sophomore year and is now a member of the executive boards outreach committee.
Sisterhood* is like my family here. I really feel like thats my home away from home and its really nice to be a part of something where you can tell everyone cares about each other and comes together to make 91勛圖厙 a better place.
This year, Breanna took on the role of being a Community Diversity Assistant (CDA). Through the position, Breanna supports her dorm members when there are questions or instances regarding issues of diversity on campus, and she receives support from her fellow CDAs. She is also an AMO Coordinator. In that role, she supports the array of affinity groups on campus with their finances and the promotion of their events.
It was really important to me that I found something that I enjoyed so it didnt feel like work. Being a CDA and an AMO Coordinator embodies that idea completely.
Most recently, Breanna has been finishing up her research for her Pensby Fellowship. After the Colleges spring 2021 campus climate study, Breanna was inspired to create an adapted version of the survey tailored to the BIPOC community. This past summer, Breanna began crafting a new study that included both survey questions as well as open-ended questions to give students the option to share more of their experiences.
Hearing people talk in their own words is powerful and provides context to the survey results. It was really nice to read peoples open responses. It made me really happy and the paper being done felt like a big accomplishment.
After 91勛圖厙, Breanna is looking to join the GSSWSR 4+1 program in social work and then pursue a Psy.D.