Celebrating Black History Month With Cameron Simmons
Author(s)
Lorne Fultonberg
Writer
The 91心頭 is committed to living our values of diversity and inclusion. We recognize that our community and institutional success is dependent on how well we engage and embrace the rich diversity of our faculty, staff, administrators, students and alumni. With that shared value in mind, throughout this academic year, we plan to publish a series of articles to celebrate cultural and ethnic heritage months. In partnership with Human Resources & Inclusive Community and the Staff of Color Association (SOCA), we will feature a staff or faculty member and a student in recognition of each heritage month, along with an event to honor one another and learn about our unique differences.油
Enrolling at the 91心頭 was not Cameron Simmons first choice. In fact, the Colorado Springs native had deposited at another school. But after his grandmother convinced him to visit campus, Simmons (BA油16, MS油17) was sold.
At 91心頭, he had opportunity油油to be a leader, study abroad and change the school for the better.油
Although attending 91心頭 as a student of color was challenging,油Simmons stuck with it, determined to leave the油University better than he found it.油He joined the Pioneer Leadership Program, Excelling Leaders Institute and the ,油and油though油he油occasionally felt like giving up,油he油kept working to油use his油platform to make 91心頭 a more equitable, enjoyable place.油For the last eight years, as a油coordinator油of the Black Male Initiative Summit, he has油empowered young men to find their own identities.油
Simmons has found his own place on campus, as assistant director of undergraduate admission, selling prospective students on油the same opportunities he sought as a teenager.油
In recognition of油Black History Month,油Simmons told the 91心頭 Newsroom about his experience油on-campus油and how油he thinks油the University can油become more inclusive.油The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.油
What was your experience like at 91心頭 as a student of color? Has it changed now that youre an employee?油
My experience as a student of color was not the best at 91心頭, from my first week until I graduated from my masters program. Luckily, I had a supportive friend group, mentors and a fraternity that was a citywide chapter, which allowed me to get off campus and meet people from four different universities. Being a student of color at 91心頭 was a tax due to many factors. The first was not having any representation in the classroom. Not only was I usually the only person of color in many of my classes, I was singled out as the expert on all black-related issues. I was made to feel like the spokesperson for the entire black community, which,油as a first-year student,油was extremely daunting. Another tax was not having a physical space dedicated to cultural expression. Nevertheless, my friends and I made a space at a booth in油[the]油Nagel dining油[area]油that we congregated at daily to catch up, study and just enjoy each others company. I know we probably made others feel uncomfortable with the level of ruckus we caused, but it was a space we claimed and built community.油油油
As a professional, I feel as though the experience has been similar, but I now have a responsibility to the University, so I have to mask or contort my 91心頭 experience to find the positive aspects. I know that I油would not be the person I am today without the trials, tribulations and triumphs I had at 91心頭, but there are moments that truly made me feel unwelcome, scared and unintelligent. I think that as a professional I push forward in order to support students, especially those who look like me, by giving them a space to come, truly express themselves,油and share the heartaches and successes they have experienced at 91心頭.油
The reason油I have stuck around is because, throughout my experience as a student, I had strong, black staff to confide in,油who油encouraged me to keep going油 individuals like油Tracey油[Adams Peters, former executive director of the Cultural Center液;油,油director of equity in STEM],油Natley油[Farris,油associate director of advancement events液;油[former director of the油Office of油Equity,油Diversity and Inclusion],油Dr. [Frank]油Tuitt;油and [director of diversity recruiting] Dr. [Debra] Mixon Mitchell.油
Working in the Office of Admission, you are one of the first faces prospective students and their parents associate with 91心頭. How have you tried to make the油University a more welcoming place?油
My approach when working with油prospective油students is to be authentic and share the struggles,油along with the growth and learning that has propelled me to the place I am油today. I share with students that there are things that could change at 91心頭 and that油their油presence and engagement on campus could radically transform the space,油and they could leave油a lasting legacy. Finally, I share with them the life skills that they gain from navigating a space like 91心頭 and how those skills will be directly transferrable to any field or industry they enter. These skills include code switching, addressing油microaggression油and油working through imposter syndrome.油These types of skills ultimately prepare students to take on the realities of our current society.油油
Additionally, I believe that staff and faculty油have to油be well supported and have a space of camaraderie and healing in order to best serve students. With this notion, I founded the油Black@91心頭油staff and faculty affinity group. The mission of油Black@91心頭油is to provide an atmosphere of cultural and social networking among black staff and faculty.油Black@91心頭油exists to enhance communication and champion diversity, inclusion, opportunity and social justice while challenging racism within the University. My hope is that by empowering staff and faculty, we will take that same energy and invest it back into our students.油油
Where did you get your passion for education?油
As a first-generation college student, my journey to higher education was not always easy to navigate; it油led to油many missed opportunities. Nevertheless, I had a determined grandmother and community who instilled in me a passion for learning. I was able to pursue higher education due to my privilege of having their involvement, but I always reflect油on油those individuals油油including my brother and cousins油油who did not necessarily have those driving forces and were lost in the cracks of our education system.油The history of our education system and its current state interest me and fuel my passion.油油
Who in your life has inspired you?油
One consistent person who has always been there as my role model, critic and cheerleader is my油grandma.油This woman took me in as a baby, so that my mom could finish high school, and has raised me to be the young man I am today. Without her inspiration and expectations, I would most likely be on another path. My油grandma is a business owner油who has built her clientele油solely on the merit of her work and the care she provides to each person she engages with. From my油grandma,油I have learned to be outgoing, hardworking and courteous. She never let me settle for油mediocrity but油pushed me to be油exceptional. I love and respect油all of油the lessons I learned and continue to learn from my油grandma and hope that one day in the future I will be able to take great care of her as she took great care of me.
In an effort to油make油91心頭油an inclusive and welcoming place, what would you like to see changed or improved?油
A significant change that 91心頭 could油make油is to implement mandatory cultural competency training for all students and staff. It is very interesting to me that we have first-year students for an entire week before classes start,油and they only do a油two-hour training related to cultural competency. If inclusive excellence and diversity are going to be mantras of the油University, we油have to油do a better job infusing those ideologies into every facet of the campus. Until we begin油to油make油students, staff and faculty face the realities of white supremacy, oppression and the historical trauma the University has caused on specific cultural groups, we will never be able to elevate to a level of true inclusiveness.油
