COLLEGE PARK, MD (March, 2016) Two members of the Student Affairs faculty, Drs. Michelle Espino and Kimberly Griffin, will give two separate talks in early April as part of the ongoing Maryland Dialogues on Diversity and Community. Dr. Espino will speak on the subject of undocumented students, and Dr. Griffin will examine multiple identities and intersectionality on campus.
Dr. Espino will be joined by Cinthya Salazar, a doctoral student in the College of Education, and Yvette Lerma, coordinator of multicultural involvement and community advocacy at the Stamp Student Union, for a discussion of the unique dilemmas faced by and resources available to undocumented students and their families. This talk will provide strategies and interventions designed to support and enable the success of this emerging identity group in higher education. Part of the Student Affairs Diversity Initiative Indaba Series, Dr. Espino’s talk, “Undocumented Students: Dilemmas, Challenges, and Resources,” will take place on Tuesday, April 5, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Charles Carroll Room at Stamp.
Dr. Griffin’s presentation is entitled “The ‘Me’ You See: Examining Multiple Identities and Intersectionality in Campus Engagement.” While we know identity is full and multidimensional, many college students face rigid assumptions, stereotypes, and microaggressions based on one of their many identities. Dr. Griffin will introduce theoretical frameworks and research which can promote understanding of students’ experiences and management of their identities. This talk will take place on Wednesday, April 6, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Shoemaker Building, room 0114.
The Maryland Dialogues on Diversity and Community are a series of events, lectures, symposia, discussions, and listening sessions for faculty, staff, students, and alumni to help advance discussions of identity, difference, and commonality. An ongoing initiative that will highlight one aspect of the intersecting quality of diversity at a time, in their first year the Maryland Dialogues are emphasizing issues of race and racism, not in isolation but in relation to issues of gender, sexuality, class, ethnicity, language, religion, and disability, each of which will be the subject of future focus.
Click here to learn more about the Maryland Dialogues.
Dr. Michelle Espino is an assistant professor of student affairs in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education. Her contributions to student affairs administration and higher education focus on understanding how institutional cultures, policies, and practices as well as community contexts affect and inform educational achievement, outcomes, and experiences along the P-20 pipeline for racial/ethnic minorities, particularly for Latinas/os. She earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Kimberly Griffin is an associate professor of student affairs in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education. Prior to earning her doctorate at the University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Griffin worked in higher education administration, focusing on diversity recruitment, admissions, and retention. Her research primarily looks at the access, experiences, and outcomes of underrepresented communities in higher education; diversity within the Black higher education community; and the nature and influence of faculty-student relationships and mentoring.
Cinthya Salazar is a doctoral student in the College of Education.
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