Graduate Students of Color Association Builds Community Among Minoritized Students

“The thought of one became the dream of five,” said Jamal-Jared Alexander, the principal founder of Utah State University’s Graduate Students of Color Association (GSCA). Alexander’s desire to implement more specific resources for multiply marginalized or underrepresented (MMU) graduate students has turned into a successful association established by five prominent scholars with one goal: to enhance campus life for MMU graduate students through political, social, academic, emotional, and cultural support.

At a predominantly white institution (PWI) like Utah State University, it is so important for MMU students to receive tailored support and to be part of a community with a strong sense of belonging. With USU’s resources historically designed around the undergraduate experience, GSCA is bridging the resource gap for MMU graduate students who need more specific resources tailored to their needs.

“We were answering a call to fill a gap here at USU where MMU graduate students with different intersections of identity weren’t getting specific-enough resources,” said Alexander. “Although we have a great partnership with the Inclusion Center, the Inclusion Center has historically been more centered around undergraduates and their needs. However, there were certain resources we as graduate students needed, so we became the answer to our own problems with this association in hopes of providing insider knowledge to the next generation of MMU graduate students.”

Not only is GSCA contributing to the university’s mission of promoting diversity, inclusion, and respect, but they are effecting substantial change in the climate at USU for MMU students.

Since its establishment in fall 2020, GSCA has grown into an association of more than 50 members. This is due in part to GSCA’s many retention initiatives and programs aimed toward building a sense of belonging and community among graduate students of color. To better support this goal and the overall well-being and success of MMU graduate students, GSCA created three pillars of membership activities: Community-Based Healing, Launching Aggies, and Social Action.

Community-Based Healing is an opportunity for GSCA members to engage in both individual and communal healing. The association often partners with other entities on campus including SAAVI and the Inclusion Center.

Launching Aggies focuses on professional development and mentorship opportunities. These activities include a variety of professional writing workshops (e.g., academic, industry, non-profit, etc.), mock interviews, forums, and trainings all aimed toward helping students enhance their professional skills to increase their marketability in the post-graduation job market as MMU professionals. GSCA members also have access to a national network where they communicate, collaborate, and work with other minoritized groups from universities across the nation.

Social Action events are aimed toward increasing the visibility of disparities amongst minoritized groups in graduate school. This pillar includes educating and informing graduate programs, departments, colleges, and the university as a whole on how certain policies and procedures have been (and continue to be) disruptive or oppressive to MMU graduate students—which often include students of color, international students, first-generation students, and other intersections of identity.

GSCA incorporates all three pillars into writing sessions, retreats, workshop brunches, bi-weekly lunches, monthly movie nights, social gathering, and more. However, its’ important to note that membership in the organization is not all business. Being a part of GSCA also means joining a community in which minoritized students can talk about day-to-day experiences and celebrate the accomplishments of each member—which connects back to the Community-Based Healing pillar and is vital to building social capital and a sense of belonging.

“There’s this outpour of community, love, and celebration,” said fellow founding member Amand Hardiman in regard to the different GSCA communication channels. “We recognize people’s birthdays, celebrate accomplishments (awards, publications, dissertation proposals, and defenses) and those who are up for a job promotion or interview.”

Although GSCA hopes their association will help MMU students succeed academically and professionally, they also hope to see students thrive holistically. Hardiman explained that one of their biggest successes is helping just one person feel that they have a community of support:

“At one of our writing retreats, one member shared what their experience has been, and they put it well. They said, ‘It’s nice to look around and see people that look like me and have similar experiences as me that can help me navigate the terrain of this institution and know that I’m not by myself.’ That to me is a huge victory any time we can make one student feel like they’re not alone. That’s why we’re growing. People want to belong and to feel that they belong.”

General membership is open to all Cache Valley communities and members without regard to race, creed, sex, national origin, handicap, or religion. However, GSCA will place focus on the experiences and development of students of color. To learn more, please visit the GSCA website.