Message from the Director—December 2023
A Time for Reflection
From: Dr. Miguel Baique, Director of the David T. Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity in Arts, Sciences & Engineering
Dear Kearns Center Community,
As the fall 2023 semester and year come to an end, I want to remind you to find moments to pause, ‘look up’ and breathe. It is something I continue to remind myself, as I take time to reflect on this year.
The song Breathe from the Tony Award winning musical, In the Heights, has been on replay in my mind for several weeks now. It has made me think a lot about you, our students, and the pressures you may be feeling as the semester winds down. The song showcases the mix of emotions the protagonist – Nina – deals with as she struggles with the idea of returning home after leaving for college. Nina acknowledges the effort and sacrifices she made to leave her community to pursue higher education but questions whether the pursuit was worth it. This is exacerbated by the fact that she is the first in her family and one of few in her neighborhood to pursue post-secondary education. As these thoughts and emotions run through Nina, she seeks solace in the act of breathing as those moments allow her to gather herself; to find inner strength, resiliency, and perseverance.
Breathe depicts many of the emotions I felt as a first-generation college student, and maybe you feel too. The decision to pursue higher education can be challenging for a host of reasons. But those emotions you have don’t go away after you step onto campus. The college experience comes with many exciting but also perplexing moments. I am fortunate to witness prospective and current students, especially first-generation students, remain resilient through adversity, persevere with a hopeful mind and heart, and find success. I believe that finding a community that supports and encourages you can be one of the keys to success, especially throughout your transformational college experience. I hope that the Kearns Center has been that community for you this semester.
It was a privilege observing First-Generation Week at the University of Rochester during the week of November 6-10. From Dr. Joan Collier’s keynote address to the Kearns Center Student Leadership Awards, there was a central theme throughout all the events—community and support. Throughout the week, students gathered to celebrate being first-gen. Many explicitly claimed the value of having a community to lean on throughout their higher education (and life) journey. Many mentioned the Kearns Center playing a critical part in their perseverance, citing the overwhelming support they received from peers and staff in the Kearns Center (and other offices). As the Director of the Kearns Center, this gave me an immense amount of joy and hope. Community and support are what the Kearns Center has provided students for decades and will continue to do for years to come.
To all current and prospective students: I want to iterate the mission of the Kearns Center – transforming lives through educational opportunity. We strive toward this vision by implementing various interventions (i.e., courses, advisement, funding opportunities, community gatherings, etc.) and with all that we do, we promote love, care, success, and prosperity. The Kearns Center is here to support you; allow us to be part of your community.
Noted in one of my first messages this academic year, this fall semester brought about new “goals, priorities, and possibilities; opportunities to get involved and engaged; and moments to expand the bounds of knowledge creation through conversation, exploration and discovery.” Also noted in that message is the need to “pause, ‘look up,’ and ‘see what we’ve done and become”. As the Fall 2023 semester and the year ends, remember to find moments to pause, ‘look up’ and breathe. After finishing your finals, submitting applications, and being ‘home,’ remember to reflect and breathe. Find your inner strength, thank your community, and pursue next semester (and year) with a stronger force and identity. You got this and we got you!
Good luck and have a great holiday season.
Read previous messages from the director: