My life as what I call a “diplobrat” helped me aspire to be as much of a diverse human being as possible. I’ve lived in over six different countries and have adapted to and learned from even more cultures than I can count on my fingers and toes. Thanks to my Father’s job with State Department, I’ve been able to live and breathe with locals from India, Singapore, Greece, Niger, Colombia and of course the United States.

Adopted from Colombia and sent on a whirlwind adventure as the kid representing “Uncle Sam”, I’ve been able to act as a student Ambassador through out my whole life for diversity. With this experience, I’ve learned that no two people are the same, whether ethnically, racially, economically similar.

At the College, my role with diversity initiatives started before I was classified as a freshman, with the Preparing for Life as a University Student program in the summer of 2008. The program gave 40 students of the Class of 2012 a taste of what college life was going to be like. We lived in Giles Hall, had two classes, and lived the college dream. We also had an internship, and met many of the faculty and staff at the College. The two faculty members in charge of the program were Chon Glover and Vernon Hurte, who are very influential members of my life. Chon Glover, the Assistant to the President for Diversity and Community Initiatives, was the first faculty member I met when I first came to the College, and has become a huge role model for me at the College. Vernon Hurte and Margie Cook, the Director and Assistant Director (respectively) of the Center for Student Diversity also are influential people that help me with major issues as well as minor ones, that both are personal and job related.  With their help, I’ve even been able to adapt to my own American Culture that I missed when I grew up overseas.

I am extremely excited to start the year off with our 5K (Sept 18th) for our Socio-Economic Diversity Scholarship Fund, and continue the year with great events for the Student Body. With a successful Orientation, I see the Class of 2015 being an integral part of our bigger transformation into a better, diverse community.

For questions or comments, please feel free to email me at bemay@email.wm.edu

Hello! I am a junior at the College majoring in Finance with a minor in Economics. I’m involved in several campus organizations including the South Asian Students Association (SASA), Hindu Students Association (HSA) and One in Four. As the Vice President of both SASA and HSA, I believe I will be able to utilize my experience from those clubs to help reach out to other diversity organizations on campus. I’m also currently a Resident Assistant in Jefferson Hall for a freshman hall, as I enjoy working with new members of the community and helping them get acclimated to the campus scene. Lastly, I am involved with the Diversity Ambassador program that the Mason School of Business has initiated in order to generate opportunities for individuals in the Business Undergraduate program. I was very excited to join the Diversity Initiatives Cabinet of Student Assembly Executive, as I have always considered myself a diverse individual, whether from growing up in India for the first 10 years of my life or being involved in several groups during my time at the College. Outside of school, I really enjoy pretty much all sports, especially Cricket as a result of my Indian background and like to spend my free time keeping up with sports. I look forward to helping the Student Assembly outreach to other organizations on campus and publicize the different avenues for funding that are available to student groups.

My name is Alexa McDorman and I’m a junior from Waynesboro, Virginia.  I’m majoring in Psychology with a Literary and Cultural Studies minor, and plan to do social work for a year before attending law school.  In addition to Student Assembly, I’m a member of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity, the Women’s Choir, and the William and Mary Scholar Undergraduate Research Experience (WSURE) Program. In my position, I am the voice of socio-economic issues and diversity in the Student Assembly. My purpose is to increase campus awareness of socioeconomic diversity and what it means, as well as to provide support to low income students.

My name is Kathleen Murphy and I am a member of the class of 2012. I am a International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies double major. I’m involved in several campus organizations such as the Rowing Team, Honor Council and Spotswood society. I’m also a fan of running around Colonial Williamsburg, getting ice cream and watching old movies.  I decided to join the Cabinet because I am a large proponent of religious diversity due to growing up outside the United States. I learned how valuable it can be to look outside my comfort zone, but also how hard it can be to reach out of that comfort zone. I’m here to help bridge the gap so all William and Mary students can learn about new religions and beliefs. The purpose of my job is not limited to helping  students who already practice a religion, but it also extends to those who question religion and those who do not practice a religion. Let me know if you have suggestions or ideas about how to expand the religious dialogue on campus.

My name is Bronwen, and I’m excited to be the Undersecretary for International Affairs this year.  I’m currently a master’s student in the School of Education, studying higher education administration with a focus on international student affairs.  I’ve always been interested in working with international students and traveling, and I have lived, traveled, and studied abroad many times.

International students play an important role in the diversification and internationalization of the College.  I’m looking forward to working with the staff at the Reves Center to improve their experience.  One of the ways I hope to do this is to help integrate international students more into the student body, so they are not only experiencing events and activities offered through the Reves Center, but are aware of other events and groups on campus for student involvement.  I would like to work with the Admissions Office to help increase the appeal of the College to attract more international students, as well as looking forward to working with other offices and departments to ensure the needs of these students are met.

Hello! I am a junior at the college and am finishing up the pre-med track and majoring in Public Health. My parents are both natives of Colombia but also have family roots tracing back to India(dad) and Lebanon(mom). Growing up within this melting pot of backgrounds and in the multi-faceted Washington D.C. gave me an appreciation for the many cultures, backgrounds, and my favorite- the range of gastronomic delights of our oh so multi ethnic DC metro area.

My name is Kim Green. I am from Orangeburg, South Carolina. I love music, spoken word, Chinese food, the color green, William and Mary, good movies, and good times with cool people. My favorite thing to do on campus is to wander. There are so many places to go on campus not to mention the fact that we have a law school. There’s also almost always something going on so when I’m not consumed with schoolwork there’s usually an event I can go to.

I’m in the SA because between my junior and senior year in High School I attended two programs: Palmetto Girls State and Girls Nation. These two programs helped me to realize that I could transform my empathy into action. My position as Undersecretary of LGBT Issues entails that I work with the Undersecretary of Residence Hall Policy on Gender Neutral Housing options and work on ways to support major LGBT initiatives.

I want to ensure that all differences among students, faculty, and administration are recognized. Whether these differences are because of race, religion, ethnicity, disability, financial backgrounds, meal preference, gender preference, or sexual preference they are all somehow interrelated and affect every asset of this community. My main goal is to help established organizations on campus guarantee that all students feel comfortable and meaningful.