Participant Perspective - Gema Lucero

Students taking part in the Council for Opportunity in Education Keith Sherin Global Leaders Program have been tasked with documenting one day out of their journey in The Hague, Netherlands.  

Gema is a student at the University of Utah.  She is a participant in the TRIO Student Support Services program. 

Blog Date:  July 15, 2019

Today we started the week with ECHO, the Centre for Diversity Policy. They introduced their program with an interactive discussion about inclusivity in higher education and what that looks like in our own communities. We were then introduced to Seneha, an activist and scholar who was working to make her own university a place with a diverse student body as well as a space for people of all backgrounds to feel like they can pursue an education without feeling discriminated against. After a quick break, we were introduced to another pair of activists who worked towards inclusivity, but focusing on Afro-students, who are usually the most overlooked group in universities. After listening to their presentation, we learned about their Afro-student association and what it means to be a person of color in Dutch society, especially when racist symbols still exist as a part of Dutch culture. Learning more about what POC face in Dutch society in comparison to American society was a great way to start the week, especially because we are now prepared to see the cities in the Netherlands that hold this history and rich culture that was inspired by people who are still oppressed to this day.