THRIVE group seeks to empower, support women of color on campus

THRIVE is an affinity group on the CWU campus that creates a space to support and validate women of color, encouraging them to “show up unapologetically as their full selves” and develop leadership skills.

The presence of THRIVE has made a lasting impact across campus, and this year is no exception under the guidance of Rahel Mashawa.

“I have really enjoyed working for THRIVE,” says Mashawa, a program assistant in the CWU Department of Diversity and Social Justice. “When I joined, I knew this was a really tight-knit community, and being involved in the Equity Services Council (ESC) organization before, I really enjoyed that sense of community.”

In her role, Mashawa plans social gatherings and events to educate students and help them connect with other groups and resources. One such gathering was a tabling event in April that featured ESC members. Mashawa says the event was well attended and effective, while still offering an enjoyable atmosphere.

“I wanted to give the people of THRIVE a chance to learn more about the ESC if they're not already involved. It was essentially like the org fairs,” Mashawa says. “I set up the tables and it was super cool. People could walk around and meet all the orgs, and there was a scavenger hunt. I really enjoyed that because not only was it interactive, but because the people in the org who were tabling had fun, and the people who came had fun, too. It's kind of a hard balance to have something that's educational but also fun. I was really feeling the payoff when I left that meeting.”

THRIVE hosts monthly meetings and events in the Diversity and Equity Center, and occasionally on the lawn outside Black Hall, where they have hosted tie dye parties in the past.

THRIVE also welcomes women of color who are CWU faculty and staff members. Channas Stewman, a program support specialist in the Learning Commons, shared her positive experience and interactions while attending a recent THRIVE meeting after learning that faculty were invited, too.

“About 22 of us showed up, and there was quite a bit of faculty, and this was the first time of me meeting them,” Stewman says. “There was a staff member who was a Central student and had gone four years at Central without seeing any of our faces or knowing that we existed. We were all talking about how it's important to know someone who looks like you is here — someone who is on the faculty or staff here at Central.”

Stewman says she was particularly touched by one young woman who attended the meeting who said, “I want to be you,” noting how important these mentorship relationships are for students.

Beyond connecting the community through events, Mashawa seeks to continue the legacy of former THRIVE leader Jaeda Nelson (’22) with their social media outreach via the Instagram handle @CWUDiversity. The account’s content has a personal feel to it, sharing faces and voices of those who get involved in a way that serves to highlight the group’s impact.

Leading up the final THRIVE meetings of the spring, Mashawa says her goal as she prepares to hand the program is to entice younger students to get involved.

“For the rest of the meetings, I am really excited to get some last freshmen in that were maybe hiding during winter, get them to come to THRIVE so they're excited for next year,” Mashawa says. “I also hope to get the archive looking really good, so we have more pictures of our meetings, maybe more videos as well. My goal is to bring some people back in, bring in more freshmen, and definitely get more content to post.”

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Editor's note: Katherine Camarata was the University Relations student writer for winter and spring 2024.