Oct. 24, 2019
CWU-Des Moines takes the Lead Into Diversity
DES MOINES, Wash. — CWU’s Westside Student Life will present its inaugural “Lead Into Diversity” event on Saturday, November 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at CWU-Des Moines. It will be held in the Highline College Higher Education Center (Building 29). The event will include a series of workshops pertaining to general knowledge of diversity and inclusion, on a wide-range of topics from disabilities to social justice.
“The goal of the event is also to increase interest in diversity-based learning,” said Mishel Kuch, associate director of Westside Student Life. “The hope is that participants will hone their inclusivity leadership skills through diversity training, and gain new knowledge and skills that they will be able to incorporate into their careers.”
The workshops, which will take 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and those leading them, will be:
• “Lies You’ve Been Told About Diversity,” Wendy Holden, CWU Disability Services director;
• “Leading From Our Identities: Who Am I?” Iesha Valencia, Highline College associate dean for Student Life;
• “What If I Say the Wrong Thing?” Cynthia Engel, CWU Interdisciplinary Studies program director;
• “Building Community Through: Self-Reflection, Metacognition, Goal-Setting, and Inclusion,” Kelsey Hackney, educator; and Chimere Hackney, educator and The Evergreen State College 2018 PK-12 Distinguished Educator of the Year;
• “Safer Spaces, LGBTQ+ Education and Ally Ship,” Destiny Towrey and Leilani Salu, from the CWU Diversity and Equity Center; and,
• “Building a Classroom that Matters,” Dan Call, National Board Certified educator.
The conference is designed for students, teachers and other educational and business leaders, as well as community members. A Certificate of Completion in Diversity and Equity Training will be awarded to those completing the workshop.
Registration is required. The cost is $5 for the public. There is no charge for CWU students. To register, click here. For additional information, call 206-304-7283.
Lunch will be provided at 1:00 p.m. The keynote speaker will be Stephanie Dykes, North Seattle College executive director of Institutional Effectiveness. She has been a featured presenter at regional and national conferences, and on college and university campuses across the country, on women’s and gender studies.
Dykes has more than 30 years of experience in education, from pre-school to graduate school, and in business, including banking and marketing. In addition, she has worked for nearly a decade in institutional research.
CWU’s Westside Student Life works to ensure that CWU students studying at University Centers and instructional sites in western Washington develop a sense of campus community through diverse activities and events, student clubs, student leadership training and development, special graduation events, and through collaboration with community college partners. In addition, it offers support for non-traditional student populations and students with disabilities seeking accommodations.
CWU students in western Washington take classes at CWU-Des Moines, CWU-Lynnwood, CWU-Pierce County, CWU-Sammamish, CWU-JBLM (Joint Base Lewis-McChord) and online. Those University Centers and instructional sites provide upper division and graduate-level coursework leading to baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Day and evening classes are offered to accommodate the needs of time- and place-bound students.
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Media contact: Robert Lowery, Department of Public Affairs, director of Radio Services and Integrated Communications, 509-963-1487, Robert.Lowery@cwu.edu