Navigating Intersections: Examining Gaps & Building Bridges in Our Diverse Community In-Person
Overview
The "Navigating Intersections: Examining Gaps and Building Bridges in Our Diverse Community" conference is a dynamic one-day event, designed to bring together Red Hawk staff, faculty, and administrators, to explore strategies for healing, renewing, supporting, and respecting the emotional well-being of Montclair students. Through engaging dialogues, interactive workshops, panel discussions, and consultations, attendees will delve into topics such as intersectionality, belonging, fostering inclusive campus communities, integrating mental health support into academic programs, equity gaps and mental health disparities, basic needs insecurity, and interfaith dialogue and healing. The conference aims to equip our community with practical tools and insights to create a more compassionate and supportive college environment, empowering students to thrive and succeed, academically, socially, and personally. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Invited Keynote Speaker and Consultant
Dr. David Rivera, a national advisor to The Steve Fund and associate professor of Counselor Education at Queens College-CUNY, will provide a historical understanding of diverse groups, examine the intersectionality of identities, and assist us in building a foundation on which we can understand one another and create a community of empathy, support, and compassion.
Breakout Rooms 3-4:30
Please indicate which breakout room you plan to attend on the registration form.
1. “Basic Needs Insecurity: Increasing Awareness of Systemic Barriers & Supporting Student Success” - This interactive session will provide an overview of factors contributing to basic needs insecurity and identify resources that can assist students in overcoming barriers. Presenters will share compelling data that will empower attendees to support students by building rapport, creating healthy relationships, and encouraging students to recognize and utilize their personal agency in order to achieve their goals.
Arian Craig, M.A.M.F.T. (Student Support Services Case Manager/Program Coordinator for Red Hawk Fellows Program, Dean of Students Office; M.H.F.A.I.)
Tabitha L. Riley (Academic Program Coordinator, University College)
2. “Intersectionality & Belonging” - Understanding the complexity of students’ intersecting identities and how this can impact their sense of belonging is crucial. This panel will explore diverse intersecting identities as they relate to student belonging. Our goal is to move our community towards creating more inclusive spaces where students can be their full selves, in and outside of the classroom.
Dr. Laura Quiros (Associate Professor, Social Work and Child Advocacy, College of Humanities and Social Sciences)
Jonnine DeLoatch (Director, Office of Student Belonging, Student Development and Campus Life)
Sabriya Williams (Associate Director, Office of Student Belonging, Student Development and Campus Life)
3. “Healing in Solidarity: Interfaith Conversations” - This workshop will focus on building essential tools for creating positive engagement within our diverse campus community. Presenters will share concepts and strategies learned at the 2024 Interfaith Leadership Summit, focused on pluralism, bridgebuilding, and interfaith engagement in higher education. We hope to facilitate opportunities to engage in healing, connecting, listening to understand, and respecting other perspectives, in order to learn and grow from one another.
Dr. Sudha Wadhwani (Staff Psychologist, Coordinator of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Initiatives, CAPS)
Darius W. Edwards (Assistant Director, Office For Social Justice and Diversity)
4. “Campus/Systems Level Consultation with Dr. David Rivera (Only for Administrators/Deans/Managers)” - Red Hawk administrators and managers will gather to discuss implementing systems-level changes to improve mental health support and overall campus climate. The consultation will focus on identifying key areas for intervention, including infusing mental health supports across campus, integrating mental health education into the curriculum, and creating more inclusive spaces for learning and connection. Participants are advised to come prepared with specific questions and related scenarios.
Moderated by: Dr. Jaclyn Friedman-Lombardo (Director, Counseling and Psychological Services, CAPS)
This conference is brought to you by Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) and
supported by the Mental Health in Higher Education and Professional Development Grant.
Please contact Ivana Drazin Ivelja with any questions about the event.
- Date:
- Monday, October 21, 2024
- Time:
- 9:15am - 4:30pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- University Hall: 7th Floor
- Audience:
- Community Faculty Leaders Instructors Staff
Dr. David P. Rivera is an associate professor and coordinator of the graduate programs in mental health and school counseling at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY), where he is also the Founding Director of the CUNY LGBTQI Student Leadership Program. He holds degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Wyoming. His professional experience includes college counseling, higher education administration, and consultations on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Dr. Rivera has worked at a variety of institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Prince George’s Community College, and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.
A counseling psychologist, his research is guided by critical theories and social justice frameworks and explores cultural competency development and issues impacting the marginalization and wellbeing of people of color and oppressed sexual orientation and gender identity groups, with a focus on microaggressions. He has published books, journal articles, and book chapters in various areas of multicultural psychology, education, and social justice, and his latest co-edited books, the award-winning Affirming LGBTQ+ Students in Higher Education and Critical Theories for School Psychology and Counseling: A Foundation for Equity and Inclusion in School-Based Practice were released in 2022. Dr. Rivera holds leadership positions with The Steve Fund, the American Psychological Association, the Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, and the Council for Opportunity in Education. Dr. Rivera is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and has received national honors from the American College Counseling Association and the American College Personnel Association.