One random summer day before classes commenced I received an email encouraging students to join a new program within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Bridging Opportunities in Leadership and Diversity, or in shorter terms, BOLD. This program literally changed my entire career goal!
Der Vang is the coordinator for BOLD and the Multicultural Liaison Officer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and she is AMAZING. Der Vang developed the idea of BOLD last summer and finally executed BOLD this past academic year.
So, what exactly is BOLD?
BOLD, remember stands for Bridging Opportunities in Leadership and Diversity, and it is a mentoring program that aids first year multicultural students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State. The program is made up of a total of around 80 students, 40 mentees, or first year students, and 40 mentors. I personally have had the opportunity to serve as a mentor and a student leader for BOLD.
I was able to mentor a first year student from Puerto Rico and I learned so much about her and her culture. When we met we loved sharing different aspects of our cultures because we both identify as Latinas. I shared with her my Mexican heritage and she shared her Puerto Rican heritage with me.
As a student leader for BOLD I collaborated with other BOLD student leaders and Der Vang to create social events for the entire BOLD cohort, which by the way were very successful. As a student leader, I personally was able to further my interest in educating others about social justice issues. As I previously mentioned in one of my past blogs, I was involved in NCORE, National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, where I learned a lot about various diversity and social justice issues. With the enormous help from Der Vang, I felt completely confident facilitating sessions and discussions about different topics and issues.
This opportunity was very unexpected, but has truly been one of the most amazing experiences for me at Iowa State. My leadership, facilitation, and even interpersonal skills improved a lot. With all of this being said, BOLD has definitely influenced my decision to attend graduate school for student affairs.
I hope to work in higher education advocating for social justice issues and inspiring first generation students to attend and complete their very own college career. And perhaps even inspire students to go into higher education – just how Der inspired me even more to do so!
I know I have had an amazing experience with BOLD, but I am not alone in how how I feel about this incredible student opportunity.
Spring 2015 BOLD Student Leaders, Cameron Thompson and TJ Khothisen"I appreciate BOLD because it gives multicultural students the opportunity to get involved ans start off their careers at Iowa State. One thing that I love about BOLD is the group of students involved in BOLD. It’s always a good time," said Cameron Thompson, one of the Spring 2015 BOLD Student Leaders.
Fellow Spring 2015 Student Leader TJ Khothisen also commented on his experiences with BOLD. "Through BOLD, I am thankful to be part of a positive community that chooses to embrace our differences and still be united. I’ve really enjoyed the social events," said TJ. He also said that he enjoyed how the social events were laid back so it was guaranteed that everyone had an amazing time!
To learn more about the BOLD program and how you can get involved, visit their website through the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. And be sure to check out the other programs that the LAS College has to offer in case BOLD may not be the best fit for you!
Posted by: Jazmin Murguia