Rosine Mpozenzi Emily Kwen Brandon Reed

Your Voice Matters: Advocating for Collective Effort - E51-325

A workshop by Brandon Reed , Rosine Mpozenzi and Emily Kwen

Proudly supported by

About this Workshop

This workshop centers on conversations about students organizing to achieve institutional change. As student leaders, we believe that the greatest leverage students have to advocate is their numbers. The first-gen student experience can be characterized by a lack of a personal or family relationship that can support a student in navigating the college experience. And while many first-gen students experience the feeling of being alone in their struggle, being first-gen does not have to be inherently isolating. Coming together in collective action to create social changes in an attempt to build a better tomorrow for those after us is how we can be empowered in our first-gen journeys. In this session, we will explore how to find your voice and how to use that voice to engage in discussion and educate your community about the issues most important to you, as well as how to come together with others from your community to affect change. Workshop participants will reflect on the strengths and challenges of the first-gen experience, identify actionable strategies in student advocacy, and reflect on ways to make changes on their campuses.

About The Speakers

Brandon Reed

Brandon Reed

Undergraduate Student, University of Maine at Farmington


Rosine Mpozenzi

Rosine Mpozenzi

Undergraduate Student, Colby College


Emily Kwen

Emily Kwen

Undergraduate Student, Colby College