Center for IDEAS Director

Angélica Carrington is the new director of the Center for Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Social Change at Ithaca College. Brooke Vogel/The Ithacan

ANGÉLICA CARRINGTON BECOMES THE FIRST FEMALE DIRECTOR OF THE COLLEGE’S CENTER FOR IDEAS

BY RILEY GARAND

Since January 2022, Angélica Carrington has been working as the new director of the Center for Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Social Change (IDEAS) at Ithaca College.

According to an announcement made by the college in November 2021, Carrington is the frst woman to lead the Center for IDEAS since its founding in 2018 and the third permanent director in the center’s history. She succeeds RahK Lash, who was the former director of IDEAS who left the college in March 2021.

Contributing writer Riley Garand spoke to Carrington and learned more about her life and her new role at the Center for IDEAS.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Riley Garand: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your background? Angélica Carrington: So I’m originally from Laredo. It’s a border city in south Texas. I’m Mexican American and so I grew up on the U.S. side. However, my mother’s family, they’re from Mexico. … I went to college at Texas State University. … I originally wanted to be a lawyer and then realized after I interned at one of the only Spanish-speaking frms in Austin it’s not what I wanted to do. So I spoke to my mentors and they were like, “We have been telling you about the student affairs program,” and I signed up the week it was due, made it work, got everything in, and it was the best decision I ever made.

RG: What gravitated you toward choosing IC and the Ithaca College community as well as the IC Center for IDEAS? AC: Honestly this position is my dream job. … I’ve heard great things about IC. I have had colleagues go to IC and enjoy it. … It’s smaller. It’s more collaborative. It’s less siloed, which is very much my jam because I collaborate a lot. … It just aligned with what I wanted to do, which is to create spaces that are more inclusive, advocate for services and resources that are more equitable for the students to navigate.

RG: Who were some of your biggest inspirations and infuences? AC: My person, who I don’t even know if they know that they infuenced my life as a professional special in higher ed, is Michael Benitez Jr. He is the VP of D&I [Offce of Diversity and Inclusion] at Metro State University of Denver. … Seeing his career jet after he fnished his doctorate, hearing him speak, how he speaks has always just been so infuential. … Then obviously other women of color that I have seen speak in different conferences such as Angela Davis and — rest in peace — bell hooks. They kind of jetted me to want to be an advocate. RG: What does it mean to be the director for the IC Center for IDEAS? AC: Advocating and creating places for students has really been at the forefront of all the work I’ve done. … Being the director for the Center of IDEAS is kind of the dream. Being in a space where I have some resources to get the work done, have a phenomenal team with me on this and amazing students who are a part of the offce as well. … [It’s] a place for students who want to fnd somewhere where they can feel validated when things aren’t going the way that they hoped at the institution, to feel heard.

RG: What are some of your goals within your new position in the next few months and in the long term? AC: I am just trying to listen for now, my husband calls it a listening tour, which is very much … like trying to piece together the previous leadership and the direction they were taking the space, trying to fgure out why they went into the direction that they went and also listening to others on campus through leadership. … I am very honest in listening to that because I have a lot of ideas. However, if I don’t listen to what the students actually want and need and what our collaborators see as opportunities, then I am not doing the space justice.

THE COLLEGE’S MARTIN LUTHER KING SCHOLAR PROGRAM AND FIRST-GENERATION PROGRAM GET NEW DIRECTOR

BY OLIVIA STANZL

Shadayvia Wallace is the new program director of both the Martin Luther King (MLK) Scholar Program and First-Generation Program at Ithaca College.

In past years, the two programs were run separately, but Wallace offcially took position as the director of both programs Aug. 16 following the departure of RahK Lash, previous director of the Center for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Social Change (IDEAS) and of the MLK Scholar Program in Spring 2020. Each year the college supports 60 total MLK Scholars and hundreds of frst-generation students.

The MLK Scholar Program is a stand-alone program with a $25,000 scholarship. This program allows students to study civil and human rights and develop case studies in global justice. Under the leadership of faculty, students are challenged and supported to develop their reach and impact in Tompkins County, according to its website.

The college has a number of resources for its frst-generation students, including a residential learning community, a pre-semester program and the First Generation Organization, which provides frst-generation students with news, opportunities and events. During the 2020–21 academic year, over 600 frst-generation students were enrolled at the college.

Wallace spent the previous four years at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, where she was the program coordinator for the Offce of Inclusive Excellence and Global Education, after serving as area director. After earning a B.A. in political science and history and a minor in communication from Keuka College, Wallace received her M.S. from Syracuse University.

Originally, she said she planned to attend law school, but after being nominated to become a student mentor her senior year of college, she began to notice the passion that she had for higher education.

“I soon recognized that during my college career, I was heavily involved on campus participating in numerous initiatives within our Multicultural Offce and student equity and belonging and religious and spiritual life, led the search process for the program director position. Osorto said the college believes frst-generation students and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) students will receive the increased attention that they deserve if the departments are run by the same director. He said the college wanted someone who is passionate about their students, experienced with collaboration and has an inclination to take risks. “Wallace’s commitment to student voices stood out to me,” Osorto said via email. “First-gen and BIPOC students have important stories to tell, and her hard work and track record make me confdent that she will honor her students’ experiences.” Senior Olivia Carpenter, who has been a part of

“Wallace’s the MLK Scholar Program since her freshman year at the college, said she hopes Wallace commitment will bring positive change to the program. to student “I would like to see the program itself become more active again,” Carpenter voices stood out said. “In the chaos of the pandemic, to me.” we all had to take some time to be OK. Hopefully this semester, we are all able to get together again and have the kind of -Hierald Osorto conversations we had in my earlier years at the college.” Carpenter credits the program for shaping her into who she is today. She said the coursework inspired her to start her business, Via’s Cookies, which donates a portion of its profts to struggling Black, Indigenous, people of color and LGBTQ students. “Having a community of like-minded individuals with a passion for social justice has kept me pushing to be the best person I can be,” Carpenter said. “I’m constantly questioning the world and my own environment — looking at what I can do better for the community.”

Junior Laura Avila, vice president of First Generation Organization, has been a part of the program for two years. She also credits her membership as having a positive infuence on her life. “Being a part of frst-gen has provided me with a myriad of friendships and resources, which made a substantial difference in my adjustment to college … as well as my outlook on college education as a whole,” Avila said via email.

Wallace said she is eager to settle into her new position and plans to grow both programs’ social media presences. Wallace said she believes this will help to create and maintain a connection with alumni, highlight current students and excite incoming students with their opportunities. Wallace also said she intended to take the 2021–22 academic year as an opportunity to learn, observe and connect in order to align the program goals accurately to what students need on campus.

“Because the MLK Scholar and First-Generation programs have specifc populations that I am working with, I want to create programming and initiatives that would best support these groups of students,” Wallace said via email. “To me, that means that I need to take the time to meet with the students and campus collaborators to see what gaps are within each program and refect on viable ways to fll them.”

Activities and Student Affairs offces as a work-study student,” Wallace said via email. “All of my experiences shaped my desire to be in a career that was in service for others. Higher education just became that vessel for me.”

Hierald Osorto, former executive director of

Shadayvia Wallace is the new director of the Martin Luther King Scholar Program and First-Generation Program at the college. Ash Bailot/The Ithacan