SGA’s New Secretary for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ALEXYAH DETHVONGSA ’22 BY L AUR A HARDIN ’22
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he pandemic has placed unique demands on students serving as secretary for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for the Saint Michael’s College Student Government Association (SGA). Alexyah Dethvongsa ’22, presently serving in that role, is grateful for the support she is receiving from her predecessor, Ashley DeLeon ’23.
“The goal of the DEI secretary is to make sure that all communities on campus are heard, while making sure the campus is promoting an equitable community,” said Dethvongsa. With an outline of her initiatives for this year, Dethvongsa hopes to educate the community and create a master list of connections for staff and students. “We as a community work together to solve problems
related to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” she said. “There are a lot of clubs and individual students on campus that care. We have the resources…. So, really, it’s just about making sure that we create and build those working connections to move forward with what we want our campus to look like,” she said. “I want to give students resources to educate themselves on ideas such as, ‘how do I break down my implicit biases?’ and ‘how do I make an equitable community for people?’” she said. “My main idea is to create a quarterly newsletter to keep up with those constant resources.” Dethvongsa hopes that when people look to move forward next year, these connections will be a foundation for positive things in the future.
Alexyah Dethvongsa ’22, speaking at a community event against bias.
“Thanks to Ashley, that sense of community is so strong,” said Dethvongsa. “So, moving forward, I would like all DEI positions across campus to be able to lean on each other for support. My goal is to create clear and consistent connections to resources.” DeLeon is happy that she found a way to educate the community without contributing to any coronavirus outbreaks outbreaks on campus. For her, the position meant fostering a sense of community at a very difficult time. DeLeon moved on to become the SGA’s secretary for student life. “I can think of no one better than Alexyah to fill this position,” said DeLeon, “and after the pandemic, there is an even bigger opportunity to open up more conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
