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Photo courtesy of Jacquis Watters

Growing with diversity: New Diversity Educator is ready to talk social identity, inclusivity and awareness

This fall semester has not only ushered in significant change to the Stevens landscape, but has also marked the welcoming of several new faces onto campus. One such face is Ms. Jacquis Watters, who will now be serving as Diversity Educator under the Division of Student Affairs.

Since beginning at Stevens in September, Ms. Watters is taking the time to learn and understand the culture and climate here on campus. She will be focusing on curriculum development in the upcoming months, particularly with Safe Zone training, where she is looking to focus on ally-development with a transgender-focus.

“The goal is within two to three years to create an office, whether it be the Office of Diversity or a diversity center,” said Watters, who has significant experience in Diversity and cultural development. Prior to her beginnings at Stevens, Watters served as the Assistant Director of the Office for Diversity and Intercultural development at Maryland Institute College of Art, where she gained ample experience in outreach and advocacy for members of the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized identities.

When asked how Stevens is doing regarding our push for diversity education and understanding, Ms. Watters attests that “there is a lot of room for growth.” She finds the climate at Stevens very similar to that of Hofstra University, where she completed her undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies. “These are conversations that generally students, faculty and staff are not having,” said Watters. “We are not analyzing our own identities [and therefore] are unable to see the privileges that we do carry which impact folks who are marginalized.”

Ms. Watters noted her recent presentation given at the Women’s Leadership Conference which focused on social identities and leadership. “Social identities impact us on a day-to-day basis in every context we place ourselves in,” said Watters. “Whether we are a fullt-time educator or full-time student, our social identities are always at play.” During her presentation, she asked the audience, mostly female undergraduate and graduate women, to highlight which of the big eight social identities – race, religion, class, sexuality, age, ability, ability, and gender – played the biggest role in different contexts. These types of activities spur discussion and force us to analyze who we are, which is what Ms. Watters is committed to leading in her new role as Diversity Educator.

Watters is committed to showing the Stevens community the significance of this type of education. “It would be great for students to have an understanding of basic terminology associated with the LGBTQ+ community or have awareness of how social identities work within an office space,” said Watters. Ms. Watters is excited to extend her knowledge to various groups on campus, including the Ethnic Student Council which she now advises as well as athletes to initiate conversations regarding toxic masculinity.

The door to awareness has been open for quite some time, but Ms. Watters is opening the door even further as a mean to foster meaningful dialogue and promote a much-needed sense of inclusivity.

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