{"id":12247,"date":"2020-05-19T13:03:46","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T18:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=12247"},"modified":"2020-05-19T13:07:30","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T18:07:30","slug":"mocha-tea-recognized-for-supporting-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/mocha-tea-recognized-for-supporting-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Mocha Tea’ Recognized for Supporting Diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

When vice president for student life Nina Caldwell, EdD, arrived at Maryville<\/span>\u00a0University<\/span>\u00a0in 2004, she was keenly aware of her unique status as an African American woman on campus and in a leadership role.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Everywhere Caldwell turned, she saw few people who looked like her. Then, after she and vice president of enrollment Shani Lenore-Jenkins, who\u2019s also black, began meeting informally, other female African American staff joined them. Together, they supported each other professionally.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their bond began to extend into a more personal realm as they navigated th<\/span>eir\u00a0<\/span>workplace and the\u00a0predominantly white St. Louis County in which it\u2019s located.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about things like, \u2018Where can I go to get my hair done? Where can I buy pantyhose the color of my flesh? Where can I go to worship?\u2019\u201d Caldwell said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The group eventually became the Mocha Tea organization.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"In April, Mocha Tea received INSIGHT\u00a0<\/span>Into<\/span>\u00a0Diversity magazine’s 2020 Inspiring Affinity Group Award. The award honors programs that inspire and encourage higher education professionals to join a campus that features employee resource groups offering mentoring, collaboration, social networking opportunities and more.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis award speaks to the importance and value of the work that we do,\u201d Caldwell said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Women of Color in Professional Spaces\u2019<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPbegan drawing more diverse students by ramping up its emphasis on diversity, Mocha Tea launched three student groups: Latinas Unidas for Latinx students, Spilling the Tea for African American<\/span>\u00a0students<\/span>\u00a0and Boba Chai for Asian American<\/span>\u00a0students<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Mocha Tea,\u00a0<\/span>which serves faculty a<\/span>nd<\/span>\u00a0staff a<\/span>s well as\u00a0<\/span>students, now boasts 50 members. It provides support and programming for women of color through events including book clubs, lunch \u2018n learns and mental health talks on topics including coping with stress.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stress may stem from code-switching \u2014 having to alter one\u2019s authentic language or appearance to fit into different environments \u2014 and microaggressions, which may include someone touching another\u2019s hair. Stress also comes from being stereotyped, according to Mocha Tea committee member Ashley Storman, EdD, program coordinator for diversity and inclusion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike the stereotype of the \u2018crazy Latina,\u2019 or labeling Asians as \u2018the good girls,\u2019\u201d Storman said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Staff members like Storman serve as role models for diverse female students while offering practical support and mentoring.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it’s important for them to see women of color in professional spaces, to be able to put a face on that,\u201d Storman said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Eyeing the Future<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When diverse students don\u2019t see people like themselves in professional arenas, it makes it difficult to imagine their own futures, according to\u00a0<\/span>Maricella<\/span>\u00a0Reyes, also a program coordinator for diversity and inclusion, who identifies as Latina<\/span>\u00a0and serves as a Mocha Tea\u00a0<\/span>committee member<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be hard to find someone who relates to your story and your culture,\u201d Reyes said. \u201cAnd when you don\u2019t see that, it\u2019s hard to find a path to becoming that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Caitlin Ladd, \u201909, arrived at Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPto pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology, there was not yet a Mocha Tea group for female African American students like herself.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no sounding board, no safe space, no one to voice my concerns to,\u201d Ladd said. \u201cIt felt stifling.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that Ladd is Maryville\u2019s director of admission and advising for on-campus programs and strategic partnerships, she\u2019s providing that safe space as a mentor. One African American student came to her asking for help with changing her major. Through Mocha Tea, Ladd introduced her to a professor in the academic program she was considering.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf there had not been that professor to connect with, there may have been some concerns about the student possibly dropping out<\/span>\u00a0of school because of the lack of support<\/span>,\u201d Ladd said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Retention \u2014 of diverse students, staff and faculty \u2014 is an important goal of the organization, which in 2018 received Maryville\u2019s President’s Award for Strategic Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion. Mocha Tea leaders also presented at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) 2019 annual conference. This latest recognition from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine further shows that Mocha Tea fills an important need, according to Caldwell.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs these students become leaders, I hope they will create this kind of support in their future workplaces,\u201d Caldwell said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i>Love<\/span>0<\/span><\/span><\/a> <\/i> <\/i>