Getting Involved
We welcome all students who are excited to participate and engage with CID! To be regularly informed of CID-sponsored events, opportunities, and experiences, we invited you to sign-up to receive information from our opt-in General and/or Identity-Based .
By opting into the CID General Listserv, you will receive access to a shared calendar of events hosted by CID.
Pillar Initiatives
CID hosts many initiatives throughout each academic year. These pillar initiatives are research-based strategies aimed at supporting students navigating from their first day of school to the graduation stage. By participating in the initiatives below, students will build upon their cultural wealth, enhance individual development, and assist in their academic progression.
The research-based practices that students have the opportunity to engage in are:
- Peer Mentor Initiative
- Identity-Based Transformative Learning Experiences
- Twin Cities Immersive Experiences
- Speaker Series
- 5th Week Assessment
- Microgrants
Peer Mentor Initiative
Overview
The Peer Mentor Initiative matches mentees from the College for Women, College for Adults, and Graduate College with a peer mentor who will support and guide the mentees through their collegiate experience. The focus of the initiative is to help mentees grow their cultural wealth with an emphasis on identity-based learning and intercultural experiences. The mentee will meet with their peer mentor weekly, participate in campus events, attend workshops, and establish critical networks to support their education and career goals.
Being a peer mentor allows you to share your experience and knowledge with a student while helping them navigate St. Kate. This position offers support, assistance, and education for students across all three colleges: College for Women, College for Adults, and the Graduate College. Peer mentors serve as role models demonstrating the value of fostering relationships and promoting social justice. Peer mentors are responsible for cultivating a safe and inclusive environment with a core objective of facilitating cultural capital initiatives. For information related to becoming a Peer Mentor, please review the current Peer Mentor Information Packet.
How to become a Mentee
Students across all three colleges: College for Women, College for Adults, and the Graduate College are eligible to become a Mentee. All Mentees will have one-on-one support from a trained and experienced Mentor. Mentees will meet with their Mentors on a weekly basis. Additionally, Mentees will also receive support from the Peer Mentor Initiative supervisors. The Peer Mentor Initiative provides a space where Mentors and Mentees can create connections and grow on a personal and professional level. The Mentee application will open mid July for three weeks. Every application will be thoroughly reviewed and successful applicants will be notified of their acceptance mid August before the start of the fall semester.
Apply to be a Peer Mentor
Being a Peer Mentor is an opportunity for you to share your experience and knowledge with a student while helping them navigate St. Kate.This position offers support, assistance, and education for students across all three colleges: College for Women, College for Adults, and the Graduate College. Peer Mentors serve as role models who demonstrate a value of fostering relationships and promoting social justice. As a Peer Mentor are responsible for cultivating an inclusive environment with a core objective of facilitating cultural wealth initiatives. The Mentor application will open in mid-Spring semester.
Identity-Based Transformative Learning Experiences
Throughout the year, staff will host an incredibly broad range of identity-based learning experiences that will enable students to create new friendships, learn outside of the classroom, and ultimately gain a greater sense of belonging on campus that uplifts historically marginalized identities. These on-campus experiences create and maintain spaces for students to experience a positive campus climate.
Twin Cities Immersive Experience
Our campus is situated within the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, MN. Given our close proximity to every corner of Minneapolis and St. Paul, students can participate in a set of curated culturally immersive experiences throughout the Twin Cities.
In alignment with research-based practices, CID staff will lead a small group of students off-campus in culturally immersive experiences that will enable students to explore various cultures and customs, life experiences, and worldviews similar and different from their own. These experiences are centered around student learning, student identity development, and students gaining greater awareness of building upon their cultural wealth.
The CID Speaker Series showcases emerging and prominent leaders dedicated to anti-racist work through their scholarly research, practitioner experiences, and/or broader leadership endeavors. Invited guests will represent a range of experiences, and their sessions will align with the CID mission and values.
These events are ultimately designed to be inspiring, engaging, and thought-provoking to the St. °µÍø½ûÇø campus community in order to continue to build upon existing expertise in order to develop the greatest campus experience for our students, particularly those holding intersecting marginalized identities.
Students directly affiliated with CID will participate in the 5th Week Check-in. During the 5th week of the semester, affiliated students will receive a notification from a CID staff to set-up an individual check-in. The check-in will prompt students to understand where they stand academically and reflect on their community engagement and overall well-being. It will specifically create an opportunity to review faculty feedback, academic and social progress, understanding of campus resources, and strategies for collective problem-solving and reflection.
Microgrants
CID proudly promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the student experience. St. Kate’s microgrants seek to build an equitable, supportive, and inclusive experience that promotes student success, particularly for those who hold intersecting marginalized identities, with an emphasis on racial identity. These microgrants may be used to initiate new projects that promote a positive campus climate, sense of belonging, well-being, and/or academic success.
These events are ultimately designed to be inspiring, engaging, and thought-provoking to the St. °µÍø½ûÇø campus community in order to continue to build upon existing expertise in order to develop the greatest campus experience for our students, particularly those holding intersecting marginalized identities.
Eligibility
St. °µÍø½ûÇø full-time students (undergraduate and graduate) may apply. Students are strongly advised to apply with a faculty or staff mentor. If you would like assistance in finding a faculty or staff mentor based on your topic of interest, please email CID@stkate.edu.
Awards
There will be three Microgrants awarded in the 2023-2024 academic year totaling $1,500. Awards will be based on the proposal, with a minimum award of $300. Awards will be distributed in Spring 2024, and funds must be used by May 15, 2024.
Past Award Recipient | Gabrielle Agbenyiga
In Spring 2023, Gabrielle Agbenyiga (she/her) received a $1,000 microgrant as the inaugural CID grant recipient. She embarked on an immersive research study in Senegal during the summer of 2023. During the 2023-2024 academic year, Gabrielle will analyze her research and present her findings to the campus community.
Project Title: Qualitative Research Study: What are the Methods and Impacts of Supporting Rural Community Development? A focus on Women’s Nutrition and Food Access, Financial Literacy, and Economic Independence in Rural Senegal.
Signature Events
CID is proud to lead collaboration efforts to host signature events, which will vary from year to year. Signature events are large-scale initiatives occurring once an academic year and are intentionally designed to provide a greater depth of experience with one's learning, community, and celebration. Signature events may include, but are not limited to:
Social Justice Leadership Retreat An annual off-campus, overnight event designed to transform participant’s identity and social justice development. This immersive experience is designed to empower students to center their identities as they continue to lead and influence throughout their current and future endeavors. Note: this event is currently being planned for Fall 2024.
CID Celebration of Achievement
An annual event intended to truly celebrate the academic accomplishments of Baccalaureate graduates who hold intersecting marginalized identities. This event will occur between April and May of the Spring semester.
Notice of Nondiscrimination
All student clubs and organizations recognized by the University are open to all students at St. Kate's regardless of race, age, ethnicity, religion, gender, ability, veteran status, and all other protected classes of identity. Additionally, all offices and resources at St. °µÍø½ûÇø provides support and services to all students, faculty, and staff. All are welcome!