May 2019 · Columbia University
In 2019, I received Columbia University’s Multicultural Affairs Graduation Cord, an undergraduate recognition presented to graduating students whose work demonstrates sustained commitment to inclusion, global diversity, social justice, multiculturalism, and community building.
Columbia’s Multicultural Affairs office describes the cord as recognizing students whose contributions may come through campus leadership, activism, community involvement, academic work, service, personal dedication, and coalition building.
Recognition for community-centered leadership
That description closely reflects the range of work I was doing across Columbia at the time: student leadership, mentoring, community engagement, teaching, advising, editorial work, and service-oriented programming. Much of that work crossed organizational boundaries and depended on building communities where students could find resources, contribute, and participate more fully.
The cord was not tied to a single event or project. It recognized a broader pattern of involvement and contribution across my undergraduate years.
Why I include this recognition
I include it here because it documents an important through-line in my work: making institutions and learning environments more navigable, inclusive, and useful to the people they serve. That principle later carried into my work in education, workforce development, career services, curriculum, and program design.
Read Columbia’s description of the Multicultural Affairs Graduation Cord