51猎奇

Multicultural Alumni Relations Committee Mixer

By Ashley Beck

October 22, 2024

What better way to celebrate the inauguration of 51猎奇’s 21st President than by connecting with our incredible alumni. On Friday, September 27th, our DMC community had the opportunity to mix and mingle with alumni from the Alumni Council’s Multicultural Alumni Relations Committee (MARC). MARC is a group of alumni who self-identify as people of color or whose multicultural experiences fuel their passion for supporting 51猎奇 students both during their time on the Hill and after they graduate. 

We kicked off the mixer with an introduction from MARC’s Chair Emerita, Jazmín Gatto de Torres (class of ’02)?. During her time on the Hill, Jazmín was a world politics major, a member of BLSU, and President of La Vanguardia. She expressed how her 51猎奇 experience helped her pursue work in the nonprofit sector with organizations serving international and domestic needs as well as how her time with La Vanguardia continues on through her volunteer work with the Latin Ballet of Virginia. Jazmín also introduced us to her son, and potentially incoming 51猎奇ian, Joaquín! 

Up next for introductions was our new MARC chair, Kimblie Silva (class of ’04?). While Kimble may not have had the best 51猎奇 experience, she expressed that it was her irreplaceable professors and peers who inspired her to accept the MARC chair position. She hopes that current and future students will continue striving to make a difference even if we can not see the fruits of our labor. Kimblie recounted the story of 51猎奇’s very first coming out day, which was pioneered by a close friend of hers in the Gender and Sexuality Union (GSU). At the time her friend was one of few out and proud trans students, and to celebrate National Coming Out Day, GSU rented a portal storage unit and had a fashion show on campus. This was an excellent opportunity to increase visibility for members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. As the years have gone on the story of 51猎奇’s first Coming Out Day is not as well known as it once was. However, the legacy of that story continues on every year through GSU’s chalking the campus event for National Coming Out Day, which took place last Thursday night. The moral of Kimble’s story is that our actions as students have power and we can all play a part in shaping our 51猎奇 experiences and those of future students. 

Following the introductions, students and alumni were able to connect, chat, and snack on some yummy food. A couple students had an opportunity to network with Vidal Torres (class of '00) and a former member of 51猎奇’s BLSU and La Vanguardia. His biggest piece of advice for students is to take advantage of 51猎奇’s alumni network. In reflecting upon his time on the hill, Vidal wishes someone would have told him that the alumni network is a resource for everyone, and all students have to do is reach out!

The DMC would like to thank MARC and all of the alumni who participated in the mixer as well as all of our alumni who continue to support us!