{"id":209938,"date":"2019-06-12T09:57:41","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T13:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=209938"},"modified":"2019-06-12T11:34:03","modified_gmt":"2019-06-12T15:34:03","slug":"moving-poem-captures-spirit-of-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2019\/06\/12\/moving-poem-captures-spirit-of-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving Poem Captures Spirit of Diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the making of the video poem\u00a0“There is More to Me,”\u00a0<\/a> Montclair State student poets and filmmakers have fused voice and vision to foster campus values of acceptance and tolerance. The collaborative effort was created as part of the Presidential Scholars experience and focuses on the questions:<\/p>\n

Who am I?<\/em>
\nWhat do you see?\u00a0<\/em>
\nWhat do you think?\u00a0<\/em>
\nHow do I make you feel?<\/em><\/p>\n

Portraits layered with diverse voices create a culture of inclusion:<\/p>\n

I am more than an identity marker<\/em>
\nDeeper than the color of my skin<\/em>
\nI am a mosaic of life experience<\/em>
\nI am nuanced, complex, unable to define<\/em>
\nMy body is not a text\u00a0<\/em>
\nAnd I am more than just a sign\u00a0<\/em>
\nI am valid\u00a0<\/em>
\nI am unique\u00a0<\/em>
\nAnd I am worthy of a voice<\/em><\/p>\n

The poetry was composed by Mary\u00a0Boudaher, Alexandria Cruz, Christina Giordano, Amber Gonzalez and Julia Radley,\u00a0members of the first class of Presidential Scholars at Montclair State, a cohort of highly motivated students who experience shared coursework in specialized learning communities.<\/p>\n

\"Presidential<\/figure>\n

Being academic, cultural, research-driven and career-focused, the Presidential Scholars program provides a \u201ctransformative opportunity,\u201d says David Hood, the associate provost for Undergraduate Education who oversees the program. The scholars receive financial support and represent about 10 percent of the Class of 2022, with a new cohort of more than 300 students expected in the fall.<\/p>\n

The inaugural class closed out the academic year with a Writing Symposium to share work created across a variety of disciplines, much of it based on the reading of a common book, the Pulitzer-winning The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History<\/em>, and their own multi-modal research examining the relationships between humans and nature.<\/p>\n

Ramatulai Senghor was drawn to the theme of human-made climate change destroying the planet\u2019s ecosystem, a compelling message made all the more powerful by the discussion on campus with the author of The Sixth Extinction<\/em>, science writer Elizabeth Kolbert.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy project focused on how we only have 12 years to save the planet before we face irreversible consequences as a result of climate change, and how both political parties haven’t responded to the crisis,\u201d says Senghor, who is enrolled in the BA\/MA program for Jurisprudence, Law and Society. \u201cI made sure to add my own photographs to symbolize what could be lost if we do not do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scholar’s wide-reaching research also included consumer activism, medical waste, sanitation and overpopulation. \u201cThere is a sense of commitment that is refreshing,\u201d observed Joanne Cote-Bonanno, associate provost for academic programs and assessment, who helped launch the program. \u201cStudents are thoughtful and reflective on issues. They think critically and are concerned about the future.\u201d<\/p>\n