BaJEDI

I would like to share a bit of my story as a way of inviting you on your own journey related to belonging, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.

Aims and I go way back; I was born in Greeley and started my higher education journey here, teaching courses in ELL and citizenship at Aims while I was in graduate school. Even before that, my mother was an ELL instructor at Aims, and as a young child I watched her work with students from all over the world, witnessing how people came together to help each other. I credit Aims with instilling within me a deep curiosity about diverse peoples and cultures that ultimately led to my research in Latin America.

After eleven years as a tenured professor teaching Latin American History at the University of Alabama, I am back at Aims and excited to begin the work as Program Manager of the inaugural BaJEDI program. I first became aware of the importance of campus diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI) when my students at UA started coming to me to talk about their experiences as people of color on campus, from microaggressions to overt racism. Neurodiverse students (Autism, ADHD, and beyond) taught me about accommodations that addressed their learning styles and neurocognition, such as knitting while listening to a lecture to help them focus. One semester, I worked with our Office of Disability Services to create a tactile map of Latin America for a blind student.

Drawing from the lived experiences of these students, I realized that beyond course content, interactions with the diverse members of our campus community had the potential to transform our perspectives and expand our understanding of the world. I incorporated an exercise at the beginning of each semester that asked students to take a moment and look around the room and recognize that their diverse classmates were one of their most powerful resources on campus. This understanding is especially important for students today because the ability to collaborate and work with diverse teams is a crucial—and fruitful—workplace skill.

By developing ways to understand each other through reading about, hearing and learning different perspectives, we can make institutional changes that ensure everyone feels welcome and fully supported on campus. Each of us comes from a unique background with diverse experiences, identities, talents and needs. By working together to support initiatives that make Aims inclusive, we can experience the rich diversity on campus as a strength that we all will learn from every day.

I look forward to working with you at Aims.

Teresa Cribelli, Program Manager, BaJEDI

The BaJEDI mission at Aims Community College is to cultivate a community where belonging, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion are enfolded into all levels of the institution. Working with stakeholders across our campuses and the communities we serve, BaJEDI strengthens and institutionalizes the values of Aims. We are dedicated to fostering an environment where every individual feels valued, respected, included and heard.