Culver Stockton College students were given the opportunity to celebrate National Random Acts of Kindness Day, thanks to the help of the Diversi-T.E.A.M., CRU, Chaplain’s Office, and the CPC. With a table outside the cafeteria at lunchtime, a number of services were offered, including sending thank-you notes for those who wrote them both around campus and in the mail, positivity pins (clothespins on which positive messages could be written), and the appreciation wall, on which students could put post-it notes that shared the random acts of kindness that had brightened their lives. 

Kyle Edwards, president of Diversi-T.E.A.M. stated; “I think today has been pretty good, we’ve had quite a few people roll through and actually caught their attention. Because, it can seem that when you have stuff outside the cafe, people just kinda walk by, but people have been stopping and being like ‘hey, what is this, what’s going on?’, so that’s always positive.”

In the evening, Holly Hick, a teacher and educator with a history of being an ally to the queer community, who helped inspire the creation Diversi-T.E.A.M. hosted the ACE event: “Okay to be YOU: Having the Courage to be Yourself as a Student and as a Young Professional”.

With a presentation centered on empowerment through people’s experiences, she encouraged attendees to write down the labels by which they identify themselves, and bold those which bring anxiety and worry and to consider where the worry comes from. Whether it comes from family, society, or from themselves. She allowed the attendees how these roles manifested, she discussed how being herself, and embracing her own passions for allyship and advocacy helped to solidify her identity.

Sharing various anecdotes, she emphasized standing up for LGBTQIA+ students in her teaching career, helping to create the support networks that they needed in unlikely districts, and finding fulfillment and validation in the process. She encouraged attendees to consider how embracing their own way of defining the roles that bring them anxiety could help them to grow into themselves, and find a place in the world in which they feel comfortable and validated. The presentation left off with an inspiring video from Prince Ea, reminding everyone that one should not strive for perfection, but instead to embrace the things that make them unique, using the confidence and resilience of a secure identity to become their best selves.