This section presents personal stories and experiences of some of our community members. In this issue we highlight Ruxin Zheng, Caroline Zeiher, Priscilla Lorenzo, and Marie Butcher.
Ruxin Zheng
BAIS (2015 – 2017)
MA IEM Student (2018 – Now)
Which one of your identity/ identities would you add in the blank space?
International student
How did you experience your identity (as identified above), both positively and negatively at MIIS?
My experience of being one of the very few international students in both of my programs has been both positive and negative. On the positive side, I have learned a lot from the diverse backgrounds and interests of other MIIS students, faculty and staff. Also, in my first few semesters at MIIS, as I reflected upon my identity, I become aware of different challenges that the international students are facing in American higher institutions, which later led me to pursue further studying in the IEM program. In my IEM classes, I’m grateful that my perspective as an international student is often respected and appreciated.
However, on the flip side, there are also times when I would feel upset and frustrated because in my daily interactions both in and out of classes, conversations are usually dominated by domestic-related subjects, and that I lack the skills and even the motivation to challenge this “norm”. That led to a feeling that there is a still lack of appreciation of international students on campus in general and institutional support for international students’ integration. Despite the fact that various resources are available for all students at MIIS and that there are institutional efforts to integrate international students (e.g. orientations, cultural events, etc.), I feel that there is room for improvement in terms of making international feel more included and able to utilize different resources. In general, I feel that there is room for institutional improvement creating a truly comprehensive culturally diverse and robust campus.
Tell us about one memorable concept/ lesson that you learned in connection with your identity or diversity and inclusion broadly from a MIIS community member/s?
The idea of identity itself is one memorable concept that I learned at MIIS. I grew up in a racially and culturally relatively homogenous community, and I was not aware of my identities until I came here. In my class with professor Pushpa Iyer and other ICC and IEM classes, I started to reflect upon my own identities and how they influence my interaction with others. Such conscious self reflection helps me recognize my own implicit bias, prejudice and judgements of others.
How has your time at MIIS prepared you to deal with power and privilege in the world outside of the Institute?
I think about power and privilege regularly in my daily life now because of what I’ve learned at MIIS. As mentioned above, I started reflecting upon the different dimensions of my identities and became more aware of their impact on my interactions with others. Also, as a future educator, I’m constantly thinking about how the concepts and theories I learned at MIIS can be applied to my profession. Many of my IEM & ICC classes at MIIS includes discussions about power and privilege and how it relates to student development and international education. Such discussions prepare me to deal with real life situations in future career working with students from diverse backgrounds.
What is one suggestion you have for the MIIS community?
I have a few suggestions:
· Take opportunities to participate in activities and events that challenge your biases.
· Have conversations about experiences of international and domestic students.
· For international students: be aware of your cultural backgrounds, bring them to your conversations when applicable.
· For all: respect and learn from others’ backgrounds and experiences.
Caroline Zeiher
Graduate of the International Education Management Program
2015-2016
Which one of your identity/ identities would you add in the blank space?
Queer person
How did you experience your identity (as identified above), both positively and negatively at MIIS?
Overall, my experience was very positive in terms of how others interacted with me, which is mostly due to my inherent privilege of being visibly, not an ‘other’. During this period, I had a lot of identity exploration and basically had to come out all over again as a different identity to what I thought I was before. My close friends were extremely supportive. It also sometimes came up in my coursework, most often in class discussions. Even if a classmate or friend did not understand pronouns or something like that, they were empathetic and willing to learn. In academic settings, there were not many opportunities to discuss diversity and identity unless it was a unit or course specifically for that. Just like anywhere else inside or outside of MIIS, I often experienced gendered-language that did not relate to my experience (for ex: women’s vs. men’s experience with study abroad instead of taking a whole spectrum of identities into account and trying to generalize every experience). There were not really any organizational support groups specifically for LGBTQIA+ issues at MIIS that I was aware of, but I was not on campus long enough to get very involved either. I think the most important thing I learned was that you aren’t required to pick any set identities just to relate to others or be defined by them. For myself, I did not know you can change your identity language in order to feel more comfortable in your own skin.
Tell us about one memorable concept/ lesson that you learned in connection with your identity or diversity and inclusion broadly from a MIIS community member/s?
I began to question this all during the IEM program, and since leaving MIIS I have shifted my language for my identity, realizing that the term ‘pansexual’ and ‘gender-fluid’ fit how I feel more than ‘bisexual’ and ‘non-binary’. I believe this first came up in discussions with classmates in my Diversity and Inclusion in Student Affairs course. With Allies@MIIS, I was also able to explore what it means to be an ally from a majority culture (white ethnicity) and how to navigate speaking up for others vs. helping ensure that those with more socially marginalized identities can speak for themselves.
How has your time at MIIS prepared you to deal with power and privilege in the world outside of the Institute?
While working in higher education (small and large, public and private), I have seen the effects of systemic disenfranchisement work in mostly subtle, but undoubtedly detrimental ways. I believe my time at MIIS did further my knowledge of real-world experience more than theoretical preparation, although it was also essential to do research in this area as well. However, while research and theories will change over time, the same problems come up again and again in real life. In study abroad, it is well-known that in most 4-year US institutions, there is a large imbalance of ethnicity, gender, and educational backgrounds. I still see in all parts of the process from marketing to reentry, a struggle to adequately address students’ intersecting identities, and how to address that in order for them to navigate the process with more ease. Unfortunately, we often come up short figuring out ways to be inclusive, especially when it comes to students with high financial need. I do not think I could ever be fully prepared from my graduate program to come up with all of the answers, but I did walk away knowing that these issues need to be at the forefront of new directions for every institution conducting study abroad. Furthermore, even when new scholarships/programs/policies are established to counteract these issues, to not become complacent.
What is one suggestion you have for the MIIS community?
I think one thing MIIS has been actively working on, is how to engage their alumni network. When it comes to staying vigilant out in our various fields, we often forget what we learned, and why it is so important to continue being students of the world after receiving a diploma, asking and being asked difficult questions where it may take many years and millions of individual’s work to find an answer. If you have successful alumni that are active in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion, they can be an extremely beneficial voice for students to hear.
Priscilla Lorenzo
Operations Manager; Operations Coordinator; Administrative Assistant in the Office of the President and Provost
2006-Now
Which one of your identity/ identities would you add in the blank space?
A woman of mixed ethnic background.
How did you experience your identity (as identified above), both positively and negatively at MIIS?
I haven’t personally experienced negativity with my identity on campus. I’ve had people ask what my ethnic background is, as my features are definitely a mix of my heritage. It doesn’t bother me that they ask. It provides the opportunity for conversation about ethnicity and cultural similarities. I welcome the discussion. I am very proud of my mixed ethnicity. Over the years, I’ve been asked which I “claim” more. When I explain that I don’t “claim” or resonate with any one over the other, some have been insistent about it. They’ve replied, “There has to be a prominent one that you identify more with. What were you raised as?” My response has always been, “Human.” My grandpa always said. “We are all human first, regardless of where your family first began, the color of your skin, who your heart loves, or your bank balance.” I’m blessed to have a family where we were taught about the culture and traditions from our elders. We attended cultural gatherings, events and celebrations. I was encouraged to embrace all the parts that make up me. I think knowing the cruelty, discrimination, the struggles and hardships the elders in my family faced due to their nationality and race has made me more aware and mindful. I like to assist others, on and off campus.
Tell us about one memorable concept/lesson that you learned in connection with your identity or diversity and inclusion broadly from a MIIS community member/s?
I have met amazing individuals during my time at MIIS with whom I have had, and continue to have discussions about the events and changes within the Institute and globally. It is wonderful to have open discussions, sharing points of view and insights where one is respected and heard without apprehension of how it will be received or being dismissed as not having anything of value to contribute. I strive to provide that same space for them and others who I interact with, on campus and off campus.
How has your time at MIIS prepared you to deal with power and privilege in the world outside of the Institute?
Outside of campus, I have personally been subjected to prejudice, racism, and gender discrimination. I wasn’t enough of any singular ethnicity so, I didn’t “fit in” with any one particular ethnic group in school and was often shut out by students who had less of a mixed ethnicity than myself. Enrollment forms were always a pain because they wanted me to claim only one race or ethnicity. I worked in construction from the time I was 17 until I came to MIIS. I love architecture and absorbed anything to do with structures and building but, I was a female in a predominantly male field. I am stronger for my experiences. I learned to speak up for myself and others early in life because of them.
Being at MIIS has helped develop a different perspective and provided me with additional tools when approaching conversations or situation that stem from, or are dealing with power and privilege. I want to always use my power and privilege to continue to help connect others, facilitate conversations, and assist those who might not have the courage or space to speak up by giving them an opening and letting them know I am open to hear what they have to share.
What is one suggestion you have for the MIIS community?
Really try to hear, not just listen to reply to what is being said when someone is sharing with you, asking you a question, or voicing a concern or issue. Be present. Respect that it is their perspective or feelings, even if it is different from your own.
We need to continue having these important, necessary discussions and doing the work as individuals and as a group so we can strengthen and encourage building a stronger sense of a more diverse and inclusive community. I do think we are off to a good start.
Marie Butcher
Professor of English for Academic and Professional Purposes; Adjunct Professor in Adjunct Professor inESL, CLS, EAPP & CNS (2002-2016)
Full-time EAPP Professor (2017-now)
Which one of your identity/ identities would you add in the blank space?
My experience as a Citizen of the Earth, Educator, Poet and a former Adjunct Faculty at MIIS
How did you experience your identity (as identified above), both positively and negatively at MIIS?
When I was growing up, my family spoke of us being “citizens of planet Earth.” That was always our primary identity– more important than a national or ethnic identity. My grandfather refused to become an American citizen, citing no need to “become” American, but rather pledge our allegiance to the planet. My father was “kicked out” of Arizona for his outspokenness against the Vietnam War, and as a consequence, I grew up in California during anti-war protests and environmental movements. I never deterred from the identity of being a citizen of Earth first– wanting to be a responsible human in an intricate ecosystem that sustains us.
Where I have experienced the most exclusion with regard to identity has been while wearing the label of “adjunct”—both at MIIS and prior, at MPC. When you are an “adjunct,” it feels like you are an “extra,” a second-class citizen/ mercenary labor, with all the responsibilities of a “regular” professor, but with none of the privileges (an office, benefits, a reliable year-round salary, a voice in governance). It’s a great inequity that is seldom discussed in academia. It wasn’t until I was hired on as a full-time Visiting Professor that I finally felt visible to my colleagues and the MIIS community at large.
As a poet, I’m still finding my place among “the family of things” as Mary Oliver eloquently writes. I read frequently at local venues (cafes, bookstores, college campuses), including Fishbowl Poetry and Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium at Old Capitol Books.
Tell us about one memorable concept/ lesson that you learned in connection with your identity or diversity and inclusion broadly from a MIIS community member/s?
Since my classes are comprised of all international students, I feel I learn the most from them. My goal is always to create a “safe space” for sharing in the classroom and when issues of personal identity emerge, we tend to address them quite directly in the class. I am grateful to my students for their willingness to share about their personal contexts, even when it pushes a bit against their “comfort zones.” I have learned that international students are generally not used to our student-centric, discussion format style of pedagogy, but ultimately appreciate discussions about “othering” and “belonging.”
How has your time at MIIS prepared you to deal with power and privilege in the world outside of the Institute?
Since students and faculty are constantly asking questions about solving meta-questions related to climate change, migration, social inequities, etc., it is very beneficial to be able to brainstorm, discuss, expose multiple viewpoints, mitigate conflicts at the micro level before attempting to address issues at a macro-level.
Overall, I feel that MIIS provides opportunities for us to examine the systemic failures that have brought about inequities and to engage in conversations essential to moving toward a more sustainable future. I am inspired by the recent strikes by youth across the globe demanding for action on climate policy and climate justice. I feel the times demand activism and reasoned policy making.
I feel personally compelled to contribute to the discourse on climate justice through my writing and engagement within the community. I am also an environmental educator for the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy, and am co-coordinating a public event, California Wildlife Day, on March 23 at Palo Corona Regional Park, the aim of which is to bring more attention to the conservation of resources, restoration of habitats, especially for endangered or threatened species, and to weave a stronger community by providing greater access to our public spaces to all.
What is one suggestion you have for the MIIS community?
I would recommend that we continue to practice active listening, acknowledge and ask for feedback from all stakeholders when making important decisions that affect our collective identity at MIIS and how we adapt to change. Currently, we are in a time of great flux at MIIS, as the administration makes cuts and we are tasked to be more innovative with less—fewer staff, faculty and resources. The introduction of the new language framework policy concurrent with announcements of the need to reduce faculty and staff have been an unfortunate pairing, leaving language faculty feeling the need to reassert languages as part of the inherent identity of an “international” education at MIIS. As far as issues of personal identity go, I consider myself a MIIS ally and am grateful to Pushpa Iyer for creating the space for deeper conversations about racial and social equity at MIIS.
