Student reflects on her time in Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Excellence
Four Years Later: What I’ve Learned In My Time At ODEIE
When I began working for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Excellence four years ago I never would have expected it to become such a meaningful part of my life. I applied for this job as a nervous 17-year-old. I was in a new city, new state, and a new phase in my life. Like most freshmen, I had no idea who I was. ODEIE was my first safe space on campus. Everyday I came to work during that first year and slowly I grew more and more sure of myself. I learned how to interact with all sorts of people: angry, confused, lost. Now, back then we were in Coors Life Directions Center, so some people were genuinely lost and thought our job was to give them literal directions ha! BUT others needed a place to feel seen. That’s what we were. We still are! After that first year I realized that that is the beauty of this office. ODEIE sees you. At times in college it can feel like you are invisible, but not here.
Suddenly I was a Sophomore. Then Regis was hacked. Then Covid. I was scared. We all were. But standing steady among all of it was ODEIE. Yes it was chaos, of course, but it was my only stability. I knew they would do everything in their power to keep their community safe, and they did. Through everything my bosses treated me like family. Junior year rolls around and the return feels like a whole new world. I learned how to anticipate needs I never even knew existed. I learned of the strength of this community. We, this entire campus, were tackling problems no one could have foreseen. This office, in a time of absolute uncertainty, continued to teach me. I learned to believe in myself and my work. Their trust in me forced me to trust myself. There I was, a 20-year-old with multiple anxiety disorders, speaking in meetings, managing events, and taking charge. Every day I got to help make students feel seen. That goal stayed true through the chaos.
Now I’m 21, just a few months away from graduating, reminiscing on my time with this office. We aren’t underwater anymore. We are persevering everyday in this ‘new normal’. I realized something about myself after that first year that stays true today, I love this work. Sometimes it was hard. Things didn’t go as planned. Life happened. But no matter what I do, whether it be making copies or helping create full events, I know at the end of the day I had a hand in making this campus an even more joyous place. Here I am, four years under my belt, and if there is one thing I know for certain it is that I would never have grown into the woman I’ve become without this office. I couldn’t have accomplished this without them. Their respect, care, and belief in me gave me the confidence to persevere. Their mission of helping this campus thrive kept me grounded. No matter what the world around us looked like, at the end of every shift I could leave knowing I was a part of something. Knowing I played a part in the pursuit of justice on campus. They supported me through some of the roughest years imaginable for all of us. What they did for me, they do for the whole campus, and it has been an absolute gift to have worked with them for so long.
Raina Miyake
O.D.E.I.E. Lead Office Work-Study
