乐播传媒

Benjamin Mays Black Alumni Society (BMBAS), from Washington to Lewiston

The Benjamin Mays Black Alumni Society (BMBAS) was on the road this spring! In April, BMBAS held its annual awards luncheon, which featured honorees Chantal Berry Dalton 鈥�69 and Constance Berry Newman 鈥�56, LL.D. 鈥�72. The event celebrated their significant experience and contributions in public service at some of the highest levels of office.

Moving up the coast, the BMBAS Boston Social visited Park 54 in Hyde Park. Alumni from over five decades reminisced with long-time friends and made new connections. 

Finally, BMBAS recognized senior Alexandra 鈥淎Rose鈥� Long 鈥�25 on campus as she received the Frederick Drayton Outstanding Senior Award. The award recognizes a senior for their academic achievement, exceptional leadership prowess, positive servant leadership, and demonstrated commitment to fortifying the connection between current students and alumni. Congrats, ARose!

You can find more about BMBAS on and . 

Staff and Program Spotlight 鈥� First-Generation Programs

The Student Center for Belonging and Community welcomed the new Director of First Generation Programs, Misael 鈥淢isa鈥� Beltran-Guzman. Misa joined 乐播传媒 in March, having previously held a similar position at Colby College. Misa himself is a first-generation-to-college graduate and is deeply passionate about supporting and empowering this population of students. Apart from his role as Director, Misa is also enrolled in a part-time Master’s program in Educational Leadership through the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

As a new joint project, Misa and Danny launched a First-Generation letter-writing project. First-Gen alumni shared wisdom from their time at and after 乐播传媒 with First-Gen first-year students who just completed their year at 乐播传媒. The letters contain impactful stories of joining campus communities, overcoming challenges in and outside of the classroom, finding purpose, and more.

Student Group Spotlight: Raices Unidas, Then and Now

鈥淭hen鈥� (Ismael E. Carreras 鈥�90):

“I don’t think many people really know the story of how Ra铆ces Unidas actually got started, which is why I wanted to share it now. It’s one of those origin stories that gets lost to time.

When I think about it, the seeds were planted way before that pivotal moment in spring of 1990. I’d spent my years at 乐播传媒 watching other groups like the Afro-American Society and the International Student organizations really thrive, and I kept wondering 鈥� where’s our space? Where do Hispanic students come together? But the reality was, we were such a small group back then. I’m talking maybe a dozen of us students on the entire campus in the late ’80s. It could definitely feel isolating.

It was during Short Term of my senior year 鈥� May 1990 鈥� when I decided just to go for it. I remember going to meet with Dean Reese, who was an institution even back then, to talk through my idea. He supported it wholeheartedly and said something that really stuck with me: “I was wondering when you guys would get organized!” But he understood that these things have to grow organically to have any real staying power. Community has to emerge naturally; you can鈥檛 force it.

So I put up this simple flyer on the ramp leading into Old Commons in Chase Hall. That’s where all the students posted everything back then 鈥� you couldn’t miss it on your way to meals. Just a basic call for Hispanic students to meet up at Frye Street Union on a Sunday afternoon.

I remember being nervous about it, wondering if anyone would show. My girlfriend Andrea 鈥� who’s been my wife for thirty years now 鈥� she wasn’t Latina herself, but she was very supportive. She helped me make the tostones that we were going to serve to the group, and honestly, her being there meant a lot.

The turnout was small 鈥� less than half a dozen people, including Andrea and me 鈥� but the energy was great. That’s when I first met Ambrosio Rodr铆guez 鈥�93 (Gainesville, FL), Natalie S谩nchez 鈥�92 (Los Angeles, CA), and Josarie Molina 鈥�93 (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico). We spent a couple of hours just talking, sharing our experiences, and no longer feeling alone in this journey. Despite the small numbers, I walked away feeling so energized and validated.

The great thing was, because I ended up working in the Admissions Office the following year, I got to be there for the real launch. That fall, we had our first official gathering, and the turnout was amazing 鈥� at least a couple of dozen students. Professor Francisca 鈥淧aqui鈥� L贸pez graciously agreed to be our faculty advisor, which was huge for legitimizing what we were trying to build.

Looking back, that little meeting with tostones and a handful of students really planted the seeds for something that I’m so pleased to see continuing to endure and support our Latino student community.”

鈥淣ow鈥� (Sherlin Perez Gonzalez 鈥�27):

Hola alumni,

We hope your summer has been suave (smooth sailing) and that you鈥檝e been spending time with your loved ones regardless of how busy you may be! We wanted to give you a bit of a recap of what Ra铆ces Unidas was up to this past year. 

Starting off with celebrating Hispanic Heritage month, 乐播传媒 College Dining, Conferences, and Campus Events (DCCE) helped us celebrate by having different foods throughout the month such as churros, Jamaica (hibiscus) water, and carnitas. Ra铆ces Unidas also celebrated the month by having a taquiza, which is where the Little Room was decorated and tacos were catered! There was music, lights, and really delicious food. We have had a few partnerships with other clubs on campus, such as 乐播传媒 Outing Club where we had a small hike and then we proceeded to make s鈥檓ores. With Multifaith Chaplaincy in October, we made a community ofrenda to welcome all our loved ones back that have parted away from this world. Then in the spring, we held a 鈥淢ake Space鈥� space at Le Ronj and the community gathered to paint and drink matcha or their fave Le Ronj drink. 

Throughout the fall we held different activities bringing the community together, and in the winter/spring, we worked together alongside the Caribbean Student Association (CSA) to bring to life 鈥淛ourney Through Paradise.鈥� It was a showcase made to celebrate and bring together the variety of cultures and traditions we have on campus and present them to our 乐播传媒 community. We had the opportunity to bring in Bomba de Aqu铆. Bomba de Aqu铆 taught the 乐播传媒 community Afro-Puerto Rican traditions through dance and music. We鈥檇 like to thank everyone who made it to the showcase and a big hug and thank you to everyone who gave their time to bring the show together!

We hope you enjoyed hearing about our activities last year. If you鈥檇 like to follow along this year, you can find us on Instagram . 

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On The Horizon: Back to 乐播传媒

Mark your calendars for October 3rd and 4th! We鈥檒l be welcoming alumni and families for a fantastic fall weekend on campus. We鈥檒l have a MOSAIC networking event and a special birthday celebration for Dean James Reese.

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