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From Montbello to CU Boulder to U of Wisconsin: MA and PhD Candidate Areyana Proctor

Meet Areyana Proctor, a Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant in the MA + Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in the Communication Arts Department with a focus in Media and Cultural Studies. Her research interests include media representation and public scholarship. She obtained her bachelor's degree from CU Boulder where she double majored in Media Production and Journalism and double minored in Leadership Studies (through the INVST and MLS pathways) and Sociology.

What is your personal story?

My story begins in Montbello, a neighborhood in the Far Northeast corner of Denver, Colorado that is characterized by underfunded education yet resilient and passionate spirits. I attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where I double majored in journalism and media production and double minored in sociology and leadership studies, which allowed me to strengthen my desire to combine social change and artistic practices, along with storytelling. During my time at CU Boulder, the two biggest catalysts that propelled me down the journey that I am on today were the and Multicultural Leadership Scholars programs. 

Not only did these programs provide me with outstanding academic and professional foundations, but they also provided me with supportive communities that fueled my passion for social justice and were fundamental to my ability to remain at the predominately white institution of CU Boulder. With these programs, I was provided with opportunities including a research assistant for the (CU BAHRI) where I had the chance to conduct qualitative research with residents of Boulder regarding the intersections of geographical racism and the lack of access to affordable housing, and work on production for a podcast that the initiative hopes to showcase and engage with the public through a partnership with the KGNU community radio station. I also had the honor of interning with , a Boulder-based organization that works with marginalized people including undocumented, formerly incarcerated, and transgender folks. Motus specifically works with people as they create a monologue detailing their experiences, especially with systems of injustice and oppression. I now serve as a member of the Board, and was recently nominated as a potential Board Vice Chair. 

These experiences enabled me to become a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where I recently started an MA + Ph.D. program in the Communication Arts Department with a focus on Media and Cultural Studies. Although I am still developing my specific research focus, I am interested in further exploring media representation and its larger social impacts. As I continue my academic journey, my goal is to continue bridging theory and practice, and I especially hope to explore public scholarship and how what I research can have tangible impacts on the world around me. 

What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?

There have been several key moments that have shaped the trajectory of my life. The first of those includes the emphasis on the importance of education that my provides provided to me. From a young age, I was encouraged to read and engage with the world around me, ask questions, and set big goals for myself. This allowed me to enter school with a sense of confidence in myself that other students from my background may not have had. Additionally, the mentorship and support that I have received from the adults around me have been monumental in where I am today. 

I can specifically think of a teacher from high school, Dr. Dan Clarke, who gave my peers and me not only advice and words of wisdom, but also took actionable steps to support us and provide us with opportunities, such as allowing us to co-operate a business with him, or allowing us to film and photograph weddings with him as a part of his own business. In college, with professors such as Dr. Sabrina Sideris and Dr. Johanna Maes, I was provided with specific opportunities to conduct research, to see the power that I held within my own self, and who were always there for me for the plethora of projects that I conducted throughout my undergraduate. The opportunity to engage in research, particularly public-facing research through CU BAHRI, allowed me to envision work that I could truly see myself doing for the rest of my life. 

Semester at Sea was a transformative experience for me. This immersive journey not only pulled me out of my comfort zone but also exposed me to a global perspective that went beyond what I had previously known. The friendships formed during this program and the exposure to diverse cultures enriched my worldview. These are just some of the key moments that I think have had tangible impacts on where I currently am today. 

Where does your passion to serve come from?

My passion to serve comes from my encounters with systems that were designed for people who looked like me to fail, and from the feelings that I have felt now that I am on the other side of some of those systems. I wish for everyone in the world to have the ability to succeed in what they desire to do and to feel as if they are fulfilling their passions. 

My passion comes from the lack of opportunities for my peers and me in our small high school in the ignored community of Montbello. It comes from seeing the desire and drive of my peers, yet not having the proper resources to place that desire and drive and wanting to find a way to ensure that everyone has access to those resources.

My passion comes from the shelters that I slept in with my mom and sister, and not wanting anyone to ever have to go through the pain of losing everything you know and having your life be uprooted due to structural inadequacies that weren’t made to protect you and your family.

My passion comes from the classes I have taken that have exposed me to these larger systems and structures that have been set up to fail certain people from the beginning, and from wanting to use my love of storytelling and activism to provide foundations and frameworks for all of us to work together to design a world that works for all rather than some. 

How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?

Through all of the experiences that I have had the honor of engaging with, the power and importance of community has really stood out to me. With an emphasis on providing community and networking opportunities, GlobalMindED can be very helpful in allowing me to continue to connect with people around the world who have similar goals and passions and whom I can either learn from or work alongside to enact tangible change in the world around us. 

This article was written by : An Inclusive Success NetworkTM dedicated to creating a capable diverse talent pipeline, closing the equity gap for women and people of color, and connecting underrepresented/ underserved students to role models, mentors, internships, and jobs.