IC News

On January 28, more than two dozen Ithaca College students joined a handful of alumni at the K House in Ithaca for a day of workshops and panels at the Students of Color Retreat, hosted by the college’s Center for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Social Change (IDEAS).

Led by IDEAS student workers Ashanti Ford ’24 and Leticia Rebelo de Oliveira ’26, the retreat served as an opportunity for members of IC’s BIPOC community to meet, build connections, foster a sense of belonging—and engage with alumni.

When Ford and de Oliveira approached IDEAS director Angélica Carrington in November 2022 with the concept for the event, they had multiple goals in mind.

“We want to make sure that people of color at IC will be able to bond and know each other, and know they have a safe space if they need anywhere to go to ask for help,” said de Oliveira, an exercise science and athletic training major from Brazil.

The event was open to all Ithaca College students, providing an opportunity for students who don’t identify as persons of color to be advocates or allies for their peers. Ford wanted to create a space where students could be with others who understand what they are going through. Like many attendees, she often finds herself the only student of color in her classes.

“IC is a predominantly white institution,” she said. “Everyone else does not look like me; they don’t have the same struggles as me; they don’t understand where I’m coming from. I’m so grateful and happy that we had this opportunity.”

Another goal of the event was to foster connections between current students and alumni. After lunch, a panel of recent alumni of color spoke to attendees, sharing their experiences at IC and offering advice to students.

One success story was Olivia “Via” Carpenter ’22, School of Business graduate and founder of Via’s Cookies, an Ithaca-based business selling handcrafted regular, gluten-free, and vegan cookies. Carpenter donates a percentage of profits to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and LGBTQ+ students.

Carpenter is a former MLK scholar who returns to campus regularly for events, mentors local youth, and has an IC intern. She welcomed the opportunity to participate in the retreat.

“If I can get closer to students who have gone through the same struggle as me—or students who are just existing in a world where they’re going to face scrutiny because of the color of their skin, or because of the way they identify—I want to,” she said.

Strategic marketing professional Alaina Caraballo ’18 was eager to use her experiences as a student to impress on others the importance of making the most of campus support services. As a first-generation student, Caraballo said she “came in not really knowing anything.” It wasn’t until she was a junior that she understood what was available to her. “I started realizing, ‘Okay, I have all these resources. I can go here. I can do this,’” she said. “I wish I would have known earlier.”

Stephen “Steph” Douglas-Allen ’18, a first-generation Jamaican American and an admissions officer for the SC Johnson School of Management at Cornell University who is also completing his master of public administration at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, participated because he believes it is important for students to see representation—“someone that looks like them, trying to do what they want to do,” he said.