During Fall 2019--my first official semester as a college student and the only semester I attended USC Columbia--I decided to sign up for the Social Justice Program, a certificate program I happened to find on the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs website. It was advertised as a class that would “increase students’ knowledge about issues related to social justice, and to combat bias and discrimination all over the world,” and that was something I wanted to be a part of.
Early on in the class, we talked about the concept of microaggressions, and this was something I had never heard of before. To understand the concept, we played a game created by Fobazi M. Ettarh called Killing Me Softly. In the game, you’re able to choose to play as either Alex or Leslie, both of whom have different identities that may be marginalized. By playing as both characters, I was able to walk a day in their shoes and learn what microaggressions look like and the effects they can have on individuals. This led me to reflect on my own experiences with microaggressions while learning about the experiences of my peers in the class.
Almost two years later, I took another class called PCAM 205: Foundations of Leadership, which prepared me to be a Peer Advisor at Lancaster (PAL). Again, I was tasked with the same exact activity, Killing Me Softly, to learn about the concept of microaggressions. This time, my learning was focused on how I could apply learning about microaggressions to my role as a student leader. Rather than reflection, I learned about having accountability with my own actions and words, especially what I say and how I say it. As a PAL, I lead groups of students during Orientation. While helping students during the advising session, it was important to be respectful and aware that, even though we were all now USC Lancaster students, we were coming into that space from different backgrounds, experiences, and more. As such, it was important to be aware of my words and actions and how they may be viewed by others.
After both of the experiences in which I learned about the same topic using the same exact activity, I realized that learning changes depending upon the lens you are using. The first time, I was using a reflective lens on my experiences and those of my peers. I focused solely on others' actions and the microaggressions they committed. The second time I learned about microaggressions I was looking through the lens of leadership. As a student leader on campus at USC Lancaster, it was important to recognize how my words and actions may be microaggressions. Instead of focusing on others, I focused on myself and how I had to hold myself accountable to not commit microaggressions. This was especially crucial to learn as I was preparing to interact with diverse, incoming students during summer orientations. Not only was it necessary to be respectful and most helpful to other students, it was a necessary aspect of setting a good example to my peers.
Early on in the class, we talked about the concept of microaggressions, and this was something I had never heard of before. To understand the concept, we played a game created by Fobazi M. Ettarh called Killing Me Softly. In the game, you’re able to choose to play as either Alex or Leslie, both of whom have different identities that may be marginalized. By playing as both characters, I was able to walk a day in their shoes and learn what microaggressions look like and the effects they can have on individuals. This led me to reflect on my own experiences with microaggressions while learning about the experiences of my peers in the class.
Almost two years later, I took another class called PCAM 205: Foundations of Leadership, which prepared me to be a Peer Advisor at Lancaster (PAL). Again, I was tasked with the same exact activity, Killing Me Softly, to learn about the concept of microaggressions. This time, my learning was focused on how I could apply learning about microaggressions to my role as a student leader. Rather than reflection, I learned about having accountability with my own actions and words, especially what I say and how I say it. As a PAL, I lead groups of students during Orientation. While helping students during the advising session, it was important to be respectful and aware that, even though we were all now USC Lancaster students, we were coming into that space from different backgrounds, experiences, and more. As such, it was important to be aware of my words and actions and how they may be viewed by others.
After both of the experiences in which I learned about the same topic using the same exact activity, I realized that learning changes depending upon the lens you are using. The first time, I was using a reflective lens on my experiences and those of my peers. I focused solely on others' actions and the microaggressions they committed. The second time I learned about microaggressions I was looking through the lens of leadership. As a student leader on campus at USC Lancaster, it was important to recognize how my words and actions may be microaggressions. Instead of focusing on others, I focused on myself and how I had to hold myself accountable to not commit microaggressions. This was especially crucial to learn as I was preparing to interact with diverse, incoming students during summer orientations. Not only was it necessary to be respectful and most helpful to other students, it was a necessary aspect of setting a good example to my peers.