Multiple departments celebrate diverse graduates

Hellen Akinyi
Staff Writer

An annual dinner aimed to celebrate the graduates from the Institutional Diversity office was held Monday in the Centennial Student Union.

The graduates are students from the offices that are under Institutional Diversity, the Women’s Center, the LGBT Center, Accessibility Resources and the Multicultural Center.

When the Office of Diversity and Inclusion decided to hold this event annually, it was to not only celebrate the students, but also show appreciation for their time and the willingness to be part of their programs.

People from the offices involved were proud of how the event turned out. The smiles on the faces of the families and friends of the graduates showed how proud they seemed to be of them.

There were about 166 graduates at the dinner this year. The students normally dress up for the dinner and bring their loved ones along to celebrate the night with them. The dinner was hosted and organized by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

When asked about how the office feels about the annual fall graduation dinner, Megan Heutmaker, the director of the Center of American Indian Affairs, said, “The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is always proud to recognize the hard work of the students and celebrate them and their accomplishments.”

The event was important because not only does it get to celebrate the students, but it’s also a way to show future graduates that their hard work pays and allows the graduates to be a role model.

The graduates were also given some words of advice, as they near the end of their time as students and get ready to find jobs and grow in their respective fields.

Header photo: Guadalupe Quintero, Director of Community Partnerships, presents a graduation stole to a student during the Diversity & Inclusion fall graduation celebration at the Centennial Student Union Monday, Dec. 2, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Prasad Pol/MSU Reporter)