Target Diversity Peer Educators Promoting Dialogue through ‘Diversity and Donuts’

A new mini-event has been taking place this year near the student commons of Nelson Hall: Diversity and Donuts.

The mini-chat sessions are a project launched by Abdul Hindi and Chase Johnson, undergraduate students in the Poole College of Management who are working as Poole College’s Target Diversity Peer Educators this year. They each received a Diversity Peer Educator Scholarship sponsored by Target, which provides a paid internship and training opportunities for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Diversity and Donuts are one of the activities that Hindi and Johnson have launched as part of their internship with Target. They also are participating in a variety of activities, meetings, workshops, and presentations, in collaboration with Roshaunda Breeden, academic advisor in Poole College's Office of Undergraduate Programs and lead staff member for the college's diversity initiatives.

Gregg Steinhafel, Target chief executive officer, said Target's success "enables us to give more than $4 million per week – a 5 percent of our income – to support and strengthen communities." Hindi and Johnson are using their scholarship awards to strengthening the NC State community through programs that advocate diversity in the Poole College of Management.

Their key event for the spring 2013 semester is the Diversity and Donuts series, during which diverse student organizations have tables display in Nelson Hall, providing an opportunity for interaction between the organizations' members and other students.

The organizations are encouraged to have open and honest dialogue with students, faculty, and staff about issues important to the organization's members. Donuts will be provided as refreshments during the series. Hindi and Johnson hope to see this expand into a weekly event for the Poole College of Management.

Last semester, the two Diversity Peer Educators held focus groups and conducted student surveys to gather feedback from Poole College students about the current diversity climate within the college. They plan to present their findings to the Office of Undergraduate Programs.

Both Hindi and Johnson have been advocates for diversity and inclusion well before they accepted their roles as Poole College Diversity Peer Educators. Hindi has participated in several events focused on cultural and religious acceptance of all faiths with the Muslim Student Association and promoted inclusion through his work as a Peer Leader in the Poole College.

Johnson formerly served as the president of the Student Mentor Association, which matches first year African American, Native American, and Hispanic students with an upper class mentor to aid in their academic, emotional, and social adjustments to college.

"I think it would be beneficial for students from diverse backgrounds to get involved within Poole, especially through student organizations they already represent. I believe this is critical so all students are represented and considered in the college environment," Hindi said.

Hindi and Johnson also will be helping to recruit Diversity Peer Educators for the 2013 -2014 academic year in the month of March.

For more information about diversity within Poole College of Management, please visit the diversity section of Poole College's Office of Undergraduate Programs website.