#unitedCU - Samia Abedin
#unitedCU. Our community, our values.
What brings the Columbia community together?
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When I reflect upon my Columbia experience and the moments I experienced a great sense of community, I think to feelings of fulfillment, love, and joy in being surrounded by my friends, peers, professors, and staff. While Columbia traditions such as the Tree Lighting Ceremony, Homecoming, and Bacchanal certainly come to mind, other events such as campus protests, Muslim Students Association’s Jummah on Low, and Latino Heritage Month’s 2017 closing ceremony also are worth mentioning. All of these experiences describe members of our community coming together to celebrate, support, or challenge certain causes. In all these events, I didn’t have to know everybody in the room in order to feel a like I belonged—just knowing that we have shared commonalities was enough. I’ve come to realize that I am capable of feeling and giving a sense of community on a day to day basis. No matter our differences in interests, we all have common needs to be accepted, understood, and listened to. As social beings, we survive on the dependence on others. We thrive on one another’s support and connection. Once we begin to practice the act of giving, through encouragement, support, and empowerment--and not just to our friends—we start to build an inclusive community. Too often we underestimate simple acts such as smiling or greeting one another, but those can be the highlight to someone’s bad day. At the end of the day, we all want to feel like we belong. It’s our own responsibility and that of other’s to help achieve this.
What do you welcome on campus?
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On campus, I welcome diversity. In race, in culture, and in language. In the way we learn and think. I welcome the diversity of opinions and the diversity of voices. And I welcome the acceptance of this diversity so that each of us may listen, communicate, and understand one another’s beliefs.
What do inclusion and belonging mean to you?
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One can be included into a space, but not feel like they belong. To me, the difference between inclusion and belonging is the strong emotional connection one experiences to the other people in the room. It’s the feeling of acceptance, validation, and love when being our true, authentic selves.
