ABSTRACT

Melissa is the Director of a Multicultural Center at a research university and has been working for years to help support students of color. When she first came to campus, she was a strong advocate for undergraduates of color and knew she wanted to be an agent of change. However, quite early on she recognized that her strong advocacy was leading to a loss of her credibility and the perception that she was always complaining. Melissa was frustrated at how people misinterpreted her actions and were taken aback. She was unsure how she could move forward in trying to do the work that she knew was important: creating the condition for college students of color to be successful on campus.