Stories

During the week of April 5-10, admitted students of color from the class of 2025 are invited to attend networking and social events hosted by students, faculty, and staff from across campus. 

Melanie Sam ’21 remembers when she first met students in the Multicultural Center at Santa Clara. She’ll never forget how they welcomed her into the SCU community with open arms.

“They are some of the most supportive and fun-filled people on campus,” Sam says. “I owe a lot of my SCU experience to these amazing humans.”

Sam will get her chance to pass that feeling on to future Broncos during Virtual Unity Week April 5-10. As members of Asian Pacific Islander Student Union (APSU), Sam and Davin Cheng ’21 will host the Asian Pacific Islander Experience (APEX) virtual social event April 8 for admitted students from the Class of 2025. On the same day, there will also be other events offered: Students of African Descent Invitational Experience (SADIE), Students of Middle Eastern an North African Descent Social, and the Noche Latina Social for Latinx and Hispanic Students.

“Throughout my time at SCU, I’ve been lucky enough to connect with people from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences,” Cheng says. “The friends I’ve made at SCU have brought such vibrant love and support into my life and I hope to share this.”

Typically, Santa Clara University hosts Unity Night as an on-campus event for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students. This year, due to COVID-19 regulations, the event will be extended to a week and hosted online, giving students the chance to connect with other admitted students, current students, and faculty through a variety of sessions.

In addition to the social events, there will be networking events attended by faculty and students from three schools:

• Monday, April 5: BIPOC Networking with the School of Engineering
• Tuesday, April 6: BIPOC Networking with the Leavey School of Business
• Wednesday, April 7: BIPOC Networking with the College of Arts and Sciences

While nothing can replace the energy of a campus visit, the students hosting Unity Week say the SCU spirit is contagious, even through a digital screen.

“I want to share the importance of diversity and inclusivity on campus, by bringing students together and celebrating who we are,” says Sydney Freeman ’21, who will host the SADIE event for Students of Black and African Descent.

For more information on Unity Week, visit the Virtual Unity Week page.