Members of the Cal State Fullerton Male Success Initiative gathered in the Titan Student Union Underground Pub for the final Brother-2-Brother Gathering of the 2022 spring semester on April 22.
According to its website, the Male Success Initiative, or MSI, is a CSUF department that seeks to address the variety of issues that men of color face in higher education, with the goal of offering guidance to undergraduate men of color through a network of mentors and academic support programs.
The event, which was hosted by MSI counselor and senior career post graduation coordinator Janette Hyder, alongside MSI staff, featured a panel on the topic of reflecting.
“The mission is to ensure that our brothers are getting the support they need in order for them to be successful,” Hyder said. “To provide those transferable skills, prepare them, to let them know that they’re not in here alone.”
The panel brought MSI fellows and CSUF alumni together for a discussion on the various issues that pertain to Black, Indigenous men of color within the college setting and to highlight the personal experiences of the alumni panelists during an afternoon of reflection and brotherhood.
CSUF alumni guest speakers for the event were Julio Cesar Perez, Joaquin Valdez, Jeremiah Moore III, Rudy Ramirez, Luis Echeveste and Jose Torres.
Hyder said that she came up with the idea of the event because she wanted to continue to provide words of wisdom from men of color in the workforce.
“I felt that our brothers could definitely learn from their stories and feel inspired,” Hyder said. “Because sometimes, you know, life happens, things happen, and we have to overcome things. So I felt that the stories that the men of color panel presented were going to be very compelling and inspirational.”
After a brief introduction, the panelists began to speak about their personal experiences at CSUF and the various difficulties they had experienced and overcame during their lives. Attendees were given the opportunity to ask questions during the panel.
Fourth-year communications major and MSI fellow Alan Ruelas said that his experience at the panel was impactful and that the stories told by the panelists spoke directly to him as a Chicanx individual.
“Bringing in representation, having elders come and listen to us, it was very powerful and empowering,” Ruelas said.
David Monterrosa, a second-year electrical engineering major and MSI scholar, said he felt that the stories shared by panelists and Hyder’s dedication left an impression on him.
“I think it was a really good event, hearing from a lot of the students that Jeanette has touched. Obviously, she’s been in the making of touching everyone, all the brothers here at MSI,” Monterrosa said. “So I think it was a really good event to just hear all the success stories of her students and then seeing how they are giving their own knowledge to us and how we can run with it.”
As the event concluded, MSI fellows and panelists joined hands in solidarity to recite a group pledge.
CSUF alumni and director of the California Decarbonization Coalition Jose Torres said that if there was one thing he wished students would focus on, it would be the importance of keeping hope in trying times.
“I hope that the different stories, not just mine, but for my colleagues on the panel really illustrate that there is no single journey to reach success,” Torres said. “It’s about moving forward and preserving and adapting, asking for help and really being able to find yourself as much as you can and not being afraid of the next challenge.”
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