Melissa Boronkas and Valerie Lyons Present at the Change and Transformation Conference

Melissa Boronkas (Director, Office of Academic and Student Affairs) and Valerie Lyons (Counseling Programs Advisor, Office of Academic and Student Affairs) presented an interactive workshop What’s Possible?: Reimagining and Decolonizing Education Through Vulnerability, Healing & Affirming Care at the Change and Transformation Conference on May 4th.

What does it look like, feel like and sound like to humanize educational systems that oppress through data, urgency, perfection, whiteness, power and fear? What does it look like, feel like and sound like to come to a new understanding of ourselves in the process? Two years ago, Melissa Boronkas and Valerie Lyons along with students, faculty and colleagues began to reimagine and co-construct an academic and student affairs work environment that put at the center human feeling and care.

The workshop provided a brief overview of their efforts to date, enhancements that have been implemented, conflicts they have navigated and their own personal growth as a result of this process. Melissa and Valerie facilitated a discussion and provided resources to inspire or affirm participants vision for what is possible in their own relationships at and with work in education.