On Saturday, August 30, our new cohort of student leaders from Black and Brown Scholars (BBS) at Skyline College and Brothers Empowering Brothers (BEB) from College of San Mateo engaged and participated in a day-long leadership retreat at Kapwa Kultural Center & Cafe in Daly City, CA.
The purpose of the retreat was to foster brotherhood, engage in cultural affirmation, identify leadership styles, and create a sacred space to share and reflect on their own experiences as male-identified students of color in higher educational spaces. They were blessed to have Adonis Marcelino, also known as Adonis Eats, to be their opening speaker, highlighting the importance of integrity – leading even when no one is watching and the power of our own stories.
They also engaged in a Visual Storytelling activity that allowed student leaders to learn about their communities, where they are from, and the successes and challenges that come with it. They also learned about the different leadership styles that they can possess based on their own personality and life experiences. They concluded the day by mapping out programming ideas that aligned with the BBS pillars of brotherhood, leadership, mentorship, and civic engagement. The events will be shared with the larger group of BBS students, as our hope is to build a culturally responsive and sustaining college experience for our men of color at our campus.
Lastly, gratitude to the faculty and staff who showed up for our students and delivered powerful workshop sessions for our student leaders – Dino Garcia, Manny Verdin, Joseph Jaballa, Albin Lee, Andy Gomez, Allen Ocampo, Christian Sanchez, and Matthew Embry.
For more information about Black and Brown Scholars, please check out our website at https://skylinecollege.edu/bbs/. You can also connect with Dr. Nate Nevado directly at nevadon@smccd.edu.
Written by: Nate Nevado
Photos by: BBS Team
