Kiara Williams

A Bridge Between Generations

During her time at IUP, Kiara Williams hasn’t always felt at home.

It’s an experience similar to what many people around the world deal with every day. Racism and social injustice happen everywhere, and at IUP there have been times when Black and Brown students have felt marginalized.

“Events like the fireside chat also made me a strong student leader for my organization,” she says. “I can point our members in the direction of the proper university staff members to talk to when they need assistance. I’m also able to share with them things the university is doing and ways we all can become academically and emotionally successful.”

But by attending a program in October that brought together Black IUP alumni and current students, Kiara was able to express her concerns, hear about the experiences of her predecessors, and meet some IUP faculty and administrators who were there to listen and offer support.

The event, called a Fireside Chat with the IUP Black Experience Alumni Committee, was held at the Center for Multicultural Student Leadership and Engagement over Homecoming weekend.

“It’s important, because it gives us people to connect with, not just for opportunities in the workplace, but also a place for our voice to be heard and understood,” Kiara says. “It also shows us that our alumni care and want us to be successful.”

Kiara, a native of Washington, Pennsylvania, says she gained a lot from the BEAC programming.

“Events like the fireside chat also made me a strong student leader for my organization,” she says. “I can point our members in the direction of the proper university staff members to talk to when they need assistance. I’m also able to share with them things the university is doing and ways we all can become academically and emotionally successful.”