by Phoenix Bedolla
It’s often said that a person can learn more about a subject when they suddenly find themselves teaching it, as it allows you to understand a new perspective. This year, I decided to report on the growing LGBTQ+ community on the Minarets campus as a part of my Senior Legacy Experience (SLE), and I couldn’t have made a better choice. Being in a position to both educate the Minarets student body and involve myself within this amazing group of students has taught me many valuable lessons that I will carry with me forever. Furthermore, providing a platform to those who often go without one has brought me no better feeling in the world. I firmly believe everybody deserves to have their voice heard and creating a position that allows advocacy for every group on campus demonstrates exactly what Minarets is about, freedom of expression for all!
With everything being said, I am a senior, and I will be graduating this year. As much as I would love to continue writing these articles, I’m unfortunately not able to, as my time here is coming to a close. Thankfully though, I know there are many open-minded students in the classes behind me, and I hope more than anything that someone will continue this journey I started. The position I created as the advocacy writer at Minarets Press has been a hard but very rewarding one, entailing many interviews with students and staff along with numerous hours of research. Writing and publishing these articles contributed to my SLE project, and for the legacy component, I hope to find someone to further the progress on this project, someone who has a passion for advocacy like me.
My SLE, a campaign to raise more awareness for the LGTBQ+ community on campus, was first born from a two-hour conversation with a staff member, and I can confidently say that it’s become more than anything I could’ve imagined for me and the countless others involved. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the students, staff, and others who have continuously supported this venture over the past year. I plan to instate a plan that advances this project, so that a culture of advocacy and awareness may outlast me and continue to benefit Minarets in the many years to come.
Any Minarets student interested in fulfilling this role and taking up the mantle next year, please contact me at phoenix.bedolla@mychawanakee.org