Wayne Peterkin, Class of 2024

One night I went to socialize with my white neighbors because I spent a lot of my first semester inside. We hung out in one of their rooms, and it was just one other person. The person I was with propositioned me for drugs, and I decided to take a step out and try what he had. I had a bad trip, and while I was sitting there trying to process things, he and our other neighbors seemed to vibe with that kind of experience, as if it was normal. That day reinforced to me that my background, culture, and habits are not the same as theirs, and I need to be more cautious of when I enter their environments. It can be segregated, but it’s not on purpose. We acknowledge each other as POC in general spaces, and we hang out if the opportunity presents itself. But more often than not, we end up hanging out in groups we feel most comfortable with, like our identity organizations. The biggest resource is the BLACK STUDENT UNION! I am the current treasurer of BSU here at UVM. We host weekly meetings in our center for students of color. We put on events throughout the year to develop community for black students, including 2 of the biggest events of the year: Soul Food Social in November, and Fashion in February. We also have the mosaic center which has counselors we can talk to; they put on BIPOC events for us throughout campus, and they have the Women of Color Coalition club. That’s about it, we have to support ourselves. I wish UVM would season the food better or get POC to cook the food. Instead of having white chefs attempt to make staple cultural dishes. Do I feel represented at UVM? Not at all, I have to fight for representation. Mentally prepare yourself for the culture shock, bring whatever you can that makes you feel at home. Find friends that you can stress with over the hard experiences you will face and the difficult coursework.