By: Maria Scacchitti ’18, Staff Writer

Lebanon Valley College held its Fourth Annual Symposium on Inclusive Excellence on Jan. 24, hosting a number of speakers and inviting open dialogue to unify the LVC community against prejudices commonly seen in today’s society.

Throughout the day, a number of workshops and open dialogues took place following the headlining speaker, all celebrating the beauty of diversity and how it strengthens society as a whole. Of these sessions, the Vernon and Doris Bishop Library hosted its own “human library,” where students and faculty were able to sit and converse with a variety of people from all walks of life.

“Everyone has a story to tell,” Javon Nelson, a junior double major in art and business administration, said.

Nelson chose to go to this event because he was interested in hearing what those who volunteered had to say, since this type of dialogue is not typically shared on a daily basis.

“I wanted to see someone else’s story, how they look at things through their eyes,” Nelson said.

The volunteers in the event had various life experiences to share; the catalog varied from selected students on campus to a sexual assault survivor. This variety allowed students to listen and discuss different day-to-day struggles they have faced.

Vidya Lala, a senior biology major, was one of the students who volunteered to be “checked-out” for the afternoon. Lala comes from what she described as a “tri-cultural” background, as she recognizes herself as Hindu, Indian and South African.

“I feel like a lot of people know me for different titles here at LVC, but possibly don’t know me as an individual,” Lala said.

She said that she enjoyed taking part in the human library because it not only allowed her to share her story, but she also learned a lot about others in the event.

“It kind of makes you take away the stereotype; then at the end of the day [you] realize that this is a person with unique experiences,” Lala said.

More than one thousand students, faculty and members of the staff in the Lebanon Valley College community participated in the symposium activities. Over the course of the day’s events, the college as a whole actively engaged and celebrated the diversity of our community in a positive manner.

mds009@lvc.edu