Coordinator's Welcome

Welcome Back, Umoja Family - New and Returning!

The Umoja team is excited to welcome back all members of the CSM Umoja Community! The 2022-23 academic year is particularly important, as we return to campus full of hope, enthusiasm, and perhaps even trepidation. While many of us returned to campus in Fall 2021, it is this semester that truly feels normal. 

Over the last couple of years, the CSM Umoja Community has changed quite a bit, but rest assured, we are still committed to providing you, our students, with a safe, supportive, and engaging learning environment. Many members of the Umoja team are returning, including Professor of Ethnic Studies Dr. Frederick Gaines, Associate Professor of English Jeramy Wallce, Umoja Club Advisor Gwen Kenny, and other major supporters and collaborators, including Professors Patrice Reed-Fort and Robbie Baden and Dean Krystal Duncan. We are all so excited to continue our work with you this year . . . and in-person!

We are also very excited to introduce some new members of the Umoja team. We have a new Umoja Counselor, Professor Brandon Williams, and Personal Counselor, Professor Kathryn Lige, both of whom joined us during the last academic year. Professor Williams is an experienced Umoja practitioner, and Professor Lige has expertise in mental health issues in the Black community. They are HUGE additions to the Umoja team. We’re also very excited to announce that we have hired two peer mentors - Natalia Rosales and Angelina Pome’e. They are both sophomores and are ready to help you navigate CSM and college, in general. 

And as always, we plan to have several events throughout the year, including a Black Student Welcome, a museum field trip, speakers, and collaborations with other LCs. And this year’s statewide Umoja conference is back in-person and we will be taking several students!

We are fortunate to work and learn at a college with so many student-centered resources and opportunities, so if you need help navigating the college experience, getting more involved in the college, or needing some additional support (academically or personally), let us know! We are here for you!

In many ways, the pandemic provided a sort of “reset,” and we are determined to come back to CSM and to make the Umoja Community stronger than ever. 

In community, 

Jeramy Wallace
Umoja Coordinator
Professor of English