I3b’s Your Story Belongs Here in UMBC Magazine

Acting Director of Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (i3b) Ciara Christian, M.A. '18, Ph.D. '22, discussed the impact of Your Story Belongs Here, a collaborative program withUMBC's theatre department, for an upcoming print issue of UMBC Magazine. Program co-founder Eve Muson, associate professor of theatre and department chair, undergraduates Jaya Marshall and Mashaal Awan, and Kiirstn Pagan '11, theatre, are also interviewed.

Your Story Belongs Here, a required in-person program during Welcome Week, helps incoming students explore how to put the "I" in inclusion. The program features an original theatrical presentation in which paid undergraduate student interns write, rehearse, and film personal monologues about how they find belonging at UMBC and cultivate a sense of belonging for others. Through storytelling, audience engagement, and reflection opportunities, incoming students then reflect on their role in ensuring an inclusive environment as they begin their UMBC journey.

Read the article, "Your Story Belongs Here," on the magazine website.