For a flower to rise out from the soil it has to be rooted. It starts small as a seed, and the environment surrounding it assists in the growing process. It needs to be fed with things that will help it to grow. The Chatham University RISE program provides a way for students of color to blossom.

When students of color arrive on campus, they are looking for representation within their fellow students, faculty and staff. They are looking for places on campus which provide resources and support, for encouragement and advice. RISE is a place for all of this and more. 

RISE stands for retain, involve, strengthen and excel. The program was created by alumni Shamin Mason ‘13 in collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs in 2012 to provide a welcoming and safe space for incoming students of color.

During the RISE retreat, mentees and mentors complete ice breaker activities. At the end of the week, mentors and mentees are paired and meet for the remainder of the year. This can look like attending the monthly BIPOC dinners, meeting for coffee at Cafe Rachel or supporting one another at club events and sports games. 

Usually mentees are incoming first-years but second-years are also invited to attend. Mentors are typically second-years, third-years, fourth-years and graduate students.

In 2022, I was a RISE mentee. The program interested me as I was looking for ways to stretch myself academically and socially. As an eager and expectant first-year, I looked forward to the opportunity to meet fellow students of color and connect with professors. 

From the ice breaker activities to professional panels, I became more acclimated with the students and faculty of color on campus. RISE was the opportunity for me to gather the knowledge to not just succeed in my classes, clubs and extracurriculars, but in life. 

To this day, I am still friends with many of the students who were RISE mentors and mentees that year. I also walked away with excitement about my years here at Chatham as I heard about all of the work put into making students of color feel seen and welcomed. 

To help cultivate that supportive environment that I received my first year in RISE, I became a mentor in 2023 and continued this year. It is encouraging to see so many eager students of color coming onto campus looking for guidance and mentorship. 

The 2024 RISE retreat in August, just days before New Student Orientation, gave mentors and mentees an opportunity to bond and develop relationships ahead of the fall semester.

I bonded with my fellow mentors before the retreat. Ana Harouse ‘25, another RISE mentor, and I created a team-building activity where all mentors pasted words and images found from magazines and newspapers that described them. It showed how we are connected and ways to celebrate each other’s differences. This is how I began to water my seed and help others become rooted. 

Dominic Randall ‘27, another RISE mentor this year, was one of three mentors responsible for organizing the planning of activities for the retreat. In this position, they created a tour of the resources found on campus and the history of Chatham’s campus. 

Makila Cleckley ‘28, Randall’s mentee, felt that the RISE program was welcoming to students, even those who were not a part of the retreat. Cleckley enjoyed bonding with RISE mentors like Randall and fellow mentees during the retreat. This shows that a community is being built through this program.

That community is vital for students of color in college. Randall, for example, did not come from a diverse area and did not have many friends of color in high school. Being a part of RISE their first year was the path which led to Randall meeting students of color on campus and creating a friend group. 

Similarly to Randall, I have experienced being in spaces, especially in elementary and middle school, where I was the only person in the room who looked like me. Though I did not see representation of myself in the classroom, my parents ensured I received that representation at home, exposing me to Black history through books, speakers, seminars and family trips. 

I attended a predominantly Black and student-of-color high school. This was a shock, but in a good way. I saw girls wearing their natural hair confidently, and that eventually convinced me to begin wearing my hair naturally and to test out various products and styles. I also was taught by stellar Black teachers who taught me African American history through books, field trips and roundtable discussions. 

RISE felt like my experience in high school, which made the transition to college life smoother. 

I encourage all students of color to find their community, whether it is in the RISE program or elsewhere. Ask the important questions: how are you being supported? What does your support system look like? If you do not have an answer to those questions, we welcome you to the RISE family. Being a part of RISE is a place where mentors can learn from mentees and mentees can learn from mentors. It is a place to grow and become rooted in your identity. 

Applications to become a RISE mentor are now open for the 2025-26 academic year. It’s a chance to give back and create that supportive community here at Chatham.