Marcellese Powell
Western Technical College
Marcellese Powell, a second year student at Western Technical College, is a social justice warrior, active in addressing issues of equity and inclusion. For the last three years, she has worked closely with our Multicultural Center and Club helping students at Western and youth in the community find leaders and role models they can look up to. She is currently interning in this center and will be working to develop interventions to address low retention rates of multicultural students at Western. As a Human Services Associate student, Marcellese is inspired to create community-change by helping our community become more diverse and inclusive for all.
Personal Statement
I became involved in addressing issues of economic inequality, diversity and inclusion when I moved to a smaller community. I was faced with a different type of racism and exclusion. Upon my acceptance into Western Technical College, diversification was my main goal. I took advantage of every opportunity to grow and learn. I joined the Multicultural Club, Human Service Club, and started working in the Multicultural Center as a work study. While there, we were able to engage the college campus as well as collaborate with community partners specifically targeting youth. Due to the success ingenuity of some of the programming we were able to put into place during that time I was awarded Western's Student Leadership Award. I am currently participating in my internship through the Multicultural Center raising awareness on the importance of diversity and inclusion, or the lack thereof, on students now and in the future. I am just beginning my journey into advocacy, and the work that has become so important to me. I look forward to continuing to be a powerful voice and advocate for social justice by empowering, educating, and engaging with individuals at local, state, and federal levels.
