As more students filed into the room, she grew increasingly concerned about the small space they inhabited. The students didn’t seem bothered though; they shifted and made room for newcomers. One student maneuvered himself inside the room in his wheelchair and the kids made sure he had a spot in the front.

“Should we get started?” Maya asked the room.

A resounding yes, filled the room, causing Victoria’s heart to swell. They were excited to be there and she was honored to stand before them. “Hello, everyone,” Victoria started. “I’m Dr. Reese from the English department. I’ve had some of you as students, I’m sure. As your faculty advisor, my presence here will be minimal. This is your group and I’m just here to sign the necessary forms.”

“Thank you for taking a chance on us,” said a boy from the center of the room. “Me and Maya asked, like, four profs and they said they were too busy.”

Instead of feeling slighted by the young man’s remark, Victoria felt disappointed by her institution. “I’m sorry that you felt you were stalled, but I think you’re in business now.”

“It feels like we’re working hard to be seen around here and no one wants to help,” said another male student. “There’s a Quidditch team with a history professor and it’s not a big deal, but I told some people that we’re starting a Black Student Union and they were like, what?”

Laughter erupted in the room before someone called out. “It’s like they think we’re starting a Black Panther Party at Pembroke.”

“Right?” Maya said through giggles. “All we want is a place to talk comfortably. No code-switching, no answering dumb questions about our identities. Just a place to relax.” Victoria stepped back and let Maya take over. The girl was speaking truth and people were listening. Victoria admired her ability to hold a crowd captive with her enthusiastic energy. “We want to bring something different to this campus, right?”

The crowd confirmed this.

“This isn’t just about us though,” Maya said. “It’s my hope that we’ll partner with students who want to form a Latino Student Union and an LGBTQ Student Union. And we need to host events that welcome everyone.”

Pembroke didn’t have those groups yet. The university had a long way to go before reaching their diversity mission statement, but these students had enough enthusiasm to get the ball rolling. Hope bloomed in Victoria’s chest.

“Yes,” said a female student from the front row. Victoria recognized her from last semester’s Composition class. “Because we need fun parties because this place stays boring.”

“Oh my god, you guys, we could have a ’90s dance party as our first event!”

“That would be so lit!”