By Liam Reilly
@liampreilly852
Six Questions with Deja Ware
Deja Ware is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She first came to Alden Street as a student, and returned to help students have the enjoyable experience that she had.
The Student sat down with Ware to learn more about her life and what the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is planning for this semester.
Student: What made you choose Springfield College?
Ware: My senior year I was delayed in looking at colleges, and I hadn’t thought much about my decision. I got offered an opportunity to come here on a teacher education preparation scholarship. That ultimately was something that made me choose to come to Springfield College.
Coming back as an employee was a no-brainer because I had a great experience here as a student and felt as if I had an opportunity to give back to the current students and serve as a resource. I wanted to support them through experience, especially students from marginalized and underrepresented backgrounds.
Student: What is your go to gas station food and drink and why?
Ware: I always grab a bag of chips like Ruffles. As for a drink I typically drink water, it might be seltzer sometimes or if I want something sweet I’ll get an Arizona iced tea.
Student: What does DEI hope to accomplish this semester?
Ware: This semester we’re continuing to provide programming opportunities for really tough conversations and have celebrations of identities of marginalized communities. We’re going into March, which is Women’s History Month and Disability Awareness Month, so it’s really important for me that we’re intentional about creating programs that give visibility to those communities.
Student: How is DEI celebrating Women’s History Month?
Ware: We’re kicking off Women’s History Month with our ninth annual Women’s Tea on March 5. International Women’s Day is March 8 but because everyone’s going to be going home for Spring Break, we wanted to make sure that students and staff had the opportunity to come and celebrate. There’s going to be awards, great discussion, poetry reading and celebrating women.
Student: If you had to have dinner with one person in history, who would it be and why?
Ware: Phyllis Wheatley. I really want to ask her what her experience was when she was brought to a court of white men and asked to prove that she was the author of poetry that they never believed a Black woman would be able to produce. I’d share with her that even today in 2024, we as Black women have these moments where our intelligence and self-worth is questioned. Although it may seem like something that was only of her time, it’s still something that happens today.
Student: How do you want to be remembered and why?
Ware: I want to be remembered as someone who always fought to create access and opportunity for those whose voices have never been uplifted. Black voices, female voices, and voices of those are often silenced. Through my everyday effort to support our students and community is something that’s really important to me. I want to be known as someone who is trying to make the world in our community a better place, one person, one relationship and one interaction at a time.
Photo Courtesy of Springfield College