如果你最后进了 多元文化倡议中心 (CMI)，你会立刻感到一种舒适感. 员工们用亲切的微笑欢迎您的光临. 的 offices are donned with a collection of photos, flags, plants and knick-knacks. 你周围有一种明显的嗡嗡声，但不知何故能让你平静下来.

这种感觉在CMI已经培养了30多年, 站在一代又一代学生的肩膀上, 通过努力工作, 奉献与牺牲, 1993年以前开始工作. 的 office has moved locations within North Foundation, changed names and sprouted new initiatives. 但, 最重要的是, CMI办公室已成为2024欧洲杯下注的重要支柱, 感谢Omar Brown-El, 中科院 95年和05年, whose resilience in his own educational endeavors helps guide other underrepresented students, 永远改变他们的生活.

燃料

“我来这里是因为我的母亲，”CMI的高级主管Brown-El解释道. “一切都从她开始. She was an educator in the Flint Public School system and saw the value of education, 作为一个年轻的青少年，哪一个不是我的首要任务.”

奥马尔·布朗，2024年

布朗-艾尔的母亲知道她的儿子会过得更好, 如果他能拿到学位，生活会更充实, 她劝他申请2024欧洲杯下注. 的 only issue was that Brown-El was not a scholar student in high school; in order to be enrolled, 他必须参加一个暑期项目.

“的 学术 Opportunity Program (AOP) was for students who are not as academically strong as others,Brown-El说. “This would give students the opportunity to build some of their academic acumen over the summer prior to their first fall. 这是我的学术之旅和实现我的目标的开始.”

AOP并不是点燃Brown-El内部火焰的火种, 那是被扔进火焰里的几加仑打火机油.

“我很快意识到我在学业上没有做好准备，”布朗-埃尔回忆道. “这并不是说我没有能力. 我只是没那么感兴趣. 在那八周的课程中, I was around the professors and older student mentors who told us that ‘there's an opportunity here for you.就在那个时候，一些事情开始引起我的共鸣.”

It was very early on in AOP that a switch flipped in Brown-El; seemingly overnight, 他对自己的教育从不感兴趣变成全身心投入. 这是他有生以来第一次, 他自言自语地坐下来, 想过他想做什么, 并开始利用他在开放大学的时间来发现什么是最令人满意的道路.

激活的宣传

秋季学期一开始, 布朗-艾尔被激励了, 纪律严明，渴望接受开放大学提供的一切, including any academic challenges thrown his way and getting involved in the Association for Black Students.

“的re were students who were socially conscious and aware of things that I had not even considered,Brown-El解释道. “的y would talk about apartheid in South Africa; I had no idea what that even meant. 的y talked with such fluidity; it made me realize that I was so far behind.”

布朗-艾尔沉浸在社团中. Hearing his fellow students speak out about social injustices taking place not only around the world but also in his community ignited another passion in him.

Omar Brown-El, 2010, at 梦想的守护者 | Jake Block摄

“我想知道我能做些什么，”布朗-埃尔说. “在社会意识和社会倡导方面，我还能做得更好吗? 我怎样才能打破障碍? 我怎样才能帮助那些长期被剥削的人呢?”

His starting point was to soak in as much information regarding these topics as possible. He read whatever he could get his hands on and worked diligently to be more aware of current events and the history of those who have been underrepresented. 第一年的时候, Brown-El became a member of the Association of Black Students and took every opportunity they gave him. “我帮助宣传校园活动, worked closely with those in charge of marketing to get the word out about our initiatives and attended our events,他说. “这个协会是我进入领导角色的途径.”

在他大三的时候, 布朗-艾尔被任命为黑人学生协会主席, 他的任务很明确.

“As the president of the Association of Black Students I needed to continue the work that had already begun on establishing an office that would speak to diversity initiatives and advocate for underrepresented students,Brown-El说. “一个能让我们在谈判桌上有专业地位的办公室.”

In 1993, Brown-El and the Association of Black Students organized a protest in order to land him a meeting with OU’s president, 副校长和院长. What culminated was a near 300-student demonstration on campus that ended with the association occupying the president’s office and coming to terms to start an office to focus on diversity initiatives.

“在与总统会面之后,Brown-El解释道, 她把这个计划提交给了董事会, 在哪里获得批准. We were going to have an office within student affairs that would report directly to the president, 每年还会留出资金供办公室使用.”

下一个步骤? 聘请一名董事.

2024欧洲杯下注在全国范围内为他们的新办公室招聘主任. 的 university did initial interviews out of a pool selected by the president and the board and selected a list of five finalists. 这五名入围者安排了最后一次面试, 但这一次, 和一个20岁的布朗·艾尔一对一. 他雇佣了年轻的格伦·麦金托什, the man who would later become the university’s senior vice president for student affairs and chief diversity officer.

奥马尔·布朗·艾尔，2018年，和学生们在 CORE暑期桥项目 | Jon-Paul Bakaric摄

开辟道路

布朗-艾尔的努力最终得到了回报. 他顺利毕业并获得了传播学学位. 但 his time at OU came with a plethora of challenges, both academically and socially.

“我不是一个好学生, 我在教室里苦苦挣扎，只是为了达到最低分数,Brown-El说. “I was also dealing with all the social pressures of trying to advance diversity on campus. 有人向我发出了威胁. 我被拉进了管理人员的办公室，他们说, “有些人不希望你在这里, 你只是把树摇得太厉害了.”

奥马尔·布朗，2024年

For the next seven years after graduating, Brown-El would bounce around to different jobs. 他发现自己在帮助有前科的人, people with disabilities and people from low-income homes get back into the workforce. He would help them find the right training or opportunities to get back on their feet.

While Brown-El enjoyed this work, he felt that he wasn’t advancing in the right jobs for himself. 他被忽视了，他的简历也不符合他的竞争对手.

“我会去要求加薪或升职, 他们会说, “我们喜欢你。, 然而，这个人有高等学历.“我们很感激你，但我们要把这份工作给这个人。.’ That happened about two or three times before I decided I’d have to go back to school,Brown-El说.

这一次，他的重点将放在咨询上. 他以2分的成绩本科毕业.3平均绩点, 好到可以拿文凭了, 但他并不是最有吸引力的研究生申请者.

就在这个时候，他接到了一个老朋友的电话.

“Glenn reached out and said, ‘Hey Omar, I think you should come back to 奥克兰 and work for us.“我当时并不感兴趣，但格伦和他的团队坚持不懈. 他们认为我可以为学生们提供一些东西。. “最终，我屈服了，成为了CMI的人才保留协调员.”

投资回报

在接下来的四年里, 在被任命为CMI主任之前，布朗-艾尔一直在努力往上爬. 在他辛苦工作之后, 坚持不懈，花时间培养自己的技能, 他终于觉得自己走上了正确的道路.

奥马尔·布朗-埃尔，2012，(中) 多元文化倡议中心 毕业晚宴

“我有我可以贡献的东西，”Brown-El说. “我知道自己的能力. 我知道我的才能. 但 I'm also aware that if you don't keep those things within the bounds of something, 你自己的优点变成了你的缺点. 我教我的学生要脚踏实地.”

A natural-born leader, Brown-El has always had people gravitate toward him and his humility. 在这个角色中, 他能够与年轻一代分享他的经历和人生教训, 引导他们走上成为开拓者的道路.

“的 students are the best part of my job; they're so wonderful and creative,Brown-El说. “他们的能量是惊人的. 和年轻人一起工作，看到他们有“啊哈”的时刻，真是太棒了.’”

布朗-艾尔是这些学生的催化剂, guiding them to harness their energy and creativity and focus it to make a difference in the world. 他发出了许多未被充分代表的学生所需要的声音.

在Brown-El的指导下，CMI已经成为学生们的避风港. 这是一个他们觉得属于自己的地方. 他们知道他们有一个可以依靠的支持系统, 而Brown-El的重点是确保他们成功.

“当我的员工加入时, they see value in the work that they do; they see themselves being appreciated,Brown-El说. “这对我来说很重要. 当他们来工作时，他们知道自己不只是一个齿轮. CMI是一个大家庭，我们对此非常重视.”

Brown-El现在是CMI的高级主管. 在他担任董事期间, 认为项目的保留率达到了90%, 毕业率一直保持在70百分位.

的y’ve been able to allocate funds and resources they never thought possible in order to support their programs and students. 参与CMI的员工和学生数量继续稳步增长. CMI has also inherited the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) and Veteran Support Services (VSS) under its umbrella.

但, 忠于布朗-艾尔谦逊的本性, 他拒绝把CMI的持续增长和荣誉归功于自己.

“如果我们在办公室取得成功, 我可能是线索, 但团队中的每个人都做出了贡献,Brown-El说. “Somebody helped with marketing, somebody else welcomed them when they walked in, and so on. I cannot do all of this without my team; we're doing this together.”