Student Leaders

1) I was a first year in L0C, then a sophomore leader. Now I am senior coordinator, so LoC has had a huge impact on me as a student. I have always valued service and community engagement, and it means a lot to me to be able to give back to people through volunteering. LoC has been a huge way for me to be able to do that and I am super grateful that these opportunities exist and that through this program, I get to consistently be involved with the greater Twin Cities community.

2) I am looking forward to helping to remodel LoC and make it a better, more engaging program for incoming students!

3) I love to dance salsa! I go out every weekend into the cities and salsa dance. There are so many different places to dance and learn and I find myself discovering something new every week.

1) I think this program is aptly named for a group of people so committed – not only to volunteer service, but to following a stringent moral code, to thinking and engaging critically with their community, and to difficult and deep conversations about our city and values. This is what makes LoC stand out – while we are all starting from different places in many ways, I am confident that we are all striving for similar kinds of growth and will support each other in that process.

2) I’m looking forward to taking more environmentally focused classes now that I’ve declared my major (ES). I’m also planning to explore different parts of the Twin Cities, after a year of focusing more on getting established on campus! 🙂

3) I love biking, so my favorite excuse to leave campus is biking along the river trail to the U of M to watch their women’s soccer games. My friend from high school is on the team, but it’s also just super fun to see them dominating. I’d also recommend the Como Park Conservatory gardens in the winter – they have beautiful (warm!) greenhouses, and it’s totally free!

1) To me, LoC is the opportunity to authentically engage with parts of the Twin Cities that most students never get the chance to see, to learn more about the history of a place I knew very little about, and to reflect on my own values and how they can be applied to the world in the best way possible.

2) For 2023-2024 I am looking forward to exploring more of the Twin Cities, taking more really cool classes, and meeting more amazing people 🙂

3) If you’re a volleyball fan I’d highly recommend going to watch a game at the U, it’s not too far of a trip and the atmosphere is incredible.

1) To me, “Lives of commitment” signify individuals who dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to a cause, passion, or set of principles. These are people who demonstrate unwavering dedication, responsibility, and perseverance in pursuing their goals and making a positive impact on others and society. Those principles are reflected in this program at Mac through the dedication and empathy that my cohort has demonstrated in contributing to bring positive change.

2) In 2023-2024, I am incredibly excited about a youth empowerment program “La Foire aux Idées” that I am working on. This program aims to provide a platform for young minds to unleash their creativity, share innovative ideas, and actively contribute to solving real-world challenges. Through workshops, mentorship, and collaborative projects, we aspire to empower youth in my home country Côte d’Ivoire with the confidence and skills they need to make a positive impact in their communities. Witnessing these young change-makers bloom and witnessing their ideas transforming into tangible solutions fills me with hope and inspiration for the future.

3) Off-campus, I find immense comfort and joy when staying at my host family’s home and exploring more about the American and Minnesotan way of living. Immersed in their warm hospitality, I have the opportunity to experience their traditions, indulge in home-cooked meals, and engage in heartfelt conversations that help me understand the local culture and values better. From attending local events to discovering hidden gems in the Twin Cities, every moment spent with my host family enriches my understanding of the community and strengthens the bond between us. Their support and genuine interest in my background and in sharing their way of life make this experience truly unforgettable and heartwarming.

1) Lives of Commitment was my first introduction to Macalester, and it could not have been more eye opening. Lives of Commitment, to me, is an unforgettable experience to learn about the people outside of the Macalester College area. Lives of Commitment is also a community to meet people inside the Macalester area, it makes the transition to college a little easier.

2) I am looking forward to creating new bonds in the LoC community and being able to explore the Twin Cities a little further.

3) The Armory concert hall is my go-to for weekend excursions, there is a wide range of concerts and even some sporting events!

1) To me, LoC is community; with our small groups, the spaces we engage in, and the care we hold for one another. Since my first day as a LoC first year, I’ve felt this community and how much value it could truly bring to my life. Especially as a first-year, LoC made me feel that I had a place to belong when I didn’t feel it yet in the broader Mac community. Even in the dead of winter when it felt like the world shut down, getting to load weekly into a Macalester van to go to Rondo instilled me with some sense of joy and life again. I’m so excited to, once again, be able to create this space and ethically engage in the Twin Cities communities with so many new (and some old) faces.

2) I’m so excited to be a Sophomore Leader for LoC. Beyond this obvious answer, I’m really looking forward to my Off-Campus Student Employment position. I’ll be working with the International Institute of Minnesota in their Immigration Services department. I’ve spent my summer at an immigration-focused non-profit back home in Seattle and I’m happy to be continuing this work at school and in Minnesota. I’m also looking forward to the beautiful Minnesota fall (and the first snow)!

3) I enjoyed exploring coffee shops in the Twin Cities last year. I don’t have a car at school so I relied heavily on public transportation to make these treks—even in the dead of Winter. Some of my favorites were Nina’s (the 63 and a 15-minute walk away), yellowbird (also 10 minutes off the 63), Cahoots (on the A-line), and obviously Spyhouse (on the A-line). Especially when it was snowy and cold, the cozy coffee shops helped inspire me to do work or romanticize the freezing temperatures from a more comfortable location.