Admit It: A Frank Discussion on Race & Inequities in the US Admissions Process  - 7/19/2021

Conversation Overview

Join Mensima, Alain, Dr. Luz, & Tyvi for this Messy Conversation on Race & Inequities in US Academic Admissions.

Mensima Biney is an Admissions specialist with almost two decades of successful experience in student recruitment and enrollment. She served at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for 14 years as an Admissions Counselor, Assistant Director, Associate Director and ultimately as the Director of Undergraduate Admissions. Mensima has been a member of the Antioch University community since 2018 where she currently serves as the Director of Admission for Campus based programs. She oversees a team of 20 admission officers and supporting staff. Besides her service to the university.

Alain Daraang, Director of College Counseling, Francis Parker School, San Diego. Originally from Wilmington, DE, Alain Daraang spent the last fifteen years in South Florida before relocating to California. He is an alum of the University of Delaware with a BA in English and St. Thomas University with an MBA. Prior to the field of education, Alain worked with the University of Miami in its athletics department, The Miami Heat, and Super Bowl XLI Host Committee. He is an avid sports fan but also enjoys the arts and travel. Alain transitioned from professional and collegiate athletics to undergraduate admission and college counseling in 2011. He spent the last five years in college counseling with the Benjamin School and NSU University School in South Florida. He also spent four years as an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission for the University of Miami. Alain served as an active member of SACAC volunteering on faculty for its Dry Run program in New Orleans and Miami. In addition, he coordinated and served on the SACAC minicamp college programs in Miami and Nashville.

Dra. Luz D. Randolph, Executive Director of Development, St. Petersburg College. Dra. Luz D. Randolph is responsible for the college-wide fundraising efforts for St. Petersburg College. Since her arrival in January 2020, she has guided the fundraising efforts surrounding the recently established Helios Titan Achievement Program (H-TAP), the Social Justice Institute Microgrant awarded by the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee, the SPC Emergency Fund among other initiatives. Prior to her role at SPC, she served as Assistant Director of Development, Diversity Initiatives. Her primary focus was to assist in cultivating relationships between USF constituents and the Tampa Bay community that will enhance the university’s diverse students’ experiences. Since her arrival in 2016, she has successfully fundraised over $3 million for diversity initiatives and assisted in the development and implementation of the Black Leadership Network which aims to provide financial and mentoring support to African American students at the University of South Florida. Before coming to USF, Luz served as Director of the Candidate Empowerment Center (CEC) at Florida A&M University. In this role her team increased FAMU’s College of Education’s Teacher Certification passage rate by 75%. She also served as Assistant Director of the Department of Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of Miami where she coordinated services and programs that challenged, motivated, and supported ethnically diverse students in their development at the University of Miami and seek to bring issues of diversity and multiculturalism to the foreground of campus conversation. She is a double alumna from the University of South Florida with a B.A in Interpersonal Communication and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction – College Student Affairs. She completed her Doctor of Education in Higher Education and Leadership Administration degree from Nova Southeastern University. Her dissertation focused on the experience of Latinas in Latina sororities at a predominantly White institution and the impact on their academic persistence. Since, she has presented on topics relating to Latinas and their college experience, philanthropy and diversity, and gender issues and sexual orientation. Currently, she serves as President of the Board of Directors for Hispanic Services Council and member of the Board of Directors at MacDonald Training Center and Cetera Florida.

Tyvi Small currently serves as the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He previously served UTK in the Haslam College of Business from 2007-2018, ending as Executive Director for Talent Management, Diversity and Community Relations. Prior to coming to Knoxville, he was the Education Coordinator and Assistant to the Mayor for the City of West Palm Beach, FL. Tyvi is a native of Pahokee, Florida. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in education and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education Administration at UTK.