Fourth Annual Diversity Summit Recap

A packed room of students, faculty and community leaders gathered for the fourth annual Augustana Student Association Diversity Summit, where conversations surrounding identity, inclusivity, and systemic change resonated deeply across panels and keynotes. This year’s summit, themed “Moving forward,” emphasized the need for both reflection and action amid a rapidly changing social and political climate.

Junior Susana Gebrekidan, chair of the Diversity, Equity and Social Justice committee, opened the program alongside university President Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin. Both underscored the necessity of sustained conversations about equity on campus and in the broader community. 

“Progress begins with discomfort,” Herseth Sandlin said while highlighting the university's commitment to pluralism and embracing a multiplicity of voices.

Conversations also addressed disability inclusion, particularly the role of the Augie Access program which supports students with intellectual and developmental disabilities as fully integrated members of campus life.

The Augie Access Program welcomed the tenth cohort of students since starting up in the fall of 2015. The program allows students to come to college and explore areas of interest they may have not been able to try before, while also giving them the opportunity to perfect skills they have. 

“They each have their own stories, including their own talents, challenges and successes,” Catherine Davis, assistant program director for Augie Access said. “They have broken barriers and stigmas by often proving that they can when people have said they cannot. Since our inception, Augustana as a student body, faculty and staff have embraced the Augie Access mission and created an environment where our students are a part of the fabric of this campus.”

First year Maddie Larson and second year Jean Hauff each shared their experiences navigating a college environment that has not always been structured with them in mind and how important the opportunities are for them. Their contributions added powerful firsthand perspectives to the day’s dialogue, prompting calls for broader accessibility in classrooms and campus life.

Moses Idris, the keynote speaker, addressed the importance of how to change oneself and work to be better. Idris was born in the Gash Barka region of Eritrea during a period of civil wars. He spent 10 years in refugee camps with his family before immigrating to Sioux Falls in 2010. Once settled, Idris attended Roosevelt High School then went to USF for multimedia production. Upon graduation from undergrad in 2020, Idris felt a calling to get his master’s in healthcare in hopes of one day being able to help people who lack proper healthcare. 

“You have to be willing to share your unique self, your unique culture, your unique talents and if you’re somebody who's working to support diverse communities, you have to be able to build enough trust with them,” Idris said. “Where you can invite them into your communities, your areas, where you can empower them and they can share their talents, and you can help guide them to express whatever things that they’re going to express.”

In his speech, Idris presented the audience with questions to help them move forward in life. The questions included: Evaluating our worth, who we are, how we are living life, where we want to go in life, and how we are gaining knowledge, skills and experience. 

“Life has a way of putting barriers in your life and making you feel stuck,” Idris said. 

Idris opened up about his time struggling with mental health and how there are people out there to support those going through rough patches. He concluded his presentation by encouraging people to reach out for help because change starts with ourselves by making the right choices.

The following breakout session panels focused on diversity across STEM, government & law and business & finances. Each group of panelists brought unique perspectives to what it means to lead and serve while confronting barriers.

The STEM panel featured Augustana alumnus and former ASA president Sara Alhansnawi, who is currently attending medical school at USD. Alhansnawi is known for spearheading the Diversity Summit while at Augustana and was excited to see how it is still thriving. The following panelists included Raymond Leach, an Augustana professor, Shoaib Munir, who is a visiting professor for the year and Lacey Pearson, another first year medical student at USD. 

The Business & Finance panel was led by professor Matt Willard and assistant professor Diogo Seixas, who are both considered experts in business education and leadership and shared their insight on preparing for successful careers. 

The Government & Law panel featured professor Emily Wanless, immigration attorney Casey Eekhoff, small-business owner and former state trooper Julian Beaudion and professor Chandradhar Dwivedi from SDSU. The panelists discussed how people can move forward as leaders and changemakers in the field. Each panelist brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to the topics of immigration law, community leaders and offered strong advice to those in attendance. 

Resilience was a recurring theme.

The summit wrapped with a call to action: support diverse leadership pipelines, stay engaged locally and prioritize community over comfort.

The message of the day was clear: representation matters—but change is everyone’s responsibility.