No two K-Staters are exactly alike. But thanks to Wildcat Dialogues, they’re discovering what they have in common.
A future veterinarian and Bollywood dancer from Johnson County. A comic artist and coder who attended an online high school in Junction City. A future doctor from Ghana who finds comfort in her faith. And a future investment financier from rural Kansas.
These K-State students, along with about 1,000 others, packed the K-State Student Union to share their stories and learn from one another. During the first weeks of school, they discovered what they all have in common — and learned to celebrate the purple ties that bind.
Building the K-State Community
More than 20,000 students attend K-State, and each one brings their own unique personal story to campus. Wildcat Dialogues, a campuswide initiative for all incoming students, helps K-Staters learn how to create communities of belonging that bridge interests and upbringings.
“K-State does this to develop, empower and equip leaders who can navigate a global society with authentic curiosity, empathy and confidence,” said Tamara Bauer, assistant professor and director of leadership and service programs at the Staley School of Leadership. “The theme for Wildcat Dialogues is ‘My story. Your story. Our story.’ We all have stories to tell, and when we take time to listen and share stories, we can understand different lived experiences, identities and cultures in meaningful ways.”
Starting with self-discovery
For small-towners, the first challenge is not feeling lost in the crowd. To Colton Wallace, a typical K-State residence hall has a bigger population than the town he grew up in.
“Coming to K-State from a rural town in Kansas, I didn’t know anyone,” said Wallace, a future investment financier from Mound City. “Wildcat Dialogues helped me gain new perspectives and connect with people on a deeper level. It allowed me to find common ground with people from diverse backgrounds and broadened my understanding of different cultures.”
Being new to a large university can be overwhelming, and not knowing where you fit can negatively affect grades, mental health and the joy of the full college experience. Wildcat Dialogues sets students on the path of being open to new experiences — a pivotal aspect of college — and finding where they belong.
“As a freshman at K-State, I was involved in the Menard Family Scholars Program in the College of Business, which was an amazing experience and helped me figure out my career goals and aspirations,” Wallace said. “But it was truly bonding with all my fraternity brothers in PIKE that gave me a sense of belonging and allowed me to discover who I want to be as a person.”
Finding a home away from home
Antoinette Dadzie traveled 6,200 miles to attend K-State. Coming from a small town in western Ghana with dreams of becoming a pediatrician, Dadzie was grateful for the grounding effects of Wildcat Dialogues.
“It was awesome and just what I needed at that time,” Dadzie said. “I had these questions in my head: Am I different from other people? Am I the odd one out? Then I realized that everybody here is going through the same things. We’re all finding it difficult to navigate through this college experience. We’re all trying to grow and achieve our goals.”
Being so far from home, finding where she belongs was vital. That turned out to be the bustling St. Isadore’s Catholic Student Center across from Memorial Stadium. “Being a part of the praise and worship team and the choir is very meaningful to me,” Dadzie said. “There’s a strong sense of community there, and people make you feel like you’re part of the family. It’s my home away from home.”
Drawing lives together
When creating the fantasy comic Mourning Star, Jessie Lewis steps inside the minds and life experiences of others, a skill emphasized at Wildcat Dialogues.
“I can’t strictly relate to the international students because I’m not one, but I can relate to some of the core emotions and that shared humanity,” said Lewis, a computer scientist and nontraditional student from Junction City, Kansas. “As a person with autism, events like Wildcat Dialogues are helpful because they give you the structure and space to talk with people. That’s so much harder for me to do on the fly.”
Ever since attending Girls State on the K-State campus, Lewis dreamed of being a Wildcat. After working a few years as a web developer, that dream is now coming true.
“I like math, tech and science,” Lewis said. “Being able to do these kinds of things again as a student has sparked that desire and drive to go for it.”
Connecting with other comic creators — both on campus and online — feeds Lewis’ creativity and sense of belonging.
“Teachers, staff and others have been friendly, helpful and just decent human beings to me. That’s nice, because there’s the fear that I’ll be rejected or mocked or disrespected,” Lewis said. “But I’m treated well here — like a person.”
Dancing to a different beat
Pinpointing a shared story makes new students realize they’re all in this together.
“What binds everyone through Wildcat Dialogues is having that sense of community and the fact that we’re all here at K-State,” said Dyani Anand, a future veterinarian from Overland Park, Kansas. “We’re all just trying to fit in and make a home at K-State.”
Growing up in Kansas, Anand says she wanted to get more immersed in her family’s South Asian culture.
“I found the Bollywood dance club on campus, and I got involved with the Indian Student Association,” she said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really learned to appreciate where my family came from. Being a part of the Bollywood dance group helped me love my culture even more.”
She and her new dance friends polished their choreography for a Diwali/Festival of Lights celebration. But she’s not limiting herself to just exploring her family’s own culture. “There’s so much more that K-State has to offer that I don’t know about yet,” said Anand. “I want to venture out more, see what else there is to do and connect with more people.”
K-State family bonds
The event finishes by defining “our” shared story. Students ponder the action steps needed to set all K-Staters up for college success.
“Every year that we host Wildcat Dialogues, we make progress toward a more welcoming campus where students have a clearer understanding of what it means to create belonging — for themselves and others,” said Mariya Vaughan, assistant director of the K-State First program for new students. “The value of this program for our first-year students can’t be underscored enough.”
And being part of the K-State community doesn’t end after graduation.
“When we talk about the K-State family, that includes alumni and friends along with students, faculty and staff,” Bauer said. “It takes a commitment from each community member to actively work toward creating a sense of belonging for all. When current students see the support and continued engagement of our alumni and friends, it models those shared values.”
