A Year in Review 2025-2026

The Ivory Tower as a Community Bridge

October 28, 2025

Professor Quinton Morris, DMA

 In this talk, Dr. Morris explored how universities can more effectively bridge the gap between academic work and the communities they serve. The pandemic highlighted significant opportunities for faculty to engage with local communities, including K-12 schools experiencing learning loss. Dr. Morris argued that embedding research and teaching in real-world community service can enrich both scholarship and societal impact. By aligning academic work with community needs, universities can strengthen their relevance and deepen their contributions to society.

• Promo Video
• Full Recording

How Prison Education Restores Justice

February 24, 2026

Professor Jacqueline B. Helfgott, Ph.D

This talk highlighted Professor Helfgott’s three decades of work in prisons facilitating art and restorative dialogue programs, conducting research, and teaching. She discussed how prison programs and education restore justice by connecting the free and incarcerated communities through education and bridgebuilding. Professor Helfgott additionally shared efforts to establish a Seattle University Prison Education for Rehabilitation and Reentry (SU-PERR) program to offer a BA/BS Degree Program at the Monroe Correctional Complex - Twin Rivers Unit with a call to action to Seattle University faculty, staff, and students.

• Promo Video
• Full Recording

Indian Americans: From "Model Minority" to "Job Thief"

April 21, 2026

Professor Sital Kalantry, JD

Professor Kalantry explored how in an era of rising anti-immigrant sentiment, Indian Americans face new waves of backlash that echo past cycles of exclusion. This talk traced the history of anti-Indian prejudice in the United States—from labor conflicts in Washington State to Supreme Court rulings that tied citizenship to “whiteness”—and explored how the community has been alternately celebrated for exceptionalism and vilified as an economic threat. By contrasting these narratives, the talk offered a values-driven vision for belonging and solidarity in a pluralistic democracy. 

• Promo Video
• Full Recording

This year, Seattle University was joined by Randall L. Kennedy, the Michael R. Klein Professor at Harvard Law School. In his keynote address, Professor Kennedy posed the question,

 "Is it Worthwhile to Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day?"

While the answer to the question was a resounding "Yes, of course," Professor Kennedy challenged listeners to understand the significance of this holiday, including the not-so-distant history of America's segregation past, progress made, and the remaining work needed to make Dr. King’s dream a reality.  
We invite you to watch the short preview or the full recording of Professor Kennedy's keynote address at the commemoration:

• Promo Video
• Full Recording

In February 2026, through partnership across the university and co-sponsorship with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the MOSAIC Center brought Lunar New Year to life via a variety of celebrations. 

Lunar New Year Shirts

February 15, 2026

Seattle University vs. Oregon State Basketball Game

During the February 15 basketball match between Seattle University and Oregon State, the MOSAIC Center designed t-shirts to celebrate Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse. Each student was provided with a shirt, and the general public received Red Envelopes containing education about Lunar New Year and other celebrations. 

MOSAIC Center Lunar New Year Celebration

February 17, 2026

In honor of the Lunar New Year, the MOSAIC Center hosted an afternoon of celebrations. In partnership with collaborators across campus, festivities included student performances, a traditional Lion Dance Performance, and Student Organizational Informational Booths. 

Lion Dance Halftime Performance

February 18, 2026

Seattle University vs. Saint Mary's

During halftime of Seattle University's men's basketball game versus Saint Mary's, the MOSAIC Center worked to showcase a traditional Lion Dance performance for attendees.

• African Student Association
• International Student and Scholar Center
• Rhythmix

• Hidaka Taiko
• Korean Student Association
• Vietnamese Student Association

Storytelling in the Arab American Tradition

On May 13, 2026, the College of Arts & Sciences, through co-sponsorship from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, hosted a celebration of Arab American Heritage. The educational program, Storytelling in the Arab American Tradition, offered an opportunity for university community members to gather in celebration of Arab American culture. The program featured four presenters and performers along with food provided by Hamsa Arabic Cafe and Restaurant. 

Hebab Fisher

Kerning Cultures

Sabrenes Odeh

Balanda PNW

Hanna Eady

Dunya Productions

Giovanna Khoury

SU Student

The Lavender Celebration

Graduating Students of Color Celebration

Black Rite of Passage

June 6, 2026

The Lavender Celebration is an annual graduation celebration to recognize the achievements of our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and questioning graduates. The Lavender Celebration served as an opportunity to reaffirm the students' achievements, their experiences through The MOSAIC Center, and the university's commitment to student belonging and flourishing. This year, The Lavender Celebration Keynote was delivered by Erin Kwan (they/them), the Senior Advisor in the Office of Prestigious Fellowships and Awards who graduated this year with their Master’s in Student Development Administration. 

"We are powerful and strong, regardless of what those who try to take away our rights may think, and I implore you all to continue to find strength in yourselves, your community, and in the reality that we have always been here and we will always be here!"  

- Madi Stephens (MOSAIC Center Coordinator & Lavender Celebration MC)

• The Sylvia Rivera Award for Queer Activism - Masee Anderson
  • Presented to a graduating student who demonstrates a commitment to queer activism and social justice
• Cari Urabe - Scholar-Advocate Award - Mitchie Vega
  • Recognizes a graduate or law student who positively and consistently impacts the LGBTQIA+ community at Seattle University.
• Building Bridges Award - Madi Stephens
  • Recognizes the effort of a person or organization that takes an intersectional approach to LGBTQIA+ inclusion on campus.

June 11, 2026

The Graduating Students of Color Graduation Celebration (GSOCC) is an annual end-of-year celebration to honor and celebrate graduating students’ brilliance, resilience, and strength as a community. This celebration welcomes all students, centering the accomplishments and experiences of Seattle University students of color.  
This year, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice for the College of Arts and Sciences, Darozyl Touch, offered a reflection on the theme “Cultivating Success.” Drawing upon imagery of plants, the MOSAIC Center reminded students that it takes tending, care, and time to cultivate community and success 

"Being a commuter and working in the space, I got to meet and interact with so many people, and for the first time I not only got close to my coworkers, but actually felt like I belonged in the space, and with us being so diverse, I didn’t feel like an outsider." 

- Lynia Morris (MOSAIC Community Ambassador & GSOCC Student Speaker)

• Bayanihan Award for Community Service and Involvement - Megan Oshiro
  • Recognizes a graduating student who has been actively involved at Seattle University and our local community.
• Poder Award for Leadership and Action - Alondra Martinez- Villalobos
  • Recognizes a graduating student who has worked diligently and consistently to affect positive change among their peers and community. 

June 12, 2026

For the 5th year in a row, MOSAIC Center hosted the Black Rite of Passage Celebration, which recognizes student accomplishments. This celebration reinforces the bonds of scholarship and extends the sense of community to affirm that it takes a village to flourish. It honors African, Afro-Caribbean, and African American heritage and culture, which culminates in a Kente Ceremony where traditional stoles are presented to the graduates.  
This year, the celebration was grounded in the theme - The Fire Next Time = Love - taken from James Baldwin’s quote on love: “Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within," in his 1963 novel The Fire Next Time. The celebration began with a beautiful invocation by Benji Anderson, Associate Director, SU Youth Initiative Education & Housing Program. In her keynote address, Nodia Rogers, Director of Student Engagement & Support at Cornish College of the Arts, reminded graduates that fearless ideals of love can enable them to live a life abundant with joy. 

"So, Class of 2026, hear me. You did not just earn a degree. A lot of you started a few steps back, carrying weight nobody else could even see, and you crossed this same stage anyway. You had to work harder than anybody had a right to ask, just to earn the same credit. You had to keep proving you belonged in rooms that were already yours. That was never fair. But you did it, and here you are. So from now on, walk into every one of those rooms already knowing you belong. "

- Joseph Mukanda (MOSAIC Community Ambassador & Black Rite of Passage Student Speaker)