Domestic Exchange Student Reflections
Mills College
I selected Mills College (Oakland, CA) as my domestic exchange institution because I wanted an environment that mirrored Spelman in some ways (small, historical women's college, near a major city) but would be validating of my queer and non-binary identities.
Mills has a huge and gorgeous campus with lots of trees and hills. Most of the academic and supporting services (library, offices, etc.) are centralized with the dining hall and dorms more spread out around the perimeter.
I think that as a student at an HBCU, it was important for me go to a PWI and remember what it is like to interact in a classroom setting with white people. This was especially important to me since I am planning to go to graduate school and these programs are majority white. I am nervous but also excited to see what my time at Mills will include. My mom and my sister came with me to move in and help me get settled. I have a couple of days of orientation before classes begin!
School has been canceled for about a week now because of smoke from the wildfires in Northern California. I am taking this time to reflect on my time here since the semester is almost over!
I initially planned to stay at Mills for the entire school year; however, about halfway through the semester, I changed my mind and decided to return to Spelman for the Spring 2019 semester. Along with a full course load, I have an internship in San Francisco and this leaves me very little time/energy to go to club meetings and get involved on campus/in the greater Oakland community. That is combined with the fact that, for me and many transfer/returning students, this campus culture is very isolating and everyone tends to keep to themselves. However, I have really enjoyed my classes at Mills and will continue to learn about the topics that I have been introduced to (decolonization, transnational outlooks, the specific histories and struggles of indigenous folx, and queer/trans* literature).
