Welcome Project

Welcome Project at Valparaiso University•welcomeproject.valpo.edu

Collecting stories to make a difference. These first-person stories are part of the Welcome Project, an audio and video collection at Valparaiso University. Visit us as welcomeproject.valpo.edu.

Last refreshed: August 30th, 2025 at 9:03 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Diversity Should Come Naturally

"How many people are willing to step out of their comfort zones and learn about different worldviews?"

Jul 22, 2013•2 min

American People Take It for Granted

“I have to constantly learn how to keep good relationships with people.”

Jun 13, 2013•3 min

Explain Myself Again

“I’m in the right place.”

Jun 13, 2013•2 min

Barriers

“We definitely need to work on meeting somewhere in the middle.”

Jun 13, 2013•3 min

Barging in with Our Rainbow Flag

"He said, 'The opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality; it's holiness.'"

Jun 13, 2013•3 min

Rah Rah Guy

“You should always be willing to let someone else in--if you trust them.”

Jun 13, 2013•2 min

Something That I Was Looking For

"If people are uncomfortable, they're just not going to go."

Jun 13, 2013•2 min

You Don’t See Behind the Scenes

“It’s not always about the fraternity and sorority Greek letters clashing across campus.”

May 18, 2013•3 min

Point A to Point B

"Hearing her say her own experience through her own words is pretty enlightening."

May 18, 2013•2 min

It's Not You; It's Your Gender

"I couldn't be for him what he wanted me to be."

May 18, 2013•3 min

Naive in the Comments They Make

"Why are you coming up to us when you know that either we can't afford that or we just would never pay that?"

May 18, 2013•2 min

Better Than Struggling by Yourself

“I come from a diverse background, so I’ve always ben really passionate about Hispanics and immigration.”

May 18, 2013•2 min

I Told Them How I Felt

"It made me feel loved that they were so willing to change."

May 18, 2013•2 min

Afraid of These Things

"Maybe I will be rude to their religions."

May 18, 2013•2 min

A Comfort Thing

"Almost just the thought of going to that event not knowing anyone terrifies the crap out of me."

May 18, 2013•2 min

No One Stared At Me

"When you're a minority, it's hard to grow as a person."

May 02, 2013•2 min

Complicated and Fragmented

"I had a lot of preconceptions, or, maybe, misconceptions, about what it would be like..."

Mar 22, 2013•3 min

Honest Discussions of Race

"White privilege does not equal white guilt; racism does not equal minority rage."

Mar 18, 2013•3 min

White Privilege

"You see things through tunnel vision because society has set it up to where you don't have to see so much."

Mar 18, 2013•3 min

Sheltered Your Whole Life

“It’s something white people should make themselves do--go be awkward.”

Mar 10, 2013•4 min

I Get Food from the Food Bank

"So you liked being on the bus with all the people who don't have money?"

Mar 08, 2013•2 min

Cool to Be Different

"By playing [Thai] music, people recognize me as Thai."

Feb 21, 2013•3 min

Omission in Admissions

"I feel like people are just hiding under this Christian mask . . ."

Jan 31, 2013•3 min

Opening the Chapel Doors

"Most of the people that you see are white and straight and English-speaking."

Jan 31, 2013•3 min

It Doesn't Just Happen...

"The University needs to do more than putting a bunch of different kinds of people in one spot and hoping they interact with each other."

Jan 31, 2013•2 min

Corrupting the Moral Fiber

"Valpo likes to hide things are going wrong."

Jan 21, 2013•3 min

False Unity

"The hope. . .was that we would be able to be inter-Lutheran on that day. . ."

Jan 19, 2013•3 min

Why do you look like such a little boy?

"They'll say, 'Well, it's fine, I just don't want to hear about it.'"

Jan 17, 2013•3 min

I’ve Prayed in Some Really Weird Places

“At the end of the day, most of us want the same things. There should be respect on both ends.”

Nov 08, 2012•2 min

100 Different Stereotypes in a Second

“It’s just a vehicle for your soul; it’s what you’ve been given.”

Oct 29, 2012•2 min

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