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

What Are You?

"I would have been so normal if I grew up anywhere else."

Jan 03, 2015•3 min

Travesty

"We play a very integral part in this community, and we want to be recognized for that."

Dec 29, 2014•3 min

Harder Than I Expected

"My first year experience wasn’t very welcoming, and I never really got that initial ‘belonging’ feeling."

Dec 29, 2014•3 min

A Comfort Thing

"I don’t know if it’s really a race thing so much as a cultural difference."

Dec 29, 2014•2 min

I Don’t Feel Excluded, but I Don’t Feel Invited

"Valpo has a very big responsibility to each student to ensure that they are feeling welcomed."

Dec 29, 2014•3 min

A Tan That Holds Up

"I don’t think there’s a strictly White category; I think that’s just the default."

Dec 29, 2014•3 min

I See Myself As A Bridge

"Sometimes I feel like I’m in the middle of two worlds, four worlds, and sometimes I feel like I’m not a part of any of them."

Dec 29, 2014•3 min

Bound To My Safety

"I took my hijab off, and I put it away, and I told my husband, 'No more.'"

Dec 02, 2014•3 min

As Far As Ive Gotten

"My Hindu friends say I'm a Hindu... my black friends call me 'sistah...' So, no, I don't identify with white."

Dec 02, 2014•3 min

I Grew Up On A Farm

“It seems a little strange to them when I get people overload.”

Oct 19, 2014•2 min

Strong Female Leader

“It was tough for me because I don’t like to tell people to shut up.”

Oct 19, 2014•3 min

Springboard

“I’m ok with identifying myself as a Southerner, but I wouldn’t say that that’s my identity as a whole.”

Oct 19, 2014•2 min

You’ve Got To Be Able To Adapt

You’ve Got to Be Able to Adapt

Oct 13, 2014•2 min

It Felt Kind of Odd to Wear It

“People did a double take when I walked in… I could feel them looking at me.”

Oct 12, 2014•2 min

Indiana? That’s a Foreign Land

“They live in igloos… you’re gonna freeze, and they’re not going to give you sweet tea.”

Oct 12, 2014•3 min

My Ties 89db

"There isn't a single Syrian family that has not had to deal with loss in Syria..., but humanity in general should be worried."

Oct 09, 2014•3 min

The Ultra Evil Eye 89db

"I'm used to the idea of being looked at, but I'm not used to actually being looked at."

Oct 09, 2014•2 min

Muslims Are People's Neighbors (short version)

"There are two billion Muslims in the world, like, that’s two-sevenths of the world population."

May 09, 2014•2 min

Act of Hospitality

"I would teach him something so when he encountered with people from my community, he or she would never get shocked or surprised by my people."

Mar 13, 2014•2 min

Getting Used to It

"It was strange to see men and women sitting with each other, discussing economics, politics, sports."

Mar 13, 2014•3 min

Muslims Are People's Neighbors

"There are two billion Muslims in the world, like, that’s two-sevenths of the world population."

Mar 02, 2014•3 min

I Don't Believe in Borders

"The more I learn about other people, the more the obstacles fall between us."

Feb 26, 2014•3 min

Safe Unless You're Brown

"When he would come visit me, we would never leave campus."

Feb 19, 2014•2 min

Moral Barrier Between Us

"I wish that people would take that step back and think about how it would make them feel."

Jan 21, 2014•3 min

Positive Reinforcement

"This is me and this is how I'm going to dress."

Jan 14, 2014•3 min

Not Sharing My Own Questions

"Different feels, whether it actually is this in truth, feels like less than."

Aug 18, 2013•3 min

Curious In A Very Positive Way

"I love that my older daughter makes reference to her friend, Regina, as brown."

Aug 18, 2013•3 min

Enamored With These Beautiful Young Faces

“It takes a lot for our hearts and our minds and our eyes to get there, where we start viewing groups that look different than us not as groups but as individuals.”

Aug 17, 2013•3 min

Fuels My Ball Of Fire

"I'll see people down the hallway, and they'll walk out a door because they know who I am. They don't want to 'catch the gay.'"

Aug 11, 2013•3 min

On My Own Terms

"We're all fundamentally the same and our differences are trivial--I disagree... We're fundamentally different, and we have an unbelievable amount in common."

Jul 22, 2013•3 min

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