Skip to main content

The Chocolate Trail

Amy making some chocolate art.
What is the Chocolate Trail? A trail of chocolate, right? Yes and no, the important factor is where the chocolate trail takes you. The Chocolate Trail is an open house invitation to all Pacific Lutheran University students, staff, and faculty to be a part of a new and different space, not normally in the average PLU person's schedule. As in, if you did not know about the space you obviously wouldn't be in the space. I am being a bit vague about space, but I am referring to a physical room/space. As I said earlier, the Chocolate Trail will lead you to the Diversity Center and Scandinavian Center located in the lower AUC building, the Women's Center across the street from Stuen Hall, and the Wang Center on PLU's upper-campus. I like to refer to these spaces as hidden gems and treasures, waiting to be found. So what better way to find these gems than to have a chocolate trail?

As you make your way through the Chocolate Trail, you are greeted by warm hellos, an overly excited, 30 second speech about the beauty of the center (dCenter), and perhaps a chocolate fountain... free for YOU to enjoy and eat at your heart's content. So what does this all mean? What is the purpose of the Chocolate Trail? Besides eating chocolate and listening to what the space is..... The purpose is to build community, to be a resource, an ally, and to make you want to be a part of an awesome community that serves a specific purpose. Whether it is advocating for social justice and diversity (Diversity Center), fighting for gender equality (Women's Center), being globally aware (Wang Center), or reliving a bit of history (Scandinavian Center). These centers serve the purpose of giving you the tools needed to be an active individual in and out of the PLU community, with chocolate on the side. Funny how a little bit of chocolate can go a long way?
My love for chocolate is real.

On a micro-level, what does the Chocolate Trail mean to me, Jazmyn Carroll (I am stuffing my face in that picture)? The Chocolate Trail is that time of the school year when I get to eat FREE chocolate. I emphasize free because most everything comes with a price tag. It is a designated time for me to enjoy chocolate and share my love for this space, the Diversity Center.It is a time for me to show the world, the PLU world, how much the Diversity Center means to me and the many opportunities that come with it. It is a time to make new friends. And a time to eat as much chocolate as I want.

So, have I convinced you to partake in the Chocolate Trail? It happens at the beginning of every school year, is opened to all, and free of charge. In addition to finding these centers, you are greeted and surrounded by wonderful people. If you're afraid, you can take my hand as we travel on the chocolate trail together.

-Jazmyn Carroll, '15
Diversity Advocate
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thank You DJS Leaders

Rosario Jesús Treviño Yoson is a 2nd year majoring in Economics. They identify as a mixed queer transmasculine person using he/they pronouns. He plans to use their degree to address food insecurity. You can find him in the Diversity Center, the library, or the student radio station in the Neeb building. Dear DJS Student Leaders,      It has been an honor to organize your stories this year. When I started, I was a little lost. I hadn’t attempted something like this before. What I uncovered became larger than the website. In conversations I had with each of the writers, I sought to go deeper into their motivations, why they are committed to the work they do towards anti-racism; outside of school and sometimes unpaid. It is the right thing to do, but these students stepped farther, they took initiative and leadership in their own communities, rather than waiting for direction.       I was encouraged after hearing from a few writers “this conversation help...
Post a Comment
Read more

Alumni Spotlight: Troy Andrade 2007

Troy J. H. Andrade is a 2007 graduate with a BA in Economics and Political Science, and a minor in Music.  As a student, Troy was heavily involved in The dCenter’s Rieke Leadership Program.  In fact, Troy created the Rieke Leadership Award poster that hangs in the dCenter today (right next to the bookcase, check it out!)  Troy is originally from Manoa Hawaii and still remains close to many of his friends from PLU. Troy, Jackie (Sasaki) ('07), and Noah What type of work are you doing and why is it important to you? I am currently an attorney at McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon, LLP, where I specialize in complex commercial litigation, administrative law, and appeals in both state and federal courts.  Working as one of two Native Hawaiian attorneys in a prestigious and large law firm provides me with a unique opportunity to educate my colleagues on the socio-historic and political struggles of the Native Hawaiian people when dealing with issues sensitive to ...
1 comment
Read more

#WeAreOrlando

Devastated about what happened in Orlando last night. We are lucky to live in a country where we finally have equal legal rights, but the fight for acceptance and equality did not end with the Supreme Court decision last year. Homophobia continues to be a harmful and dangerous ideology that is taught - yes, taught - and passed on from one generation to the next. It is espoused by politicians in power, it is preached from the pulpit, and it's passed from parents to their children any time they tell them homosexuality is wrong, or think that depictions of gay couples in books or movies are inappropriate for children, or when they teach their kids to "love the sinner but hate the sin." This disguised insult perpetuates the idea that our families are wrong, dirty, and shameful. All for something we had no choice in and for loving someone of the same sex.
Post a Comment
Read more