Inclusive Excellence and Strategic Practice (IESP), the educational outreach arm of the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity (OIED) is proud to present “Creating Community” – a series that shines a spotlight on the exceptional work happening across campus in the areas of inclusion and belonging. We believe that achieving our goals in these areas is the work of everyone, and this series seeks to honor the accomplishments and contributions of the outstanding faculty, staff, students, colleges, student organizations and alumni.

Today we introduce a proud recipient of the 2021 Chancellor’s Creating Community Award for Outstanding Staff, Domonique Carter, a university program manager in the College of Engineering. The Chancellor’s Creating Community Awards are presented at the annual Recognizing Excellence in Diversity (RED) Event hosted by OIED. This year’s RED Event will take place on Tuesday, April 9. 

We sat with Domonique to hear more about how her work has helped shape a more welcoming environment and feeling of belonging in this constantly evolving community.

What led you to this important work of creating a greater sense of belonging on NC State’s campus?

Before working with the College of Engineering, I worked in Prevention Services as a student behavioral case management (CARES) coordinator, where my primary responsibility was student support for different areas of need ranging from mental health to academics to sociality. Whatever a student might need support with, is what we did. I had, and still have, a strong desire to build a community where we can allow our students and faculty to feel heard.

What DEI program/initiative or accomplishment are you most proud of?

A few initiatives I am proud to have led in becoming a reality are Pack Park, Black and Boundaried, The Cookout and The Collective which was previously known as The Sister Circle.

Pack Park was a program created to support the needs of students who had experienced loss. Whether that was the loss of a parent, sibling, grandparent, friend or pet, these students needed a safe space where they could cope with the grief and feel all the emotions. It’s a space where you can talk about everything and anything; they were able to be vulnerable and their most authentic selves without judgment or shame.

Black and Boundaried was a space for our Black-identified students on campus where we talked about mental health in the Black community; we provided numerous self-care tips, as well as encouragement and help in connecting students to mental health support. In this role, I found that many students wouldn’t attend counseling due to a lack of counselors who shared similar identities to them, so I made the effort to connect them with counselors who did.

Similarly, The Cookout was an event I co-led where faculty and staff of color had the opportunity to come together to talk about issues they’ve experienced, thereby fostering community. Recognizing the lack of initiatives dedicated to connecting groups that supported faculty and staff of color on campus, a former coworker and I took it upon ourselves to create this space. The Cookout was very well-received and appreciated. It made us happy to see the healing that came from bringing these underrepresented groups together.

Lastly, I co-led what is now known as The Collective with angela gay-audre, director of the African American Cultural Center (AACC). It served as a space for our women-identified students and women of color to come together, have a safe place to be, to connect and discuss their mental health. They were able to talk about their experiences on campus and freely embrace all the identities that they hold. We held many activities or events they may not have been connected to before that brought upon a sense of peace or rest.

What partners, champions or collaborators were essential to making this accomplishment possible?

I want to highlight the staff at the Campus Community Centers. I feel like they don’t get the recognition they deserve. They are constantly doing the work to try and make NC State a better place for everyone and the Centers are just an incredible safe space that should be recognized.

When you received the Outstanding Staff Award in 2021, what did that recognition mean to you?

Receiving this award was a pleasant surprise. None of the work I do is for recognition. The work that I do is fully with the students in mind; they are what’s important to me. It touched me in a way that made me realize I really am making a difference and people are noticing, especially with being a Black woman in academia, we often go unnoticed. I am very grateful. It tells me that I should keep doing what I’m doing.

What can you share with others who’d like to have a DEI impact but are finding it challenging?

One thing mentioned in my nomination was that I don’t allow red tape to stop me and to me, that is the best piece of advice I can give someone else. Keep pushing; it’s going to be a challenge but if someone doesn’t do it, these initiatives will never happen. I’m a strong believer in the adage that unless you ask and do, the answer will always be no. Make sure that your voice is being heard. 

• Are you a past winner of a CCC Award who would like to be featured? If so, fill out this brief form or email inclusive-excellence@ncsu.edu.
• This year’s RED Event will take place on Tuesday, April 9. Nominations are open for the 2024 Chancellor’s Creating Community Awards now through March 7, 2024.