United Cultures of Thacher Inaugurates UCT Night
Students and faculty members share stories of personal identity.
On September 30, 2016 the United Cultures of Thacher (UCT) group hosted the first-ever UCT Night, an event in which “members of [the] community come together and share stories regarding a piece of their identity.” The first installment featured Homa Bakhiet ’17, one of the student heads of UCT; Ms. Françoise Kasimirowski-Garcia, french teacher and advisor; and Mr. Jason Carney, chair of the History Department and dorm head in Casa. The three speakers shared unique personal stories while attendees enjoyed dinner together in a casual, intimate setting.
In an email about the event, Natasha Brown ’17 described UCT as “a club that celebrates the various cultures and identities represented at Thacher.” She added that “[the club] values the opinions of everyone in the community regardless of race, religion, class, sexuality, or gender.”
In that spirit, the heads of UCT (Homa, Natasha, Bridget Levy ’17, and Maya Wilcox ’17) wanted to create a supportive, community-minded forum for students and faculty from all backgrounds to share stories, experiences, and ideas that reflect their particular perspective on the world. And so UCT Night was born.
“Our main goal with the UCT nights is to promote awareness of the diversity of stories on our campus,” wrote Maya in an email on behalf of all the UCT heads. “No matter who you are, there is a part of your identity that is hidden to others. UCT nights provide an opportunity for those who wish to share those hidden parts of themselves. We call this exercising your identity. We hope that these nights will provide a place where we can celebrate our differences and build a stronger community.”
With the first event successfully behind them, the organizers are optimistic about the ability of future UCT Nights to bring the community together. “One of the most impressive things we noticed was [the speakers’] bravery and willingness to share a piece of their identity with the community,” noted Maya. “We were also amazed by the impact that their stories had on others. After the night was over, we received several more volunteers to speak at another UCT night. The speakers’ stories were inspirational and encouraged us to think deeply about our own identities. They provided a new perspective on what identity can be or mean to someone.”
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