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Samsara Davalos Reyes standing proudly
in front of the TDC Board in Coates.
Photo by Katie Welch
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“They’re so sweet here, aren’t they?” She says brightly as she walks away with her food in hand.
This is one thing that immediately stands out about Reyes— her optimism and desire to engage with others translates well to her role as president of the Trinity Diversity Connection. In a campus that features a primarily white student body, that engagement is especially crucial.
“I didn’t choose Trinity because it had the most diverse student body,” she admits. “But now that I’m here, I really like how supportive Trinity is.”
Reyes only became president of TDC this semester. She also used to be the vice president of the Latino Association, but she chose to focus her efforts on TDC.
“My job is mainly to delegate,” she says, describing herself as a “point of reference” for the group’s other officers.
One of the group’s big initiatives this semester was Diversity Week, which was run by Reyes and TDC Vice President Huda Sayed. Reyes took inspiration from her high school’s program, and she found some challenges adapting the event to Trinity’s campus.
“We learned a lot from it,” she acknowledges, “We did like the event. Even though it was a small number of people we had a lot of productive conversations.”
In addition to the new introduction of Diversity Week, TDC also holds monthly Diversity Dialogues, and there has been a concerted effort to get more involved with culture organizations.
The one result of such efforts was Cultural Speed Dating event, co-hosted with the Black Student Union. Thirty people share their stories with one another at the event, which Reyes listed as her favorite TDC activity.
“But I like all of our events, they’re pretty cool,” she adds, laughing. “I guess I’m biased!”
However, TDC can’t change the campus on its own.
“One of the problems with TDC is that it’s a space where there’s a lot of the same outlooks, which doesn’t always create change,” Reyes says, praising Trinity’s commitment to diverse student groups on campus. “I think sometimes we need to be challenged in our beliefs.”
When Reyes came to Trinity, she initially struggled finding her place as a first-generation student from a Mexican family. In her hometown of Houston, she says, the Latino culture is different.
“Even though we’re in San Antonio, it’s not really the same Latino culture, so sometimes I get a little depressed,” she says, but adds that the support system for first generation students was helpful for her transition to campus life.
Despite this, Huda Syed, TDC’s former president and current vice-president, says that Reyes is very engaged in the local community.
Reyes only became president of TDC this semester. She also used to be the vice president of the Latino Association, but she chose to focus her efforts on TDC.
“My job is mainly to delegate,” she says, describing herself as a “point of reference” for the group’s other officers.
One of the group’s big initiatives this semester was Diversity Week, which was run by Reyes and TDC Vice President Huda Sayed. Reyes took inspiration from her high school’s program, and she found some challenges adapting the event to Trinity’s campus.
“We learned a lot from it,” she acknowledges, “We did like the event. Even though it was a small number of people we had a lot of productive conversations.”
In addition to the new introduction of Diversity Week, TDC also holds monthly Diversity Dialogues, and there has been a concerted effort to get more involved with culture organizations.
The one result of such efforts was Cultural Speed Dating event, co-hosted with the Black Student Union. Thirty people share their stories with one another at the event, which Reyes listed as her favorite TDC activity.
“But I like all of our events, they’re pretty cool,” she adds, laughing. “I guess I’m biased!”
However, TDC can’t change the campus on its own.
“One of the problems with TDC is that it’s a space where there’s a lot of the same outlooks, which doesn’t always create change,” Reyes says, praising Trinity’s commitment to diverse student groups on campus. “I think sometimes we need to be challenged in our beliefs.”
When Reyes came to Trinity, she initially struggled finding her place as a first-generation student from a Mexican family. In her hometown of Houston, she says, the Latino culture is different.
“Even though we’re in San Antonio, it’s not really the same Latino culture, so sometimes I get a little depressed,” she says, but adds that the support system for first generation students was helpful for her transition to campus life.
Despite this, Huda Syed, TDC’s former president and current vice-president, says that Reyes is very engaged in the local community.
“She’s really involved in San Antonio as a whole and in her community. She’s really aware of things happening around the city,” Syed said.
One thing that has inspired Reyes to become more active was the election of President Donald Trump, which had an impact on her campus experience.
“After the election, I was like, ‘I feel powerless, I don’t have anything to say,” she recalls.
She noted that her parents encouraged her to wait until after she got her degree to try to make a difference in the community, but that the election instead encouraged her to take a stand.
“Seeing the need for us to be vocal is what made me more involved,” she says. “I don’t like the election, but I like how it mobilizes people.”
The presidential election shocked many across the country, but for Reyes, the election results came as no surprise. Instead, she sees it as an eye-opening experience that has started a new conversation about race in the U.S.
“After the election, I was sad,” she says. “But then I thought maybe it was a good thing. I’ve lived my entire life knowing that America isn’t this ‘post-racial America’. I was happy everyone else was realizing this.”
For Reyes, a new and important conversation has begun to take place at Trinity following the election, making the Trinity Diversity Connection more vital than ever. By creating an open dialogue, the TDC president aims to change the campus one event at a time.
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