When LaTanya Sothern, SOC/BA '92, came to AU in the fall of 1988, she immediately began bringing people together. Her floor mates in Letts Hall frequently gathered in her dorm to chat about life, watch television, and eat home cooked meals her mother sent. She rallied her classmates to attend basketball games. LaTanya reflects, "I've always wanted to connect groups of people together - if you're in a group you can relate to, it makes life easier to manage."

To this day, LaTanya continues uniting people and making the AU experience the best it can be for students. She still meets up with her sorority sisters on weekends, keeps in correspondence with her mentors, and remains engaged with the AU community. As co-chair of membership for the Black Alumni Alliance and as a member of the Alumni Board, she constantly advocates for students and works to push the university to new heights.

LaTanya also serves as an assistant principal for Prince George's County Public Schools. Tying her career and passion for AU together, she enjoys bringing students from local communities to campus to show them AU is a viable option within their reach. She says, "I want people to have hope and know their situations aren't the be-all and end-all." LaTanya knows the importance of faith, as she persevered through economic hardship as a child, the loss of one of her babies, and has raised and advocated for her son with a rare musculoskeletal condition.

As she spoke about the long-term relationships she built at American, LaTanya said, "My heart and soul is at American University." This is why she goes above and beyond to give back and remain present within the alumni community.

This spring witnessed the creation and continuance of an AU tradition – a pre-commencement celebration of students from underrepresented communities as they prepared to graduate from American University. The Third Annual Black Graduation, the Second Annual Latinx Graduation and the Inaugural Student-Veteran Graduation were a celebration of the hard-work and dedication of students from these communities.

The community graduations also provided an opportunity to bring together diverse communities within the African-American, Latinx and Veteran student body here at AU. Under the guidance of office of campus life and a staff liaison representing the AU Black Alumni Alliance, the AU Latino Alumni Alliance and the AU Veterans Alumni Network graduation committees were established for each of these events. These committees had representatives from several different student organizations including AU NAACP, African Student Organization, Black Student Union, Muslim Student Association, Alpha Phi Alpha, Phi Beta Sigma, AU Student Government, LASO, AU LULAC, Lambda Phi Chi, Voto Latino, and ODELL. Each of these receptions were designed, based on the input from students, faculty and alumni, to represent the culture and rich heritage of the respective communities.

Keynote speakers were selected with care to share their lived experiences and inspire the students. Dr. Ibram Kendi charged the students at Black Graduation to remain intellectuals. Alumna Ana Polanco, SPA/BA ’98, reminded the students at Latinx Graduation to stay true to who they are and always remember their origin story. Mark McKenna, Director, Student Veterans of America brought his experience of both an Army veteran and Veterans Education Specialist to the Veterans Graduation. The events also comprised of student speakers, student awards and a showcase of diverse talents. The events culminated with a symbolic recognition of the graduating class with the Kente Cloth, Serape Stole and Red and Blue Cords distribution ceremony. Alumni were present at each of the graduation to welcome the Class of 2018 into their ranks!

A one-AU Community was truly evident at each of these events with the acknowledgement of the varied experiences of different communities within AU. These events were presented in part by the support of the Inclusive Excellence Mini Grant.