"I thought it would be really cool to explore what I was reading about in my textbooks in person, talking directly to local nonprofits advocating for environmental justice and growth" - Grace Ireland '26

^{For the January Student Spotlight, we are highlighting Grace Ireland, one of two Indigenous Justice Immersion Coordinators!}

^{Grace is a Sophomore Civil Engineering Major and Environmental Engineering Minor from Beaverton, OR and has been involved in the Moreau Center since her Freshman year. Grace attended the Plunge Into Your Neighborhood pre-orientation experience and from there grew a desire to be more involved with the Moreau Center, which led to them attending the Environmental Justice Immersion. Given that environmental engineering is an interest of hers, they thought it would be really cool to explore what they were reading about in textbooks in person, talking directly to local nonprofits advocating for environmental justice and growth. Grace really enjoyed this immersion; being with like-minded people, getting to actively listen to various groups, and reflecting with others was impactful.  She truly learned so much about climate change, pollution, and politics. Grace shared that a lot of this content can be disheartening and make people feel like there is no hope, but it was encouraging to hear that there are people out there who care about the issues that she cares about, and that they’re fighting for a change, even if it’s just local.}

^{After the immersion, Grace wanted to be involved more in the community and applied to be a coordinator for the Environmental Justice Immersion (before it became Indigenous Justice). She was nervous about not having much background knowledge on the topic of Indigenous justice, but took it as an exciting learning opportunity. Grace is excited to lead this immersion and connect with new and old partners such as NAYA (Native American Youth and Family Center). In this role as immersion coordinator, Grace and their fellow coordinator partner, Maria, are focusing right now on recruitment, thinking about logistics of who to meet with, how days will look like, and planning seminars to talk with students going on immersions about what MCSJ is, core values, and why we do immersions.}

^{Grace’s ‘why’ for being involved in the MCSJ is “you never know what connections you’ll find by engaging with the Moreau Center. And on a personal level, it’s also so important to find community with everything being stressful in the world politically, but also just being in college. It’s been really impactful for me to have a community of people where we all want to make a difference in whatever small way college students can. We all come from different backgrounds, and we might not have classes together ordinarily, but we all have this common interest in justice. Our quote for the Moreau Center this year is ‘Our liberation is bound together’ because we don’t live in a single-issue society; we can really learn from each other and work for a better future, whatever that means”. Grace invites all to come hang out in the Community Room!}

^{Hey there! My name is Daniela, and I am the Office Manager for the Moreau Center. I have been here since mid-November, and recently moved to the Portland area. I graduated from ASU in 2023 and found myself rethinking my career. I spent many years in retail management, and I decided that it was not for me anymore. Which brought me to UP! I am super excited to be here and support the Moreau Center. Human connection is so important, especially in the digital age we are in. It is important for me to make sure that students know that they are always welcome here at the Moreau Center.} 

^{If you ever find yourself wanting a chat or a piece of candy, come visit me in the office-- I would love to see your faces!} 

^{Some tid bits about me: I am a mom of three!! Yes, three! They keep me busy but we love being outside, and walking around our neighborhood. I also enjoy hikes which I look forward to in the summer. I love eating and trying new restaurants around the Portland area, and I love music and watching movies; Marvel movies tend to be my favorite!}

^{You can find me in the Campus Ministry office (I am also their Office Manager) or you can reach me via email bedoya@up.edu.}

Do you have ideas for the Moreau Center?  Whether you have ideas for content to feature in our newsletter or engagement opportunities you'd like us to explore, we want to hear from YOU!  Your feedback is very important to us, as we want the Moreau Center's engagement opportunities and communications to reflect our community.