Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Mission Statement
Saint Mary’s College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and learning environment where systems of oppression and exclusion are actively opposed and dismantled. We believe diversity is one of our greatest strengths; we broadly define diversity to include race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sex, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, immigration status, physical appearance, religion, age, military status, and socioeconomic status. However, we recognize that diversity without equity is neither sustainable nor morally just. The College commits to creating a safe, respectful, and equitable environment for all community members and does not condone discriminatory or disrespectful behavior, policies, or practices. Saint Mary’s, as a college community, works to actively interrupt and transform systems of oppression, including but not limited to white supremacy, xenophobia, ableism, patriarchy, homophobia, transphobia, religious intolerance, and economic inequality, recognizing that these systems manifest at multiple levels - systemic, institutional, ideological, interpersonal, and internalized. We work together to mitigate the impacts of these systems and to build an emotionally supportive community where students, faculty, and staff feel seen and valued and can flourish as their full, authentic selves. We strive to act upon our Lasallian value of ‘Respect for all People’ in our everyday actions, through continuous individual self-inquiry and improvement, and through regular reviews of our policies, procedures, and systems.
SMC Land Acknowledgement
This document is a part of the ongoing work and commitment of the Native American Indigenous Student Association (NAISA), the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) and the Lasallian Brothers of Saint Mary’s College to respectfully acknowledge and work in solidarity with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe.
As the community of Saint Mary's College of California, we acknowledge we are gathered on the ethnohistoric tribal territory of the intermarried Saclan/Jalquin (hal-keen)/Huchiun (hoo-choon)/ ancestral Muwekma Bay Miwok and Ohlone Territory.
The present-day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, with an enrolled Bureau of Indian Affairs documented membership of over 600, is comprised of all of the known surviving Indian lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region. They trace their Tribe’s ancestry through the missionization policies deployed by the Catholic Church in connection to Missions Dolores, San Jose, and Santa Clara, during the expansion of the Hispano-European Empire into Alta California beginning in 1769. Their Muwekma families are the successors and living members of the sovereign, previously Federally Recognized Verona Band of Alameda County, now formally recognized as the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area who would like you to know that they are alive and thriving members of the broader Bay Area communities today.
The Muwekma Ohlone Indian families have never left their aboriginal ancestral homelands of the Bay Area and maintain their identity, traditions, culture and language through the tenacity, strength and legacy of their ancestors and elders. Today, they attempt to repair the sustained ecological, environmental, and cultural devastation to their Tribe wrought by over 254 years of colonial processes of disenfranchisement through the politics of erasure. Their priorities are moved forward through three established entities: the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council, Muwekma Oholone Tribe, Inc. and the Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation.
They respectfully request that the good citizens of St. Mary’s College and the Town of Moraga, and surrounding towns strive to be faithful stewards on behalf of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe by maintaining the bay, freshwater creeks, native plants, animal habitats, and the air we all breathe. We recognize that the De La Salle Brothers of Saint Mary’s College and the Lasallian Family, have worked to serve honorably as good stewards of this land since its purchase in 1926.
Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) Staff
Terri Jett
Senior Diversity Officer
pronouns: she/her(s)
email: trj@stmarys-ca.edu
María Luisa Ruiz
Senior Academic Diversity Officer
pronouns: she/her(s); yo, ella(s)
email: mlruiz@stmarys-ca.edu
Jennifer Heung
Special Advisor of ODEI
pronouns: she/her(s)
email: jheung@stmarys-ca.edu
Nash Anderson
ODEI Graduate Intern/Assistant
pronouns: he/him/his
email: nra6@stmarys-ca.edu
I am a graduate student in the MA in Leadership Program. It's been an honor to improve our campus through the work of this office. Fun fact: I have lived in both California and Oregon.
Zaniyyah Johnson
ODEI Student Ambassador
pronouns: she/her(s)
email: znj1@stmarys-ca.edu
I am a second year Media Production major. I am delightfully curious to explore the possibilities of this office and making SMC as best it can be!
Angelica Gilberto-Barrera
ODEI Student Ambassador
pronouns: she/her(s)
email: ag107@stmarys-ca.edu
I am a first year at SMC. I’m majoring in Kinesiology: Health promotion. I am also a first-gen Mexican and American student, I come from a small town in California called Placerville where I grew up in the nature, rivers, and lakes. A fun fact about me is that I love baking and my favorite thing to bake is banana bread with chocolate chips.
Daniela Rojas-Romero
HSI Apprentice
pronouns: she/her(s)
email: dir3@stmarys-ca.edu
I am a current senior in the Integral Program at Saint Mary’s. I am from the Bay Area and have a strong love of reading and learning. A fun fact about me is that despite having had some bad injuries before, I’ve never broken a bone