Monarch reach

"Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Feb. 9 that Old Dominion University has received funds to work on a Lumina Foundation project to increase the enrollment and graduation of underrepresented minorities." Old Dominion University President John R. Broderick responded to this award with "We appreciate the Lumina Foundation's recognition of our strong commitment to diversity and inclusion,and we are confident that this grant will help us further our progress to make the American dream achievable for more students."

With this in mind, our student led team reached out to current and alumni students with a survey to identify a root problem of practice to help us address this charge. The results of the survey revealed that students, past and present, did not feel they had the various supports necessary to be successful. Students then went on to describe specific issues that warranted the need to increase awareness to student issues and their access to support, as well as available resources. This directed our team to think, "How might we bridge the gap between African American/LatinX students on campus to mental health resources".

Utilizing the design thinking process, we identified the best way to approach this is with education and, ultimately, came up with our prototype: Monarch Reach. This is a student and faculty collaborative training initiative centering around increasing cultural competency and foster on-going conversations with the University in order to be better equipped to assist these students. We also believe that through Monarch Reach it will be easier for students to reach out for help, to persons that understand what they're going through, which will increase their likelihood of success in higher education.