A new student group called Heart of TCU is working to connect a liberal arts education to real-world careers. The group housed in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts introduces students to diverse leaders who have found purpose in their careers, connecting the value of the liberal arts for the public good.
Ariane Balizet, associate dean of faculty and diversity, equity and inclusion and professor of English, is heading the collective, which formed this fall. It is important to recognize that the group is for all students majoring or minoring in an AddRan discipline with a specific focus on those who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, first-generation, transfer and/or international.
“We’re showing them, with speakers in industries beyond what are considered liberal arts, how a liberal arts background transferred into their professional space,” Balizet said. “Every speaker made a pivot, so this is an opportunity to share what the possibilities are.”
Among the speakers at the events: Saria Hawkins-Banda, founder/CEO of Manifest Your
Purpose, who has a bachelor’s in political science from TCU; Lauren Rainey, associate
dean of DEI at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU and former legal counsel to the New Jersey attorney general; and Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, TCU’s chief inclusion officer.
Balizet said the events are aimed at building community around AddRan’s mission: to
foster a community of creative thinkers and global leaders for the public good.
“With speakers from diverse backgrounds, we want to help our students find purpose – which is our theme for the fall – in public spheres,” she said, noting that, during the events, students have really taken the mantle of asking existential questions, like “How did you bring those skills for a larger public good?”
The collective is also designed to cultivate a strong sense of belonging, especially for those who may not feel they belong because of how they identify, she said.
“We want to make sure that there is a focus on inclusion and that everyone here fills a space, a message they’ve all heard. This is part of that space and introduces them to something positive – and with possibility.”
Balizet also believes that the timing is right for the collective.
“TCU is growing,” she said. “Connecting that growth with changing demographics, including transfer, international students and first-generation students – it’s important that as an institution we’re welcoming.”
Building on the theme of “purpose,” the students will be asked at the end of the semester what they think the group should be going forward.
“Liberal arts is core and what people need to be successful across the board,” she added. “The workplace is changing, no matter the college. At some point, they will all look different, and, when they do, these students will have the flexibility and transferability of skills, like creativity, language and history, to deal with that.”
