Multicultural Center Renovations Revealed

Input from University students influenced the new design and expansion of the Multicultural Center in the DeNaples Center.
University of Scranton students cut the ribbon at the Grand Opening and Blessing Ceremony of the newly expanded and renovated Multicultural Center, now prominently located on the first floor of the DeNaples Center. From left are: Siddharth Patel, Danica Sinson, Ashley Moronta, Arielle Contrera, Erica Mascardo, Eli Kerr and Ayana McCalla.
University of Scranton students cut the ribbon at the Grand Opening and Blessing Ceremony of the newly expanded and renovated Multicultural Center, now prominently located on the first floor of the DeNaples Center. From left are: Siddharth Patel, Danica Sinson, Ashley Moronta, Arielle Contrera, Erica Mascardo, Eli Kerr and Ayana McCalla.

For University of Scranton student Ashley Moronta, the Multicultural Center is a “home away from home.”

“I met my closest friends there. It has brought so many student from different backgrounds together,” said Moronta at the Grand Opening and Blessing Ceremony of the newly expanded and renovated Multicultural Center, now located on the first floor of the DeNaples Center.

University of Scranton President, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., noted the prominent location and increased size of the Multicultural Center as an illustration of the importance of the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts.

“On my way to the ceremony, I saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky. It is a symbol of what we have here today – the gift God has given us with the diversity of our campus,” said Father Marina in his remarks prior to blessing the Center.

According to José Sanchez, assistant director of the University’s Cultural Centers, input from students was solicited and incorporated into the design of the new space.

The renovated facility includes places to store backpacks and coats and a refrigerator for food; rooms for study and group meetings; and TV screens, white boards and coated walls for presentations or to help organize collaborative efforts. Tables function for dining as well as group work spaces. Couches, comfortable for just relaxing, can be easily reformed into theater-type seating for movie screenings, performances or guest lectures.

“We want the Center to be inviting and a place where our students want to spend their time,” said Sanchez.

And that warmth is what attracted student Paul Amara to the Center.

“I felt welcomed. It made me feel that this is a place where I am meant to be,” said Amara in his remarks at the ceremony. An accounting major from Williamsport, Amara said the Multicultural Center and the people he met there have changed him into who he is today, growing from shy person, to a more outgoing individual.

“It warms my heart that the Center will now be open to more people,” he said.

Following the blessing, officers from student organizations cut a ribbon to formally open the renovated Multicultural Center to the campus community. Students cutting the ribbon were Moronta, a senior forensic chemistry major from Hazleton and president of the United Cultures Organization, who also spoke at the ceremony; Arielle Contrera, a senior English major from Brooklyn, New York, and president of the Spanish Cultural Society; Eli Kerr, a 2022 graduate of the University and current occupational therapy graduate student from Scranton and former president of Scranton Alliance for Equity (SAFE); Erica Mascardo, a senior biology major from Kansas City, Missouri, and president of the International Student Club; Ayana McCalla, a senior sociology major from Baldwin, New York, and president of the Louis Stanley Brown Student Union; Siddharth Patel, a senior biochemistry major from Scranton and president of the Asia Club; and Danica Sinson, a senior biology and philosophy double major from Floral Park, New York, and a participant in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and president of the Scranton Student Association of the Philippines.

Lauren Rivera, J.D., M.Ed., interim vice president for student life and dean of students, and Sanchez also spoke at the ceremony.

The University received generous financial support from PNC to help fund the Multicultural Center renovations.

Photos of the Grand Opening and Blessing Ceremony of the Multicultural Center, as well as the open house that immediately followed, can be seen in the gallery below and a recording of the event can be seen here.

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