00;00;02;03 - 00;00;22;28
Liz Kay
Hello and welcome to the Providence College Podcast. I'm your host, Liz Kaye, and I'm joined by producer Chris Judge of the Class of 2005 here in the Providence College Podcast. We bring you interesting stories from the Friar family. This week, we're talking with Danica Beebe, a member of the Class of 2023 from Tiverton, Rhode Island. She's a double major in public and community service studies and global studies and a business and innovation minor.

00;00;24;00 - 00;00;33;26
Liz Kay
Danica is a member of the honors program and president of the Board of Multicultural Student Affairs, or be MSA. Last summer, she served as head dream coach for the Transitions Program. Danica, thanks so much for joining us.

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Danika Bebe
Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

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Liz Kay
So for our listeners who don't know about it, can you please give us an overview of the Transitions program?

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Danika Bebe
Yeah, of course. So transitions, transitions, excuse me, is a five day program, including the weekend, and it's right before freshman orientation. And so we serve multicultural and first generation students and they essentially come for what I think is a two part program. So they get an academic preparation and then they also get a social introduction. So all the students that they're with, they either identify as first gen or multicultural.

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Danika Bebe
In my experience, it's been more multicultural than first Gen, which is why inclusive. So please encourage first generation students to sign up. But for half the program they're sitting in sessions and workshops and that's either with professors on campus or just faculty and staff. Some of the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the DNA business, the business school, and then opposite of that, we do like excursions and then we do just time for them to get to know each other and kind of understand their identity when they do come to a place like Province College.

00;01;37;16 - 00;01;55;13
Danika Bebe
Private colleges are PWI and so and multicultural students are coming. They kind of don't really know what to expect can be a new place for a lot of them if they're from here. Maybe they've experienced it in different cases, but for the most part, a lot of them can come from like a school that's more diverse than PC.

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Danika Bebe
And so we just try to offer them a quick introduction as well as preparation. And just like an understanding of what school will be like when they do enter in the fall.

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Liz Kay
So use an acronym, PWI, which is primarily white institution.

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Danika Bebe
Yeah.

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Liz Kay
So some students may be coming from high schools that were predominantly the population are students of color. And so just it sounds like this program helps them kind of navigate the differences, kind.

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Danika Bebe
Of exposes them first to what they'll expect and then kind of have upperclassman students or the HUD dream coaches and the regular dream coaches give them what their experience was and give them advice and just overall support. Because even after the program, there's other programs that exist kind of do the same thing. So we just give them the introduction to that so that they are well prepared, or at least they know that they have support outside of whatever the college offers.

00;02;40;04 - 00;02;47;11
Liz Kay
And it's this is just one of an array of pre orientation programs that Providence College offers. But tell us some of the highlights of the program for participants.

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Danika Bebe
So I would say a lot of the closeness and bonding will come from just the students getting free time or just having to kind of exist on their own when they go back to their dorms and things like that. So a lot of that is just between them and it does happen pretty easily, thankfully. One other highlight I think would be we have so heroes from the Moore Hall Center for Diversity, and he comes and gives them a whole workshop on storytelling and how to kind of compose yourself and be able to tell your story and feel comfortable doing so on campus.

00;03;18;24 - 00;03;39;25
Danika Bebe
We do have like a ton of like secret excursions that I can't share, but they are very fun. Every single year there's totally shocked and surprised that that's where we ended up but changes every year. So it's really fun. And then I guess to just being able to be a person on campus even after the program that they can come to and ask for support as well as just being available to them.

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Danika Bebe
So like I have a car on campus and the freshman can have a car so I can bring them to the grocery store just like little things like that, being accessible or just being like a hand and whatever favors or situations they might end up in. I would say that like.

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Liz Kay
And so you were a member of Transitions yourself. You participated as an incoming student, and then it sounds like you were served as dream coach for every year after that. So what brought you back? What made you what motivated you to continue as a dream coach every year? Whoo!

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Danika Bebe
So difficult because I just love everybody that I've ever worked with. But even my freshman year, my dream coach, her name was the year she is class of 2020. And even to this day, like, we still need each other and still kind of see where she is in life and how she got there. And we didn't graduate with similar majors or I won't graduate with the same one as her, but we just have so many shared interests and things like that.

00;04;30;06 - 00;04;47;05
Danika Bebe
So just like the connections that I've made with every person, I feel like has both made me stronger and more present on campus as well as given me a lot of opportunities to see what's out there and what's available for things that I'm interested in and even just being able to watch these students kind of flourish is really fun.

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Danika Bebe
I know my second year that I was a lot I participated in, I was a gym coach for the first time. It was on Zoom, and so it was really difficult to kind of foster that community and kind of give them a chance to meet each other and get to know each other. But it worked out a little bit.

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Danika Bebe
It's kind of difficult. But then the following year it was a snowstorm or a tropical storm, sorry, and then it was shortened to three days. So then this year was just the first time that I could see it really happen. And we were able to get everyone together and kind of fulfill the the program's needs and the program's success.

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Danika Bebe
But I just just seeing it happen is enough of like an interest. I really want to keep going back.

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Liz Kay
For every student who comes to Providence College, it's a transition from whatever experience they had previously in them. But I can see why the transition may be a little more stark for some students who are coming from depending on what their educational background was like then. I'm curious how you feel the experience as a dream coach benefited you or helped you going forward?

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Danika Bebe
Holmes I would say when I participated, I was terrified. I was very nervous. I didn't have anyone from my high school that had come here as well. And so I really felt like I was kind of on my own, even though I'm from Rhode Island and I've come to Providence for many times, and even when I visited Providence College before I even committed, that was the first time I'd been here.

00;06;04;20 - 00;06;25;25
Danika Bebe
So I kind of didn't really have anywhere to go. But I could see that there were spaces where people could exist and if I was to become a dream coach, I would kind of have that same access to people and resources. And even just building up my confidence and being able to be somebody on campus or be someone influential on campus, that was kind of what I needed and I felt like that would help me because that's how I kind of was in high school.

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Danika Bebe
So it really just was like the gateway to being how I was before, how I was most comfortable. And so having that opportunity is what made me keep keep coming back.

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Liz Kay
So let's talk a little bit more about like what brought you to Providence College. Yeah, you mentioned having been familiar with it as a Rhode Island, of course.

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Danika Bebe
Yeah, absolutely. I actually came in as a psychology major because I was always interested in youth development and I thought that doing some kind of focus in psychology or like child psychology would kind of fulfill what I was needing or what I was curious of. And then I ended up being a public and community service major, which is a total flip and also not really a direct path to anything.

00;07;05;17 - 00;07;23;15
Danika Bebe
But it was probably the best decision I had made. I was able to kind of create my own course line and kind of give myself all the classes that I needed, all the classes I was interested in, and kind of build what I wanted to do and my future from those courses versus just taking the psychology courses, which was interesting, but maybe not for me.

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Danika Bebe
So I did end up going to P.S. just because it was the best option for me. It was the cheapest option, and then I didn't have a direct path for anything, but I did end up finding my way and just adding global study. It was really helpful to kind of give myself the international aspect or if I was working with different cultures, if I was working with different types of people.

00;07;43;17 - 00;07;59;15
Danika Bebe
I had experience and I had history or knowledge of history of other cultures and people so that I could use it in those experiences. And then the business and innovation minor I just added just in case I wanted to run my own business or do anything in the future that kind of maybe needed more practical work.

00;07;59;22 - 00;08;08;23
Liz Kay
So you came to Providence College because it was just a practical decision. It was the best financial package, best, best overall. Yes, absolutely. So how do you reflect on that decision now?

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Danika Bebe
Like for me, it was probably the best decision. And while there were times that I kind of wanted to transfer, I wanted to go see what else was out there, I realized that sticking it out kind of forced me to be comfortable or forced me to learn how to make my way. And so I wouldn't have to worry as much about money as well, which is a big thing for my family and for my future.

00;08;28;06 - 00;08;41;17
Danika Bebe
But overall, it just sometimes I feel like I could have been somewhere else, but I feel like I made my way here and that I'm really proud of what I did. So I don't regret it as much. I'm I'm just really proud of where I came from and how.

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Liz Kay
I got here. Well, it sounds like you took advantage of a lot of the opportunities that were here, too available to you as a Providence College student, for sure. I mean, tell us a little bit about BMC and when you first got involved and what's it been like being president?

00;08;56;21 - 00;09;06;18
Danika Bebe
So BMC is kind of a two part program as well. So we host all the multicultural clubs under us right now, it's about ten. In the past there's been a few more, but.

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Liz Kay
Just like the United Nations of cultural groups.

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Danika Bebe
Yeah, so we include like from Motherland dance groups, Africa, Asian. I am the Portuguese lions of Lisbon, student Gaelic. So Chuck, YOLO Italiano. There's so many different groups that are under us. And then we also have the other side, which is our committees. And so a lot of what they do is kind of assist us in hosting our own events and also just assists with a lot of the advocacy on campus for either social justice or whatever students need.

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Danika Bebe
According to multicultural student affairs. So I've worked with the administration and I've worked a lot with like the students on campus, and it's been super fulfilling. I think this is also kind of a vessel to get students of color and multicultural students to kind of be in community and get to know each other and also come together when the time is necessary.

00;09;54;22 - 00;10;13;04
Danika Bebe
So I think this and transitions, of course, have been my two best options for kind of growing in myself and developing my identity and who I am. And so being able to kind of lead that change and be able to be a friend to others who are doing the same thing and they're all clubs has been really fulfilling.

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Liz Kay
Have there been any other experiences or which other experiences? If you look back at your time in Providence as a second semester senior, really shaped your path here.

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Danika Bebe
I think. Yeah. Anything that kind of made me a leader on campus and put me in front of other students was really helpful, especially if I want to go into a career that's based on community. So I was a summer orientation leader, but that was also over Zoom. So again, a little bit difficult, but for the most part it was okay.

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Danika Bebe
I have still have students that will come up to me and be like, Oh my gosh, you're my summer. Oh, well, when I was on Zoom and I feel like I was I remember ju but there were so many boxes and so many faces on the screen that I can't if I had that experience in person, I wish I would have been better for me.

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Danika Bebe
But that was one and another is the Horizons Peer Mentor program. So that was also for multicultural and first generation students. I participated in that for my freshman and my junior year, and just if I took on more stuff for my senior year, I had to kind of let things go. But from there, that's kind of a similar thing to transitions where I could get a dedicated person to you was still kind of offer those same resources, the support and friendship that you would need as an incoming freshman.

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Danika Bebe
So that was also a shaping experience.

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Liz Kay
So through Horizons, students, first year students are assigned a mentor. I'm like an upper class student, right?

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Danika Bebe
Yes. And it's kind of like the unspoken path to being a freshman. It's like you participate in transitions and then you participate horizons. And then from there you kind of find what clubs or groups on campus you're most interested in joining.

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Liz Kay
Nice to have that resource of an older student. Like, you know, you've made connections in transitions, but Horizons is open to any student you hope and open to students who may not have participated in transitions too.

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Danika Bebe
So yes, anybody who identifies as multicultural can apply for horizons and be a part of that program, either Horizons or PMP, which is both first and centered one.

00;12;06;19 - 00;12;08;06
Liz Kay
Which is a pure mentoring peer.

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Danika Bebe
Mentoring program.

00;12;08;24 - 00;12;25;15
Liz Kay
Yeah, right. And all of these are just ways to help students. You know, it's like, you know, if people are familiar with Greek life, there's sororities and fraternities would have bigs, you know, upperclassmen and older students who can help their younger counterparts navigate.

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Danika Bebe
Yeah, And even if you have just one mentor, everyone else that's in the group is willing to help you and you kind of just send people to other people that have the information that maybe you don't have. So even like mine, I remember my freshman year mentor, Stacy, she was a psychology major and she was the one that kind of talked me out of being one because she kind of knew that or we had talked about me not really liking it as much.

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Danika Bebe
So they're just like little instances where just having somebody to be there for you will walk you through things after they've experienced them themselves can kind of help you out and make you more decisive in decisions, especially as a freshman. So I enjoyed it and I was really grateful for my experiences.

00;12;59;29 - 00;13;08;09
Liz Kay
And it sounds like working with Stacy, you're able to figure out like that, find a better fit for the kind of ambitions that you had.

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Danika Bebe
Yeah, it was definitely helpful because I think if I had stayed in psychology, I wouldn't have gotten everything that I kind of wanted out of a college experience. I think I would have gotten some skills that would have been useful on a different path. But for something that I want to do, I feel is a little bit different.

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Danika Bebe
So.

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Liz Kay
Well, but let us talk about that. What are your ambitions for after graduation.

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Danika Bebe
After graduation? I don't have any set plans yet just because I want to do more work experience. So whether that's in a nonprofit or some other form of community organizing, that's kind of where I want to be just to see how things run, see how things go, and then also give myself a chance to be out in the city of Providence or wherever city I'm in to kind of learn about the city, see what the city is about, see what they have, and see how I can provide service respectfully and responsibly, and then also add whatever I want to kind of give to that community or kind of build what I want to build.

00;14;03;16 - 00;14;23;13
Danika Bebe
So my kind of future goal or what I want to do with my life is to open some sort of third space for youth and teens in a city, city or town, wherever it needs it most, and just kind of give students and kids just a place to exist without having to either spend money or have the incentive of having to do more schoolwork.

00;14;24;14 - 00;14;44;14
Danika Bebe
Not that those spaces can't be for those things, but also just to kind of give students the space to exist. I feel like I didn't have that a lot when I was growing up. So having a space or having just a place to be is really important to me. And I think with everything being so commercialized and privatized, there's not as much room for students or kids to just be kids.

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Danika Bebe
And even if there's something specific that they'll do on a third space like that, then we can do that. But just to have the option I think is really important for kids growing up.

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Liz Kay
So we are talking during Women's History Month. Could you tell us about some of the influential women in your life?

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Danika Bebe
Absolutely. Like most people start with my mom. My mom raised four kids and we were all, in my opinion, very smart and very capable. And I'm really proud of like my siblings and just how she raised us. And that includes my dad. But my mom, more importantly. And then other people too, just on campus, I think I've met a lot of very influential women, even Dynasty, like I've taught a lot about having to both Mark and myself and stand my ground and kind of defend myself and just overall advocate for myself.

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Danika Bebe
And that's not something that you kind of get a lot, especially at this age, kind of have to find yourself in a bigger pool of people that's kind of learned how to do that. But she's taught me that. Professor Kendra Brewster and Public Community Service Professor Beth, I think all studies like these are all professors that have taught me more than I could have ever thought.

00;15;51;23 - 00;16;11;00
Danika Bebe
I would learn in a 15 minute class. Every time I tried to do my course schedules, I would try to get a class with these professors, make sure that I was a part of their learning just because they kind of inspire me to both do better in school or be more scholarly, but also kind of understand how the world works in conjunction with like schoolwork.

00;16;11;13 - 00;16;21;08
Danika Bebe
So I can learn something in a book, but I'd also have to interview somebody and learn their experience and kind of get both sides. And I think being able to do that has made me a better person and also a better studio.

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Liz Kay
And I'm curious, you mentioned your mom. Where do you fall in the in the group of four? Are you all this youngest?

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Danika Bebe
I am what I call the middle Middle. I have an older sister and a baby sister and then I have a little brother, but he's the only boy. So I'm not the oldest, not the youngest, and I'm not the only boy. So I'm just kind of the middle middle.

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Liz Kay
But the four of you kind of have a unique pastime. Can you tell us a little about that? Yes.

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Danika Bebe
Not many people on campus know that I sing in my hometown. It was really popular because we're all kind of close in age. So people kind of always had us in class. But the four of us, we all sing different sections of a chorus, like a choir. So collectively, my mom and dad would like, videotape us and make us sing songs and make us kind of harmonize and perform for them just like they gave you there.

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Danika Bebe
Posted on Facebook or some other friends or plugged camera in our big screen TV and blast for whoever is visiting people don't think I can sing here. Even my own roommate, she's like, No, you can't sing. There's no way. But then I showed her and she was like, Are you serious? So that's our little unique kind of gift.

00;17;36;17 - 00;17;42;08
Liz Kay
But which means you're a ringer for the next karaoke night and that Absolutely.

00;17;42;23 - 00;17;43;14
Danika Bebe
I will be there.

00;17;43;19 - 00;17;46;22
Liz Kay
Danica, it's been so great talking to you. Thank you for joining us on the podcast.

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Danika Bebe
Thank you so much for having me.

00;17;48;17 - 00;17;59;05
Liz Kay
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