Imagine continues its series of Kickstart Kits, where we present you with different resources available to Hopkins students. Our previous editions were for undergraduate and graduate school students, check them out if you haven’t yet.
This week’s edition of Kickstart Kit is designed for FLI and URM students: first-generation students and underrepresented groups. Johns Hopkins University is proud to commit to diversity and inclusion among its students, and we believe that education must be accessible to anyone, who has the desire to learn. There are many resources for DEI and URM students at Johns Hopkins. We suggest you start with our posts on some of them:
Disability, Diversity and Inclusion Resources at Homewood
JHU Career Offices & Resources
Diversity at JHU
Johns Hopkins University is deeply committed to the dignity and equality of all persons—inclusive of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and veteran status.
There are multiple resources within Johns Hopkins that work to support this statement.
At https://diversity.jhu.edu/ you can learn more about what the university’s actions and goals for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Diversity & Inclusion brings together a series of programs that support and help underrepresented minorities, you can learn more about them following this link: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/student-life/diversity-inclusion/. These include: Religious and Spiritual Life, Office of Multicultural Affairs, LGBTQ Life, and Women and Gender Resources.
Office of Multicultural Affairs
For example, JHU Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) is committed to enhancing the educational experience of students from underrepresented populations and strives to create an environment that reflects the multicultural nature of all Johns Hopkins students.
Visit https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/oma/ to find out about multiple programs, events and resources for enriching your multicultural experience.
Student Disability Services
The Office of Student Disability Services provides assistance to disabled students to make sure that they can experience education at Johns Hopkins and achieve their best. Their services include authorization of accommodations based on documentation of disability; assistance with classroom accommodations such as note-taking, readers, scribes, sign interpreters, and testing accommodations; assistance with assistive technology such as books on tape, digital texts, and software to read and enlarge digital text and digital images; priority registration and course substitutions, where applicable; provides advice and mentoring to registered students throughout their matriculation; liaison between registered students and their instructors, including the provision of an “Accommodations Letter” confirming the accommodations due.
You can learn more and contact Student Disability Services at https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/disabilities/.
Accessibility at Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University is committed to ensuring people with disabilities enjoy full participation in the university’s programs, services, and benefits. Johns Hopkins seeks the continuous improvement of accessibility on its campuses and in its activities, and prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of disability.
If you are experiencing trouble accessing JHU facilities or with website access, need help with accommodations, or any kind of problem that hinders the ability to enjoy all that Hopkins has to provide to its students, please visit https://accessibility.jhu.edu/. Additionally, if you are having trouble accessing a Hopkins website or any content on the website, you can contact the Accessibility Center at webaccessibility@jhu.edu.
Share Your Story
Life Design Lab
The Life Design Approach helps you explore, experiment and develop experiences over your time at Johns Hopkins to identify and pursue your ideal post-graduate opportunities. To help you understand and master the life design process, Hopkins has Life Design Lab, where you can explore learning opportunities outside of the classroom like internships, research opportunities, mentoring and many more. If you are seeking advice on how to start or advance your career, Life Design Lab has answers for you. You can start by browsing Imagine, which is built around the idea of life design approach. Then you can connect with one of our Life Design Educators, you can learn more about it following this link: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/life-design/.
One of the Life Design Educators – Clifton Shambry, Assistant Director for Diversity & Inclusion – works specifically with FLI and URM students. You can connect with Clifton today, more information can be found on his page: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/life-design/staff/clifton-e-shambry-jr/.
JHU Wellness Center
Didn’t find what you were looking for? Johns Hopkins Wellness Center unites dozens of resources for every life situation. If you are concerned about physical, mental or sexual help, or need assistance with professional, social, cultural or spiritual questions, Wellness Center has got you covered.
Follow this link – https://wellbeing.jhu.edu/ – to find the services that you require. All of them are free and confidential.
Campus Groups
There are 643 campus groups and organizations within Johns Hopkins University, and many of these unite people with diverse backgrounds and origins. On JHU Campus Groups portal – https://jhu.campusgroups.com/ – you can find student organizations that suit your unique experience and expectations. Here are only a few examples:
Women Interests Groups: https://jhu.campusgroups.com/club_signup?category_tags=4513373&group_type=
LGBTQ+ Community Groups: https://jhu.campusgroups.com/club_signup?category_tags=4513371&group_type=
African Students Organization: https://jhu.campusgroups.com/JHU%20ASA/
American Sign Language Club: https://jhu.campusgroups.com/ASL/
These and many other groups, as well as events that these groups organize, can be found on https://jhu.campusgroups.com/.
Connect with Alumni
Johns Hopkins is proud to be the alma mater for many FLI and URM students, who have launched their successful careers after graduation. You may read one of these stories here on Imagine: FLI students discuss post-graduation success.
One of the suggestions that you can find in this article is to connect with recent graduates. It might seem like a daunting task but Hopkins has made finding and connecting with alumni easier with OneHop.
OneHop is the platform that unites alumni and current students. There you can find alumni, who are working in your city, in your sphere of interests, or belong to a group that you are interested in. If you need help with networking, defining your career interests or starting a new career, log in to OneHop to connect and meet with people, who have been on this path before – they are ready to help.
Link: https://onehop.jhu.edu/
Financial Aid
A world-class education is now more accessible than ever. If you are a current Hopkins student or considering applying for a Hopkins undergraduate or graduate program, the Affording Hopkins portal can help you afford your education or help cover living expenses during a program. There you can find out if you are eligible for financial aid, information on different types of financial aid (scholarships, grants, loans, etc.), how to apply for financial aid, and even information on part-time employment. A rich library of over 200 video resources provides all ins and outs on the financial aid application process, including a playlist for first-time filers. When you are ready to apply, Affording Hopkins has all the necessary forms and resources to support your application. If you have any questions, you can reach out to Financial Aid Office at Hopkins using the information from the Contact page (phone calls and Zoom meetings are available.)
Link: https://finaid.jhu.edu/.
Study Abroad
Studying at Hopkins is an exciting journey but why limit yourself to only one country? Hopkins Office of Study Abroad offers a unique experience of taking a 12-week program, a semester or even an entire year off your regular studies and spending it in another higher-ed institution in a different country. Study Abroad programs are available in more than a dozen educational and cultural centers around the world, including but not limited to Paris, Shanghai, Santiago, and many more. You are welcome to read stories of your fellow students traveling for knowledge and unique experience.
If you are inspired to give a program like this a try, visit the Study Abroad website and find out how you can apply for the Spring 2022 program.
Do you have any questions?
We hope that this Kickstart Kit helped you find what you were looking for. If you haven’t or if you want share your story, please reach out to us at illd@jhu.edu.
