Moreno Valley College welcomed Pedro Noguera Ph.D. to the 7th Annual Diversity Summit-Unity: The Ties That Bind Us Together as a Culture of Diversity, Humility, and Selfless Service on Wednesday, April 19th. Dr. Noguera is Dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Dr. Noguera spoke to students, staff and faculty about the importance of diversity in education and the challenges we face. 

During his address, Dr. Noguera encouraged the audience to celebrate diversity and learn the history of America. He said, “We have a past to reckon with, because the only way we can move forward as a country, the only way we can move in respect to diversity… get to a place where we can truly celebrate our differences and see them as a source of strength, rather than as a source of division and conflict, is if we reckon with that past and understand how it shapes our current reality.”

Dr. Noguera spoke passionately to the audience. The students and faculty members in attendance were listening closely, taking notes and recording the address to absorb the information. He spoke about how we have more things in common than we do not.  

“I’m glad as a school we came together,” said Keith Lawson, a Cyber Security Major from Perris, California. “He really opened up my mind and I thought about (diversity) from a different perspective.” 

Dr. Noguera reflected about his pride in the example of diversity set by the United States Olympic Team and its individual athletes. “It is the most diverse team in the world, we got people from all over the world on our team, that’s why our team usually does better than every other country.”  

Dr. Noguera’s address was a central part of Moreno Valley College’s 7th Annual Diversity Summit. The Committee for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (CDIB) hosted the event along with various other informational and interactive activities. Shortly after the Keynote Speech, Dr. Noguera held a Town Hall session moderated by Dr. Edward Rice, Journalism Professor at MVC.

The Committee for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (CDIB) works to promote respect for and understanding of diversity in all aspects of a global society.  CDIB’s mission is to actively promote social justice and belonging focused on improving College policies and practices that create a culture of inclusion with impact for access, success, and equity.