The Power of Support Networks for Minority Students: The story of ACHN
The chances of Amaryllis Lee, a bachelor student in Applied Artificial Intelligence at Hogeschool Utrecht, and Makeda Ferguson, a master student in Sustainable Business and Innovation at Utrecht 木瓜福利影视, crossing paths were slim, were it not for the African and Caribbean Heritage Network (ACHN). Makeda, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, co-founded ACHN in 2021 to provide a network for students like Amaryllis to feel at home while being away from her native Aruba. 鈥淲hen I got to know ACHN, I just felt in love with being around people who looked like me, enjoyed the same music and shared similar experiences. I didn鈥檛 have to be hypervigilant. I could just laugh and relax.鈥
Choosing where to study abroad sometimes happens on a whim. For Makeda Ferguson, a presentation about 木瓜福利影视 College Utrecht at her high school convinced her. Amaryllis Lee鈥檚 sister was already studying in the Netherlands, making it an obvious choice for her. But for both, the decision was fraught with uncertainty.
I had to mentally prepare myself to be a minority.
鈥淚 had looked up other universities in the UK and the US. They all had groups for African/Caribbean/black students, but I didn鈥檛 see that at Utrecht 木瓜福利影视. I knew that probably meant that I wouldn鈥檛 be well represented here. And that scared me,鈥 says Makeda, a 26-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago. 鈥淚 had to mentally prepare myself to be a minority here.鈥
But it is one thing to expect being underrepresented by your ethnicity or skin colour; quite another to experience it. 鈥淭he first time I saw a person of colour in class was in my second year,鈥 says Makeda. 鈥淣othing really prepares you for the moment when you stand out from the crowd.鈥
It wasn鈥檛 long before she and five other girls decided to set up the African and Caribbean Heritage Network (ACHN). They wanted to make it easier for people of African or Caribbean descent studying or working in Utrecht to find each other. 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a lot of mixing across faculties. I thought more people with similar backgrounds and cultures were missing out on meeting each other,鈥 she explains.
Research suggests that social support networks can protect against the effects of discrimination, or unfair treatment based on individual characteristics such as race or skin colour. ACHN was partly conceived to fulfill that role, says Makeda. 鈥淲e wanted to offer a safe space for people who are a minority in a predominantly white university, so they could feel seen and heard, and share their experiences without being the exception.鈥
Makeda鈥檚 own experiences underscore the need for such a network, but she isn鈥檛 comfortable sharing some of them in the open. 鈥淚t feels very exposing for me to have everyone who reads this know that it happened to me. But I鈥檒l say this, in many of those instances, it was painful to see that nobody stood up for me. That it had to be my responsibility to correct inappropriate behaviour.鈥
Like that time after an English-taught class. 鈥淭he conversation continued in the hallway. All of a sudden, one colleague switched to Dutch. I didn鈥檛 speak Dutch. Everyone knew that. And even though I was there, they kept speaking in Dutch the entire time,鈥 Makeda explains. 鈥淭o me, that felt like active exclusion.鈥
Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 provides an institutional framework to prevent discrimination and support students and staff if that is the case. If confronted with inappropriate behaviour, they can , report it to a Confidential Advisor or other appointed contact points. But Makeda believes that is just the beginning in the long-term game of institutional culture change. According to her, effective prevention and combating of discrimination require everyone at the university to understand what exclusion looks like.
鈥淓xclusion can be more or less obvious, even to the victims,鈥 Makeda explains. 鈥淲e often excuse discriminatory behaviour as a tactless comment made out of insensitivity or plain ignorance.鈥 That鈥檚 why ACHN remains relevant. 鈥淗aving the space to share those individual experiences with inappropriate behaviour help you realise that it鈥檚 not just your experience. It鈥檚 common. And it鈥檚 shared.鈥
Even though I'm technically Dutch, I wasn鈥檛 considered a Dutch person here.
Discrimination can put people at a clear disadvantage, often in less visible ways. As an Aruban, Amaryllis Lee was supposed to have a relatively easy start in the Netherlands. She didn鈥檛 require any special visa, she spoke the language and was somewhat familiar with Dutch culture. But when the 18-year-old arrived to start her bachelor鈥檚 at Hogeschool Utrecht, things were different.
鈥淎t that time, Dutch Caribbeans weren鈥檛 allowed to get a BSN [Citizen Service Number]. Without it, you鈥檙e not allowed to get a Dutch bank account or healthcare insurance. Even though I鈥檓 technically Dutch, I wasn鈥檛 considered a Dutch person here,鈥 says Amaryllis.
Eventually she got her residence permit, but had to go through unnecessary stress and worry while pursuing her bachelor鈥檚 degree and trying to settle in a new country. 鈥淚 came to the Netherlands almost as a child and found myself with a lot of adult responsibilities. It was especially hard because I didn鈥檛 have a support system,鈥 she explains. 鈥淪o when I got to know ACHN, I just fell in love with being around people who looked like me, enjoyed the same music and shared similar experiences. I didn鈥檛 have to be hypervigilant. I could just laugh and relax. It gave me a warm, homely feeling.鈥
That sense of belonging was so impactful that Amaryllis wanted to share it with others. She took over from Makeda and is now one of ACHN鈥檚 board members. For her, ACHN plays a crucial role in increasing the representation of people of colour at Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 and Hogeschool Utrecht. 鈥淥ur public display assures people of colour that they are welcome here. That they won鈥檛 be alone. And that can increase the likelihood of them coming here,鈥 says Amaryllis.
By opening the network to everyone, regardless of their background, she hopes the network can raise intercultural awareness among students and staff to help make the university more inclusive. 鈥淚f people don鈥檛 have contact with other cultures, how else would they acquire the level of empathy and understanding necessary to prevent discrimination?鈥, she asks. 鈥淎s a student, you have all these contact points for support, but the appointed staff need to be culturally adept; otherwise these spaces may not feel safe enough for everyone. For many of us, it can even be difficult to know how or in which specific situations to ask for help.鈥
To enrich understanding into African and Caribbean cultural heritage, ACHN organizes various activities and events, including the Traces of Slavery City Tour or movie nights for Black History Month. While ACHN doesn鈥檛 shy away from tough discussions, the network is also about celebrating the wealth of diversity and having fun. As Amaryllis reasons: 鈥淐aribbean, African or not, we just want to be students like everybody else - to cook together, go out dancing, partying, and meet new people. And I think that鈥檚 valid too. Otherwise, you put a lot of pressure on affected individuals to having to change discriminatory behaviours, when that should be everyone鈥檚 responsibility.鈥
