A Peace Keeper

Sometimes it's not just what you do in the classroom but what you do outside that makes the difference. For Tyler Porter, her experience in RWU’s new social justice program has helped not only feed her passion for social justice, but it has helped her become a better student.

The Long Island native says the program has strengthened her public speaking skills because she’s had to lead seminar sessions on a range of social justice topics. The experience has made her more confident in presenting work to her professors and classmates, and also in expressing herself outside the classroom.

It’s critical to be able to speak confidently in today’s workforce, Porter says.

Just as important, her experience in P.E.A.C.E. has given her a tight-knit, family-like community to be part of on campus, which has deepened her experience at Roger Williams.

“PEACE is a way for people to come together, know each other, feel this sense of family and have this dialogue where they can be open.”

Still in its first year, the P.E.A.C.E. Program, which stands for Peer Empowerment, Advocacy/Activism and Community Engagement, is a social justice peer mentoring and leadership group on campus that helps freshman and first-year transfer students adjust to life at Roger Williams and participate in a variety of social justice activities and projects on campus.

It’s important to understand and educate others on social justice, says Porter, because it makes for a more peaceful community, brimming with positive vibes – something Porter strives for.