The DIVE program takes a journey to the Louisiana Gulf Coast

Imagine a nine-day adventure to the Louisiana Gulf Coast, camping, canoeing and participating in many other outdoor activities at no expense. The Diversity and Inclusion adVenture Experience (DIVE) program selects a few students each year from a variety of backgrounds to go on an eye-opening adventure outside of NC State’s campus. The trip involves  discussion about diversity, inclusion and wellness while participating in exciting outdoor activities. This year, the DIVE program occurred during Spring Break from Friday, March 3 to Saturday, March 11.

Nine students were selected to attend this year’s trip to the Louisiana Gulf Coast, a location rich in history and community but an area that is rapidly sinking. Communities along the Louisiana Gulf Coast have been forced to relocate and find new means of working and living due to the subsidence of their original homes. Visiting places like an alligator farm where people sell alligator skin as a source of income, participants witnessed firsthand how these communities have adapted to the problems they face. These experiences helped students to understand how the local community has adjusted to their circumstances. From those encounters, they were able to consider how their own adversity and experiences have shaped their communities and values.

Each day, participants experienced a new part of the communities and culture and at the end of the day they would come together for reflection and discussion. Part of the discussions were based on nightly readings, from NC State professor Dr. Rupert Nacoste’s book, “Howl of the Wolf.” Maria Franco, a participant of this year’s DIVE trip, expanded on those discussions. “At first, things were tense but there were exercises for us to share things about ourselves and after a while we became more comfortable sharing our opinions.”

Maria described how some of the activities for the trip were very controversial. There were many different opinions and perspectives based on race, gender, diet, where people are from and other personal experiences. “There were some disagreements but in the end, we were able to have a respectful conversation” Maria added. Vinod Mahato, another participant of the DIVE trip, revealed that the trip allowed him to realize that he isn’t alone in the NC State community, that there are many resources for everyone to get involved and make the best of their time at NC State.

The participants were able to observe some of the major effects of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita on coastal Louisiana communities. They went on boat rides with a tour guide and visited some of the communities that were largely affected by the hurricanes. “The cities weren’t clean and homes were still destroyed from the natural disaster” Vinod described. The participants visited a Hurricane Katrina museum and toured New Orleans, a city largely devastated by the hurricanes, which exposed the participants to how unique the culture is and how it has been shaped by the natural disasters. After doing this, the participants listened to podcasts on multiple individuals who had either left their homes and came back, left and never came back or never left at all during the hurricanes. “This brought up an important conversation about owning privilege and acknowledging the different experience minorities have on a predominately white campus” Maria explained.

The alligator farm tour struck up a conversation that challenged the participants to consider whether or not alligator farming was ethical. “It was sad seeing what they were doing to the alligators but later I got a better understanding of why people do things like that” Vinod explained. “Between vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians and meat eaters, there were different opinions on the morality of skinning and eating alligators but we also had to acknowledge that people depend on that industry to live and support their families,” Maria added.

Even though the trip is over, the participant’s hope to do much more. “We need to educate and fight for justice,” Vinod stated. He hopes that by sharing his experience in the Louisiana Gulf Coast he can give back to the community here at NC State. Maria looks forward to collaborating with other groups at state that could benefit from the DIVE program. “DIVE incorporates a confidence in the campus and appreciation of diversity at State’s campus.”