Building Bridges and Community Day creates connections across campus

On the eighth annual Building Bridges and Community Day, students, faculty and staff across campus came together to celebrate connection, learning and belonging. 

“From a first-year point of view, Building Bridges Day brings a light to a lot of different people’s faces that I wouldn’t normally see,” Howard Carter, class of 2029, said. “I get the chance to talk to them about something they’re passionate about and have done a lot of research on.”

31 seminars and workshops were taught with topics ranging from discussing the implications of our relationships with AI and learning traditional dances to making Spam musubis and connecting over chai. 

Building Bridges and Community Day isn’t just a lineup of activities — it’s about making Centre a place where everyone feels welcome and belonging grows.

Queer inclusivity in Greek Life

Sam Cotthoff, class of 2026, invited the campus community to take a closer look at inclusion within one of Centre’s most visible traditions — Greek Life. He presented his Atkins Scholar research project “Gay and Greek,” which explores how queer-identifying students navigate, challenge and reshape Greek organizations at Centre College.

His study combined interviews with students and staff to understand how experiences of belonging and identity unfold in fraternities and sororities. While national research often frames Greek Life as exclusionary, his findings revealed a more complex picture at Centre.

“There is this radical intersection of different identities in Greek Life,” Cotthoff said. “In some chapters, there are queer people and others who have never met a queer person. You have both liberals and conservatives. The bond created from being in Greek Life together transcends and overrides these differences.”

His future hope is to continue this research and craft a model that moves the needle from accepting to belonging.

Building community through dance

Getza Solano, class of 2028, led a session exploring the history and joy of bachata, a dance and music style that originated in the Dominican Republic. Solano talked participants through bachata’s roots and origins, which date back to 1962 when José Manuel Calderón recorded the first bachata song, “Qué Será de Mí.”

Once dismissed as rural music under dictator Rafael Trujillo, the dance eventually evolved from informal community gatherings into a global celebration of Dominican identity.

After sharing this history, Solano taught faculty, staff and students basic steps, a short routine and some partner work — bringing culture to life through movement. Music played as attendees sipped horchata and participated in the dance lesson, highlighting the day’s focus on building connection through shared experiences.

Representation through presentation

In her Building Bridges session “Wearing Your Culture,” Ashley Flores, class of 2027, shared her journey as an afro-indigenous person and reconnecting with her heritage. She highlighted the capabilities of representing identity through clothing with handmade earrings. 

“It means a lot to me that I’m able to have an audience that genuinely cares and wants to listen to what I have to say,” Flores said. “It gives me hope that it’ll lead our campus culture to be more open-minded about different experiences.”

The jewelry she made and displayed during the session is heavily influenced by her personal style and identity. From using her grandmother’s materials to creating earrings that represent her favorite video games, the hobby has become a way to express herself. 

Attendees had the chance to explore these ideas by imagining an identity-representing piece of clothing they’d wear through art. They also enjoyed food and drinks from students who are a part of Centre’s Indigenous Peoples Coalition. 

Curating belonging at Centre

For one Art History class, Building Bridges and Community Day provided an opportunity to present special class projects to the entire campus. National Endowment for the Humanities Associate Professor of Art History Amy Frederick’s Curating Centre presented group projects that all explored themes of connection and community on campus. 

Each group had an interactive element for participants that helped them reflect on how community is created, where it thrives and where it may need strengthening. 

One group looked to the day’s name as inspiration, creating a bridge out of what connects the Centre community. Along with presenting survey responses students submitted, visitors could write notes on what or who makes them feel connected at Centre.

Making the invisible, visible

Keke Morrow, class of 2027, had participants question unconscious habits or biases they have about community. 

“Invisible Rules of Connection: An Interactive Community Workshop,” invited students and staff to consider how they face different social situations, create new relationships and showcase individual leadership styles. Participants also shared observations based on seeing and hearing others' responses. 

“I want to make sure people around campus know and recognize the invisible rules they follow,” Morrow said. “We explored how we judge people, how friendships form and how we decide what rooms we walk into. This contributes to how other people feel comfortable in these spaces as well.”