Culture is everywhere and ever-present. There is no doubt about that. However, exactly what makes up the aspects of culture — especially within yourself — is not so obvious.
Recently, I went to Cal Poly Pomona's Cross Cultural Retreat, where I was given the opportunity to explore this question. This was the 26th year of this free retreat held at the wonderful Kellogg West Hotel here on campus. This year's theme was, "Identity, Voice, Action" and the entire three-day event was focused on helping us explore our cultural identity. Many students were seasoned attendees, eager to return to the welcoming, engaging environment. As for myself and the other Cultural Retreat novices, it was not long until we felt apart of this diverse, multicultural family and were sharing stories and perspectives and gaining newfound knowledge about identity. I quickly acquired many new friends as well from interacting with students in the various activities, as well as from having more in-depth conversations in our family small groups.
The event was organized by the cultural centers on campus located at the Old Horse Stables. For those who don't know, these individual centers are apart of Office of Student Life and Cultural Centers (OSLCC ). The centers cover a range of cultural identities and ideals, from the Pride Center to the Woman's Resource Center to Greek life. Personally, I have not visited the OSLCC before I attended the retreat, but now I am eager to explore these different centers and engage in the opportunities they provide to students. Best of all, because of the retreat I now know many new faces in each of these cultural centers who I know are happy to answer all my questions or are simply there to listen and support me with anything that's on my mind. This newfound community is one of my favorite aspects gained from the retreat.
Still, most of all, I enjoy having a richer understanding of myself from my experiences during the weekend. The activities and games were very insightful and the leaders were exceptionally encouraging and accepting — they made the environment feel very safe and were able to catalyze important discussions about the diverse aspects of culture, including ethnic background, social class, sexual and gender identity, ability and race.
Nonetheless, my time at the Cross Cultural Retreat was excellent. It was a thought-provoking, emotionally rich weekend that helped me develop a novel understandings of my own identity through the lens of culture. Moreover, it helped me understand more of what makes humankind and the world we inhabit so interesting and unique.
Obviously, I highly encourage all of you Cal Poly students to apply for the free retreat next year so you too can benefit from these vital cultural realizations. Until then, stop on by the old Horse Stables to visit one of the OSLCC cultural centers and discover something new about you and your fellow human.
