Running head: ARTIFACT B: MISSION STATEMENT 1

Artifact B: Mission Statement

Eva Long

Seattle University
ARTIFACT B: MISSION STATEMENT 2

Artifact B: Mission Statement

I walk the world as an immigrants daughter with a hidden accent. As a first-generation,

Chinese-American, I battle with how powerful and dangerous assimilation may be in a system

that dominates and holds one truth. These very identities provoked lived experiences upon me

that continues to shape the ways in which I interact with the world. Since the day that my

parents immigrated to the United States from Zhongsan, China in 1991, the ideals of the

American Dream has prompted the hopes of excellence and opportunities their children would

receive. Education was that gateway to success. Education meant opportunities. Education was

power. The value of education and the question of who has access to it has surfaced my values

of justice, resiliency and humility within higher education. It is with great responsibility that I

bear with my education to pave the way for equitable education for my family, for the voiceless

and those where harmful and destructive systems continue to leave out; from access, retention,

persistence and graduation. Additionally, my identities as a professional speaks strength and

hope for students who tirelessly search for mentors and allies who reflect their narratives and

experiences. My critical lense of the world and systems of higher education has drove a

commitment to create institutional and systemic change that will work towards intentional efforts

towards advancing diversity, inclusion and equity. I am an invested, vulnerable and passionate

social justice educator amongst my colleagues. But, as Audre Lorde says, If you have come

here to help me, then you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is

bound up with mine, then let us work together. This task belongs to all of us.