Multicultural Development

Looking for a way to become an FGCU student leader? The Multicultural Ambassadors Program (MAP) is a great way to do so! Students who are given the title of MAP are selected through an application and interview process and are highly trained to facilitate conversations and trainings on diverse topics.  Selected students represent diverse cultures, geography, sexual-orientations, gender identities, ethnicities, and majors. MAP students serve as advisors, mentors, facilitators, and representatives of the FGCU community.

Event Spotlight

Diversity YOUniversity
Held during Weeks of Welcome, Diversity YOUniversity is an event to welcome students back to the university. During this event we celebrate the different cultures that are represented at FGCU and allow for students to network with individuals from different university departments to learn about resources and individuals available to them that can assist in mentorship and assistance throughout the year.

Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is nationally recognized from September 15 – October 15. In observance we host several programs to celebrate the Latinx culture such as Latinx Gala, keynote speakers, and films that have been written and/or directed by Latinx people or star or are about people of Latinx background. During this month of events we focus on the contributions of Latinx individuals and their contributions to the Hispanic culture and the world as a whole.

Pride Week
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History Month is October. In the past, this month has been highlighted with a film festival and noted speakers Judy Shepherd. The focus programs that support students and the campus community that reflect the richness of the GLBT community and its positive impact on our society.

Passover Seder
A Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. The Seder is a ritual performed by a community or by multiple generations of a family, involving a retelling of the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.

Black History Month
The Multicultural Leadership Development Center staff along with student organizations and community groups host a variety of events that highlight Black culture, history and tradition. These events include plays, music, cultural dances, conferences, and a lecture series.

Lunar New Year Celebration
Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population.

Womxn's History Month
Celebrating the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. The purpose of Women’s History Month is to increase the knowledge of the contributions of notable and ordinary women.

Come Thru Sessions

Come Thru sessions are an informal conversation that we have in the center based on topics that are brought up by our students. These sessions are meant to provide advice and safe space for different events or experiences happening in our lives. Sessions have been on professionalism, love, relationships, anxiety and mental health, birth chart readings and many more.

Rising Up, Standing Strong (RUSS)

Is a collaboration between the Multicultural and Leadership Development (MLD) Center and the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). This drop-in group is a space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to have the opportunity to participate in discussions about some of the unique challenges they face in an environment that is affirming and empowering and led by people of color. We will explore topics around personal or cultural identity, relationships, family, navigating past or present difficulties, and ethnic, racial, and/or cultural struggles related to attending a predominantly white institution and living in the world-at-large.