Every day at the University of Dayton, students, faculty and staff at the Dialogue Zone (DZ) come together across different cultures and experiences to engage in meaningful conversations to build mutual understanding. A collaboration among the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Global and Intercultural Affairs Center and the Multi-Ethnic Education and Engagement Center, the DZ initiative turns challenging discussions into opportunities for learning, reflection and growth.
This year, two student employees are at the heart of these efforts: Haley, a senior double major in public relations and political science, and Nikita, an international student and MBA candidate. For both, the role is more than a job. It is a space where they have grown confident in their abilities to bring people together, strengthened their leadership skills and discovered the power of their voices, helping others do the same.
Through organizing DZ events, designing marketing materials and facilitating conversations, the students gain hands-on professional experience. Working with the DZ, the space also encourages personal growth as they engage with new perspectives and practice stepping into leadership roles that empower themselves and those around them.
Haley now opens meetings by encouraging everyone to share their thoughts, a skill she has honed through her work in the Dialogue Zone. Nikita, navigating campus life in a new country, has grown more comfortable guiding discussions across diverse viewpoints, showing how voices and perspectives can shape community dialogue. She is also spearheading ways to build engagement with the DZ through marketing and social media collaboration.
Working together, they learn from one another. Haley brings insight into student and campus culture, while Nikita contributes a global perspective shaped by her experiences studying and living abroad. Their collaboration reflects the Dialogue Zone’s mission of intercultural engagement, where differing academic paths and cultural backgrounds strengthen conversations, deepen understanding and highlight the impact of leadership and cross-cultural exchange.
“The experience has given me the confidence to share my voice, even in spaces where I might feel uncomfortable,” Haley said. “It has made me more confident to bring dialogue into all the spaces I am in and to give others the chance to do the same.” One of the ways she’s doing this is a new initiative she established this semester, a weekly Dialogue Zone Coffee Hour, which takes place every Monday and provides a space for students to connect informally with the DZ.
Nikita has been able to bring her MBA focus to her work at the DZ, and to take on more of a collaborative role. “It has helped me get out of my shell,” Nikita said. “Interacting with people from different cultures and viewpoints has really opened my mind over the past two years. It has taught me important life skills that I know I will use for the rest of my life.”
Haley and Nikita have grown through their roles in part because the Dialogue Zone provides a safe environment for them and the entire campus community to explore perspectives and foster understanding, creating space where they can lead, innovate and inspire change.
“We are all human at the end of the day,” Haley said. “We are privileged to be at this university and to call ourselves Flyers, but we do not all come here on the same level playing field or with the same experiences. Having a space to share and reflect on those differences is the heart of what this work is about.”
High-impact experiential learning like this is at the core of what UD invites students to engage in while they are on campus. Through moments like these, student staff grow alongside the campus community, learning not only how to facilitate dialogue but also how to foster understanding across differences. What begins as a student job becomes a place to develop leadership, practice engagement and gain skills that can be carried far beyond campus.