About the Office of Community and Belonging
The Office of Community and Belonging engages and collaborates with students, faculty, and professional staff to foster inclusivity and embrace diversity across UNE’s campuses, in its curriculum, through professional development, and in its recruitment and retention practices.
The office provides leadership and coordination around community and belonging initiatives, working to eliminate barriers to success for all members of our community — especially for historically underrepresented individuals — and ensuring that community and belonging are considered in every institutional decision.
Administration
The Community and Belonging Fellowship Program
The Community and Belonging Fellowship program supports a cohort of students on Biddeford campus, Portland campus, and within our online college, in their inclusive leadership development pursuits by providing hands-on belonging and inclusion experience within the UNE community and with its campus partners. The Community and Belonging Fellowship is a paid position and is supervised by the assistant provost for Community and Belonging and includes professional development and networking opportunities. The fellows support the general work of the Office of Community and Belonging while also working within a specific functional area like events and programming, inclusive leadership development, culturally-mindful social and other media representation, oversight of the Biddeford campus Cultural eXchange Lounge, and belonging trends among online students.
How to Apply
Application for the Community and Belonging Fellowship positions for the 2025–2026 academic year will be open by March 2025. If you would like to learn more about this program in the meantime, please contact Shannon Zlotkowski, assistant provost for Community and Belonging, at szlotkowski@une.edu.
2024–2025 Fellows
David Ezeh ’26
David, from Ashland, Mass., is a Medical Biology major on a Pre-Dental track and plans to attend dental school after graduation. In addition to being a DEI Fellow, David also works as an orientation leader. He holds many positions on campus, including president and founder of the Black and Latinx Student Union, treasurer of both the MMA club and National Society of Leadership and Success, and the assistant coach of the women’s club soccer team. In his free time, he enjoys playing volleyball on UNE’s men’s club team, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family.
Huy Ha ’26
Huy is from Manchester, N.H., and is a Dean’s List student studying Medical Biology while minoring in Chemistry and Business Administration. He hopes to attend medical school and become a doctor when he graduates from UNE. Currently, he works on campus as a student ambassador in Undergraduate Admissions, a peer tutor in the Student Academic Success Center, and a research assistant in the lab of Stephen Fox, Ph.D. Additionally, he is the treasurer of the Pre-Medicine Club and Photography Club. He is fluent in Vietnamese. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, watching movies, crafting, and spending time with friends and family.
Olivia Lu-Alba ’25
Olivia Lu-Alba, from Andover, Mass., is on a pre-physician associate track with an interest in global health care systems in underserved communities. As a diversity leadership badge fellow, Olivia revamped the program’s curriculum, incorporating case-based learning on cultural humility, bias, and privilege to equip peers with knowledge and resources for understanding and acting on social justice issues.
Olivia is also the diversity, equity, and inclusion chair for the Undergraduate Student Government, a leader scholar, global education peer advisor, and a Cultural eXchange Lounge manager. She also enjoys teaching sailing, traveling, and trying new foods.
Kha Cao Rā James ’27
Kha Cao Rā, from Washington D.C., is a Dean’s List student in Psychology and Finance at UNE. He will pursue a career in business after graduation and plans to use the interpersonal skills he gains from psychology to aid in his post-academic ventures.
He holds multiple positions on campus, including residential advisor with the Office of Housing and Residential Commuter Life, chapter president for the National Society of Leadership and Success at UNE, and member of the UNE varsity men’s basketball team. Kha, a nature enthusiast and foodie, frequents the University's docks and Freddy Beach, while also indulging in all aspects of cuisine, from cooking to recipe browsing.
Dan Hargrove ’27
Dan, from Cambridge, Mass., is a Master of Athletic Training major. On top of being a DEI Fellow, Dan also works as an orientation leader and is involved in multiple clubs on campus including club baseball, Spike ball club, and MMA club. In his free time, he likes to workout, play the guitar and piano, and hang out with friends.
Breyauna Jacobs ’25
Breyauna, from Island Falls, Maine, is studying medical biology while minoring in political science and is on a pre-medicine track with plans to attend medical school enrolling in a dual M.D. and Ph.D. hybrid program after graduation. Currently, she serves as a general senator for the Undergraduate Student Government, the secretary for AMWA club, and president and founder of Fashion Club on campus. She enjoys music, being creative with fashion, and can often be found thrifting with her friends on the weekend.
Shanealya Small ’25
Shanealya, a Dean’s List student from Lewiston, Maine, is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration. With a strong passion for marketing and management, Shanealya has taken on several leadership roles on campus including being a resident assistant, an admissions ambassador, and the business senator in the Undergraduate Student Government working closely with the finance committee. Currently Shanealya is a UNE social media intern and an active member of Activities’ Programming Board, engaging with the student body through creative content to promote campus initiatives, and organizing various events to enhance student engagement. Beyond these roles, Shanealya enjoys cooking, creating digital art, binge-watching TV series, and discovering new places with friends and family.
Addie Ray ’26
Addie, from North Yarmouth, Maine, is pursuing a Master of Public Health in hopes of engaging in community programming and education with a focus on children’s and maternal health. As a Mainer, she is passionate about her local community, social change, advocacy, and health. In undergrad, she double majored in politics and religion while she worked on campus as a stage manager. Today, she is a full-time enrollment and retention counselor at UNE, supporting other online graduate students. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, concerts, being outdoors, and writing.