By Kelly Yue
Mateen Zafer joined Colorado College in August 2019 as the Coordinator of Mentorship and Diversity Initiatives at the Butler Center. He advises the Quest Scholars Network and the Enclave Living Learning Community.
How has working from home been for you? Has it affected your interaction with students?
I am privileged to be able to work largely from home, knowing that many other CC staff and millions of folx across the country do not have this same luxury. I have spent more time with my partner this year than our 5+ years together combined. We continue to navigate together through this pandemic and we have deepened our bonds in ways I wouldn’t have imagined. I am eternally grateful for her partnership and presence in my life.
Knowing how real Zoom fatigue is, I’m so appreciative of students participating in the Butler Center’s virtual programming, such as Mind, Body, & Soul (open to all femme identified students of color), the First Gen Collegiate Program (open to all first-gen students, staff, and faculty), and the Masculinity Project Discussion Group (open to all masculine identified students, staff, and faculty). I look forward to being in community with the Masculinity Project Discussion Group each block due to the space that has been cultivated where folx feel empowered to share about their experiences and exploration of masculinity and beyond.
I’ve also been able to meet with students on campus at their request. We have met outdoors sitting on blankets or going for walks while observing social distancing. What I miss most are the spontaneous encounters on-campus — meeting new students, having someone swing by my office to share about their experience abroad the previous block, or running into a staff or faculty member in Tava Quad who I don’t interact with as frequently.
What is your favorite dish to make?
I’ve started grilling my favorite take-out food of all time — chicken wings with a homemade buffalo sauce! I historically haven’t been all that confident cooking Indian food, so I recently bought a cookbook by Priya Krishna called Indian-ish and it’s helped me really step up my game. Some recipes are more miss than hit, but this simple dal recipe is quick, easy, delicious, and the flavors remind me of home! Don’t forget the chhonk!
Where do you call home? What does home mean to you?
I was born in Bombay, India to a Muslim father and Hindu mother. We immigrated to Chicago escaping religious persecution when I was six. I call Bombay and Chicago home as that is where most of my relatives live, but home to me is whenever I get to be with my chosen family. Whether that’s my blood relatives or those friends within my inner circle, being home is more a feeling than a place. I know that when I am with my community, I can fully be myself and know that I am loved and accepted for who I am.
How has your racial/ethnic identity impacted you?
I really struggled with my identity from the time we immigrated to Chicago through my time as an undergraduate student at a predominantly white institution (PWI) and beyond. I was bullied in grade school for the way I looked, talked, dressed, and what I brought to school for lunch. It was so painful I did everything I could to separate myself from my Indian and Muslim identities while trying my hardest to assimilate to white culture. I asked people to call me “Matt”, I made fun of Indian people, and I made terrorist jokes so people wouldn’t think I was “one of bad Muslims”. I struggled with internalized oppression but didn’t have the language to understand my experiences until much later in life. I have spent the last few years unlearning so much of what I have unconsciously bought into, while reclaiming these aspects of my identity and discovering the beauty of these cultures.
How do you wish to engage with the Asian community on campus?
Having recently moved to Colorado Springs last July, I wish to get to know more of the Asian community on campus. I wish to be a resource to students and hope that by being open and honest about my experiences, it enables others to feel empowered to lean into their vulnerability. While no two people’s experiences are the same, it can be helpful to know that you’re not alone in what you think, feel, or experience. I really enjoy one-on-one or small group interactions! If you’d like to chat, whether virtually or in person, please reach out as I would love to connect!
