Campus Spotlight: Amit Karr

The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) is where many students from diverse backgrounds can find support. OMA is where you will also find Graduate Assistant Amit Karr.

As a student here at Rollins, Karr spent most his time working with the Office of Community Engagement, but after graduation he moved across the hall to OMA.

He chose to apply for the OMA position to step outside of his comfort zone because he believes that learning is most effective when you’re uncomfortable. The Office of Multicultural Affairs works with students from historically underrepresented groups; it’s not an easy situation to work with everyday.

 “Everyone is uncomfortable coming into this office [for the first time],” said Karr. But OMA strives to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all students at Rollins.

While a student many of Karr’s friends were involved with issues of multiculturalism and diversity but aside from being part of Camp Alliance he didn’t have much involvement with the office. It’s a lesson he wishes he had learned as a student because he spent a lot of time learning on the job.

Although he didn’t have much experience working with OMA prior to his position he can relate to the work it does. From 1990 to 2003 he lived in Saudi Arabia and comes from a biracial background.

Over the last year Amit has been working toward a certificate degree in non-profit management from the Crummer Graduate School of Business. He is also deeply committed to Help for the Homeless Inc., a program which provides meals to the Central Florida homeless population weekly. Sustainable services are his passion, one that he takes very seriously.

This is his second year at OMA but it may be his last. He hopes to move north and see what life has in store. The one thing that he would like the community to know is: “The importance of the impact of diversity goes beyond the color of your skin and where you’re born.”

-Jennifer Ritter (Class of 2013)