The IDEC Student Fellows play an integral role as student advocates in USM’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Council (IDEC). Serving on IDEC’s Student Experience Committee, the IDEC Student Fellows facilitate campus forums and initiatives, participate in planning and governance, and work directly with USM leadership on behalf of students and the community.
Tatiana Jonk
Tatiana Jonk is bilingual in Spanish and English and is originally from Colombia. A few of her many hobbies include cooking, baking, reading, creating art, being active, spending time outdoors, and spending time with friends and family. Tatiana is pursuing her BSN degree with a minor in Studio Art. Her goal is to pursue a nursing career and later study more for an NP degree, hoping to someday own a medical practice. Her focus is caring for minorities, refugees, and immigrants as well as those who struggle with mental health. She became involved with IDEC during her freshman year at USM in the fall of ’21. Tatiana serves as the Programming fellow.
Onyekachi Obi-Okoye
Onyekachi A. Riches is a public policy research scholar in the University of Maine Law School. He is an experienced ombudsperson and certified mediator who teaches both conflict resolution and justice studies internationally. Characteristically cheerful, creative and engaging, Onye brings significant social change experience to the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Council (IDEC), having lived or worked across six different continents of the world. Onyekachi Riches is privileged to hold advanced degrees in law, organizational management, and sociology. At USM, much of Onye’s work for IDEC is through the Hiring, Retention, and Employee Relations Committee. He serves on the Student Experience Programming Committee also, and enjoys working closely with ALL of lower income, nontraditional, new-to-Maine, graduate, commuter or off-campus, international, minority-classified, Native American, and military-affiliated students and staff.
Dean Syed
Dean Syed is a junior studying Environmental Planning and Policy here at USM. During the 2022-2023 academic year he served as IDEC’s fellow for policy examining institutional policy with a DEI lens. Through 2023-2024 he has been working with affinity groups on campus as IDEC’s fellow for affinity leadership. Please reach out to Dean with any questions or concerns at dean.syed@maine.edu.
Are you interested in the IDEC Student Fellows?
As a USM student, you can become a member and make an impact by facilitating campus forums, participating in intercultural program planning, and working directly with University leadership on behalf of the USM community.