UC-bound seniors prepare for protest culture

Kaiya Lakes | The Chronicle

Mason High School (MHS) seniors planning to attend the University of Cincinnati (UC) next year remain committed to enrolling despite the protests on campus. The university, along with other colleges nationwide, has felt the impact from the official termination of government-mandated diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, leading to increased activism on campus.

Julia Leenellett, a Mason alumna and current junior at UC, said that she could not be prouder that her peers and the students around her are speaking up about injustices within the university and subsequently connecting with one another as a result.

“I think the heightened political tension has pushed people to collaborate and organize bigger things than before,” Leenellett said. “Now, multiple student organizations are joining together to make greater change, and this newfound solidarity, uniting under a common cause, has lifted everyone at UC’s spirits.”

Leenellett said she recognizes how crucial it is for the people protesting to represent those without voices, the minority groups who are being targeted and the students who are too afraid to express how they feel.

“Many speakers [at the protests] quote the poem ‘First They Came’ by Pastor Martin Niemoller, which highlights how important it is to speak up for others even when you don’t think it will affect you, because eventually, it will,” Leenellett said, “You’ll have a greater chance of making change when you act with everyone.”

Leenellett said she has noticed a rise in political small talk and opinion sharing in UC’s learning environment. People are speaking more politically, staff are acknowledging the policy changes and students are urging one another to stand up.

“I would say [speak out] if you want to,” Leenellett said. “Bring a friend so you’re more comfortable if that’s what you need, but the movements are too important to just sit back and do nothing. Use your voice to help enact the change you want to see in this world.”

Current high school seniors (or college freshmen for the 2025-2026 school year) have to consider the political unrest at not only UC, but many other universities that have adopted similar ideals, as well as how they feel about transitioning into such a fragile environment.

Eliza Orlando, a senior at Mason High School (MHS) and a future UC Bearcat, said she’s looking forward to the campus activism she expects to experience firsthand next year.

“I’m actually very excited to be able to surround myself with such politically active and diverse people,” Orlando said. “I think it’s the only way to really grow in my own beliefs.”

Orlando said that while she does not fault UC and other Ohio colleges for how they are handling these political controversies and new government policies, she thinks it is equally as important for the students of these universities to stand up and make themselves heard through protesting.

“While I disagree with [policy changes] like the DEI cuts, UC can rebuild those programs under different names,” Orlando said. “On the other hand, the students protesting will have a direct effect on reshaping UC’s political landscape as a whole.”

Orlando said many seniors like her have noticed a rise in protests on college campuses like UC’s recently, which she attributed to social media. Orlando said that the accessibility for communication that social media provides has led to very polarized opinions in younger generations.

“It’s obvious that we’re seeing bigger reactions and more student led protests — I’d like to say I’ll be an actively involved student when I get to college, at least I hope,” Orlando said.

Orlando said that her idea of UC has not changed much. She said that part of her views colleges as business opportunities or corporations, so how they handled things like DEI cuts made sense to her.

Not everyone sees the collegiate political unrest this way. Elsa Richmond, another MHS senior who is 100% committed to UC, said her perception of the college has shifted.

“I don’t blame the people protesting,” Richmond said. “The United States has built itself on the grounds of being diversified. If we get rid of these policies that were so deeply fought for in our country’s past, then how can we claim that we are a diverse nation?”

Richmond said she wishes that the university, and more specifically the president of UC, stood up for the students more than they have so far. She said she thinks the protests are a direct result of UC students feeling unheard and undervalued.

“There is part of me that does understand that [UC] is legally being forced to change their policies, but the other part of me is frustrated that [UC officials] won’t stand up for their students and ask why they even need to change in the first place.”

Richmond said she hopes these protests are able to reach the people behind the scenes for the sake of every current and future student at UC.

“Education is a right for everybody, and [that right] shouldn’t be affected by anyone,” Richmond said.