School culture is a defining trait that can make or break a school. Without spaces for like-minded people to discuss certain similarities and issues, school culture begins to suffer greatly. MAC Scholars is a club for diverse students to talk with other diverse students and learn about different opportunities they can contribute to both while they are in school and later on in life.

Both administrator and club director Dr. Ashley Mair believes in creating a space that removes any academic barriers and allows students to develop tools to have a successful four years of school and beyond. Mair is passionate about giving students the space to talk to other diverse students and discuss college opportunities they might not know about.

“You want to see people who are similar to you to push you and often you start to feel more connected to the school,” Mair said. “Sometimes there are opportunities you may not know exist like certain diversity-based scholarships and career opportunities they’d be able to achieve.”

Recently Mac Scholars held an informational meeting during lunch for invited students to see what the club was all about. Within the meeting, they discuss the purpose of the club, as well as the requirements, including having a 3.0 GPA and being involved in another activity. Mac Scholar leader and junior Sumayyah Ali was excited from the turnout of the lunch and is ready for more meetings in the future.

“There were a lot of freshmen there that Dr. Mair helped recruit,” Ali said. “We all had to grab our friends and rush to the meetings after the lunch line so it was a little hectic but a lot of fun.”