#PrideofLions

Kate Vandeveld | #ColumbiaPride

the biggest thing I'll take away from this experience is the people that I've gotten to know and I think a stronger sense of my own identity and more

comfortability in that I made a very intentional decision when I came here to just be you know engaged in spaces that allowed me to be my full self or as much as possible be my full self and I've

definitely experienced that I've been here there have been a lot of hard things about being at Columbia in this you know very like white you know like hetero normative space I don't have that

saw way to put it but and I think that despite all of those challenges there is an incredible queer community here and incredible communities outside of even the queer community there's just when

you look for these groups you can find them here when you look for these these communities of people who support each other and want to you know help each other

lift each other up you can find them

Being a part of Columbia’s LGBTQ+ community, Columbia Social Work student Kate Vendeveld ’19 got to know people in that space better—including herself.