New multicultural students were given a chance to become familiar with the different organizations and services available to them Sunday at CONEXION, an event hosted by the Office of Multicultural Student Services (MSS).

The event brought together numerous student organizations – some affiliated with MSS, others who aren’t – in the CUB Senior Ballroom, where they showcased their efforts at tables and booths.

“The event is called CONEXION for a reason,” MSS Assistant Director Stephen Bischoff said. “It is a way for students to connect with everything that the university has to offer, including other students. It helps them begin to build new, interpersonal relationships at WSU.”

The organizations ranged from academic departments looking to help those unsure of their majors, to the men’s and women’s rowing teams looking for new recruits, to smaller student organizations looking for more members.

The event began with speeches by ASWSU President Jared Powell and John Fraire, WSU’s vice president of student affairs. God’s Harmony, a gospel choir group at WSU, sang its own rendition of the fight song.

MSS Director J. Manuel Acevedo said CONEXION has served to help new multicultural students “begin their successful careers at WSU” for more than 15 years.

Junior transfer student David Lopez said he was afraid of the transition to WSU after attending community college.

“I thought I would struggle to make friends and to build connections,” Lopez said. “But, Multicultural Student Services and CONEXION have already made it easier, and school hasn’t even started yet.”

Of the event, Lopez said his interactions with mentors and MSS staff helped him understand how to receive financial aid and approach professors and advisers.

CONEXION also served as a way for multicultural students to meet their mentors, older students who will assist them for one year by continuing to introduce resources and services available on campus.

Shannon Amuro, a third-year mentor for MSS, said being a mentor is not only about fulfilling assigned duties but also about getting to know one’s mentees.

“You really watch them grow over the course of the year,” Amuro said. “By the end, they aren’t just a mentee. They are your friend.”

Acevedo said mentors “help in navigating new students down a prosperous path, more so than anyone else.”

Of the hundreds of new multicultural students, more than 20 percent will apply to become mentors, Amuro said.

The Office of Multicultural Student Services is located on the fourth floor of the CUB. Staff can be contacted at 509-335-7852.