Multicultural Recruitment Committee

History and Mission

The MRC was formed in the 1960s by Columbia undergraduates to create a number of programs that addressed diversity and multiculturalism. Today, members of the MRC assist the admissions staff to identify, recruit and yield students from historically underrepresented groups (students of color, first-generation college students, families from high-need backgrounds). Six undergraduate student interns serve on the MRC and provide a bridge between the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the student body. They work closely with other current undergraduates on outreach efforts and provide a vital role in the recruitment mission.

Student Voices

Stephanie Grilo - MRC Intern

Stephanie Grilo is an intern for the Multicultural Recruitment Committee; she is from North Haven, Connecticut, and is a Kluge Scholar in Columbia College, studying Sociology and Human Rights. One of the main reasons Stephanie came to Columbia was its diverse student community, and that is a legacy she is dedicated to continuing. Stephanie is also very active in student organizations; she is the vice-president of the Student Organization of Latinos and an active member and tour guide for the Undergraduate Recruitment Committee. Having interned at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, where she researched community and children’s health and the implications of public policy, Stephanie has decided to pursue a career in public health. Her favorite quote? “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

J.T. Ramseur - MRC Intern

J.T. Ramseur is a Psychology major and John Jay Scholar in Columbia College with plans to attend law school after graduation. He is originally from Mountain View, California, but has lived in Monterey, California, since 2003. J.T. has been involved with the Multicultural Recruitment Committee since his first year but is also a tour guide and member of the Advisory Board for the Undergraduate Recruitment Committee. He is a facilitator and student coordinator of Under1Roof, Columbia’s diversity orientation program within the Office of Multicultural Affairs. J.T. holds his black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is currently president of Columbia’s Tae Kwon Do team. Finally, he is a mentor in the LGBTQ family tree of the Columbia Mentoring Initiative. His favorite quote is by Friedrich Nietzsche: “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be crazy by those who could not hear the music.”

Julia Monk - MRC Intern

Julia Monk is an Environmental Biology major in Columbia College. Her family hails from Argentina and she was raised in Port Jefferson, New York; she has also lived in New York City, Virginia and Israel. Julia has been a member of the Multicultural Recruitment Committee throughout her time at Columbia and has also been involved with the Organization of Latin American Students and the Columbia Photography Association. She has been an intern with the Nature Conservancy for two summers, conducting ecological fieldwork and restoration initiatives in southwestern Montana, and hopes to pursue a career in conservation biology. Her favorite quote is by George Bernard Shaw: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”