The Office of Intercultural Life has a new home in Knox’s newest addition to campus, the HOPE Center (it stands for House of Peace and Equity). For students, it already feels like home. “We were concerned it would be a challenge to get students to come over here,” says Cervantez, “but within a few days, we had students asking us, ‘When are you going to start having the space open for study hours?’ ‘When can we use it for events?’”

Cervantez serves as a mentor, sounding board, advocate, and advisor for students navigating the myriad challenges of college life, from homesickness to feeling overwhelmed by the workload, from worrying about finances to wondering where they fit in within the larger Knox community. As a former Knox student, she can identify. “Probably the hardest part of taking this position was getting used to that shift of perspective. For a while, I felt like I really had to prove myself.”

Welcome to her office.