GREENVILLE, Pa.—Chimamaka Palmer ’21 is serving as Coordinator of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office at Thiel College.
Palmer is leading efforts on campus to foster and maintain an increasingly inclusive environment that welcomes, embraces, supports, and celebrates diversity in all its forms at Thiel College. Serving as a resource to all students, faculty, and staff, Palmer’s role includes advocacy, student services, program development, and training/outreach. She is collaborating with offices and individuals across campus to advance inclusion and support students through recruitment and retention efforts, advise student organizations, enhance curriculum, and eliminate barriers to success and participation.
Palmer was born in Warri, Nigeria, and moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 2007 where she has since lived for the majority of her life. At one point while living in Cleveland, she worked for an inner-city school district where she focused on working with children to help them develop emotional skills and combat behavioral issues.
Palmer graduated from Thiel College in May 2021, earning a degree in psychology with a specialization in counseling. She first came to Thiel as a student when she was recruited by the women’s soccer team. In her third year at Thiel, she joined the Organization of Black Collegiates, a decision that would come to have a significant influence on her college experience and her later career opportunities.
“I helped spread awareness for diversity on campus, and just seeing the upperclassmen take pride and ownership of the organization pushed me to be a better leader on campus,” Palmer said. “I was a black student on campus, and so having the support system I found in the Organization of Black Collegiates had a big influence on me.” Palmer was also positively influenced by working closely with the College’s previous Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Anthony Jones to help found Black Sisters Connected, a club with the mission of fostering a sense of safety, friendship, and representation for black women on campus.
Palmer expressed that her biggest focuses will include boosting student engagement, morale, and encouraging pride on campus not only for people of color, but also for the larger collective community of “Tomcats on Thiel’s campus.”
Palmer is also an artist and has been involved with several collaborations and art exhibits in Cleveland. “My passion is art, and my artistry involves mediums of painting, photography, music, and songwriting,” she said. Her first Extended Play, titled “4.25,” is on track to be released under her artist name, “CHIMI,” before the end of this year.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.