The Pride Link, a community space for LGBTQ+ students run by the MOSAIC Center, has gotten a new coat of paint. Located on the third floor of the Student Center, garlands with crochet shrimps and a seating area populated by surrounding plants invite students to “Shell-ebrate Queerness,” as displayed on a nearby poster.
An abstract mural hangs on one of the walls, depicting three figures in an embrace, clutching an explosion of color. An effort to make the space more reflective of the LGBTQ+ community, the Pride Link is one of many reforms the MOSAIC Center is making to its Link spaces, which are spaces on campus that provide specific resources for the various student populations on campus.
In 2023, a study was conducted by the MOSAIC Center to help them understand what the Links were being utilized for, why people were spending their time there, and what exactly they wanted from the spaces. This information came directly from students, allowing the center to make targeted changes.
“It was very clear to me that many of the spaces needed some love,” Michelle Kim, director of the MOSAIC Center, said. “We embarked on this journey about two years ago…My team proposed certain changes to furniture, to layout, to whatever it is that we want to and need to prioritize.”
The redesigning process was led by student employees at the Pride Link who were designated as community ambassadors. Courtnie Wilson, a second-year forensic psychology major, was one of the Pride Link ambassadors. They said that they enjoyed the chance to make the Link more reflective of their community.
“When we first came into the space, it was really overwhelming. It was like, pride flag, pride flag, pride flag, pride flag, rainbow,” Wilson said. “We kind of came to the conclusion that especially in today’s climate, identifying as queer or LGBTQ or gay in any capacity is not most people’s forefront identity. It’s not the first thing that they identify with. We want the space to reflect that. We wanted to be more low-key, more chill.”
Max Ebalo, a second-year art and visual culture studies major and Pride Link Ambassador, emphasized the casual and everyday nature of the space.
“I just like the fact that people can use it as a space to study and chill,” Ebalo said.
These changes were implemented at the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year. The MOSAIC Center will also be releasing a new handbook for LGBTQ+ students in the coming months. This has been a long time coming, according to Kim.
“Years ago, veteran students navigating a college campus helped create a veteran’s guidebook. Then, first-gen students helped co-write a first-gen guidebook. Over the years, undocumented students and students from mixed-status families helped us co-create resource guides, pathways to citizenship pamphlets. So that is a practice we’re trying to increase,” Kim said.
Kim realized that, out of the resources available, the center had not yet released a guidebook targeted towards LGBTQ students. Starting from templates inspired by past guidebooks, Kim worked with an intern over the summer to create a similar guide for LGBTQ students navigating campus life. These new resources have made Kim and other MOSAIC employees enthusiastic about the future of the Links.
“I am really excited about the refresh and the changes and the updates that we’ve been able to make to our spaces,” Kim said. “Like, it is a pride and joy that I get to, after two years of working through a process, get to open up for new students, a new school year.”
The Pride Link and the MOSAIC Center will continue to evolve throughout the year to meet the needs of students. Currently, Ebalo said that the Link is working on setting up a community closet for students to access gender-affirming clothing. Community events will also be held in the Link throughout the year.
