During his interactive presentation, Mike Domitrz engaged Uppers and Seniors while educating on consent.
Calling on a student volunteers to deliver “the look” across a crowded auditorium, speaker Mike Domitrz kicked off the Spring Empathy, Balance, and Inclusion (EBI) term talk with laughter and live roleplay. Uppers and Seniors watched as Domitrz used the scene to spotlight the importance of consent through clear, verbal communication.
According to Anthony Diaz ’25, the talk helped him better comprehend consent culture. He felt that he gained an understanding of healthy and unhealthy relationships.
“My initial takeaway was that relationships can be a little bit complicated, but if there’s good direction and consent is also involved, then it would make a really great, healthy relationship,” said Diaz. “Just the power dynamics that occur in these relationships. If there is no consent involved, then it will probably derail into an unhealthy relationship. But if you keep [healthy] habits up, it could garner a more healthier relationship.”
A board member of Youth Educators for Sex Positivity (YES+), Zoe von Eckartsberg ’26 felt that the guidance offered by Dormitrz was both engaging and important for students. The talk also motivated her to find ways to evolve YES+ presentations.
“When he was talking about sexual health, he broke down how to approach people about those situations, either in the moment or after. He gave a step-by-step to make things easier so it’s not awkward, [and] you’re not really flustered in the moment,” said von Eckartsberg. “It was really entertaining, which is the best way to learn about sex education. Otherwise, it just feels like a really awkward topic, so I was feeling pretty lively. It was kind of funny, but we also talked about some pretty serious topics. It inspired me to make YES+ events more interactive.”
Papa Paintsil ’26 also enjoyed the presentation, specifically with Domitrz’s presentation style. Paintsil commented that by connecting with the audience, he was able to bring across a serious topic in an engaging way.
“I thought it was one of the better EBI sessions. His ability to keep us engaged, and also just the applicability of what he was saying, that’s what made the talk really good. And it’s important for us to know, of course, too,” said Paintsil.
Paintsil added that he wishes for more speakers in the future like Domitrz. To Paintsil, Dormitrz’s talk had value in its content, but also in the way it was delivered.
“I just think that the EBI department, or the ASM department, should prioritize people like him to come speak to us. Not just people that are qualified, because I know everybody that comes to ASM and EBI is qualified, but people who know how to speak to teenagers, and who have things that are really applicable to our daily lives. Talks like that are what will keep people interested, and will really make EBI feel like it’s important for people to listen to,” said Paintsil.
