DEI Dialogue Recap: Finding Community
BY IRIS ZHAO
Over the past month of February, USWIB not only hosted a successful Conference but also held many fun and informative events; one of which was a DEI Dialogue about finding community. Our DEI directors, Trisha and Sahana, did a fantastic job hosting the event, and I want to share a brief recap and some key takeaways from our discussion.
We are all part of various communities, whether that be through school, work, sports, or other extracurriculars. These communities help us feel connected with one another and are a vital part of how we develop as people. To start off this dialogue on community, Trisha and Sahana asked the students in the room what community looks like to them, specifically at NYU. There were a lot of insightful responses; students shared that they felt that community could be hard to find at NYU. The vastness of the campus, the large student body, and relatively little school spirit in regards to school sporting events can make finding a community challenging. Students also observed that many communities in Stern are career-oriented, which can prove difficult to build more personal connections with peers. While many have felt this way, they found that meeting peers outside of the classroom helped to build stronger relationships. Sahana also plugged studying abroad as a great way to build a community, as she herself found that to be true when she studied abroad during her first year at NYU.
We then began to speak about finding community in the workplace. Sahana and Trisha shared the statistics that in finance or consulting sectors, 73.3% of employees are male-presenting; in consulting, 67.7% of employees are white; in Fortune 500 companies, 91% of employees are male-presenting and of the 9% of women employees, 79% are white. Thus, being a minority in the workplace can further the challenges in finding a community at work. While most companies offer various employee diversity programs, it’s still a great idea to do some research into the firm and see if their actions are consistent with what they say. USWIB Co-President Lu Lu highlighted that this point should especially be considered when going through diversity recruiting to avoid working at a place where you might feel tokenized.
The dialogue wrapped up with a reflection and advice on finding community. One thoughtful piece of advice a student shared was that it’s important to join communities with intention and not to put too much pressure on yourself to join certain clubs/communities. What’s best for you might be different from what’s best for another student, and that’s perfectly okay. Communities are here to support you, and if joining one is having a negative impact on your mental health, it’s probably a good idea to re-evaluate your intentions on why you want to join and what you want to get out of your involvement in that particular community.
Sahana and Trisha ended the discussion with a list of some communities that can be found at NYU, which is pictured below. There are countless other organizations that can be found within Stern and NYU as a whole, but if you’re unsure of where to look, these might be a good place to start!
Huge thank you to our DEI co-directors Sahana and Trisha for hosting an insightful event, and keep an eye out for information regarding the next USWIB DEI dialogue this semester!