Developing diversity and inclusivity whether on college campuses, or corporate boardrooms is becoming a necessity for organizations to prosper and flourish. As Dean Alavi said “Diversity in all forms is one of Georgia Tech’s greatest strengths. We are committed to creating a culture of inclusive excellence at Scheller College where all individuals feel invested and engaged in the business school’s mission.”
Neve Shah, Priyesh Shah and James Ni join the Scheller Intersection Podcast to discuss diversity in a personal way; explaining what they’ve experienced in the workplace and at Scheller and how they see change in the future.
“The more diverse you are and the more you include different perspectives and different types of people to synthesize one outcome, the better you’ll be,” said Priyesh Shah, a fourth-year graduate, when describing why companies should actively recruit from a diverse talent pool. All three agree that there is still a lack of diversity in the workplace where there are few female, black and Hispanic CEOs.
Says Neve “When you’re in the room and you’re the only minority, it’s pretty scary.” James Ni offers advice for creating inclusivity in any environment. “You need to be comfortable with yourself to create change,” he says. Priyesh agrees. “I was not able to market myself effectively until I embraced who I am.”
When asked to define diversity at Scheller, Neve offers an example of how Scheller welcomes diversity and inclusion. She recounts being homesick when she couldn’t observe Diwali with her family until she saw the festival being celebrated in Scheller’s courtyard. A friend asked her questions about it and she was delighted to explain the festival of lights to the interested student.
The three student graduates agree that recruiting for a diverse student population shows progress as well as empowering each other as colleagues.
Listen to the three Scheller graduates discuss more on this topic in the podcast “Diversity and Inclusion".