In a year during which systemic racism is a talking point and Black Lives Matter is a rallying cry, the ideals of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) should be a priority in everyone’s organization.
Earlier this week, Centennial College hosted “STEM Reimagined: Fostering Inclusion and Cultivating Success.” The free, online event featured an excellent panel followed by a networking session for students and other participants.
Dr. Paula Demacio, a biotechnology professor at Centennial, moderated the panel that included Vanessa Raponi, Doina Oncel and Angela Wojtyla PEng. All three panelists have made substantial contributions to their communities and have a passion for EDI. On the panel they shared candid and compelling personal stories about why EDI matters to them.
If you have read this far, then EDI probably matters to you as well, or, at the very least, you are open to learning more. If you’d like a primer on EDI, you may find this earlier blog I wrote helpful.
Vanessa Raponi, who founded EngiQueers at McMaster University and went on to support the establishment of 31 university chapters in nine provinces across Canada, says that as a queer woman of colour in engineering she is radical by simply existing. If you follow that line of thinking, she could easily rest on her laurels knowing that her mere presence is shaking up the patriarchy. However, not one to remain in the background, she has launched a vlog on YouTube that she describes as being “about life, advice and stories from the perspective of a queer woman of colour.” Have a look and listen.
EngiQueers fosters inclusion and provides a safe space for students in engineering who may feel “different.” But the chapters go beyond providing a community for queer students by also offering EDI training to the public. You can find a helpful summary of what they cover in their training here.
Doina Oncel is the founder and CEO of hErVOLUTION. Six months after hearing four white men on a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) panel state that “there are no barriers for women in STEM” she established hErVOLUTION. As she puts it, she saw a gap and decided to fill it. While her educational background is as a social worker, she believes she might have made different choices had a career in STEM been an option for her while growing up. As a newcomer to Canada, with two daughters, she started hErVOLUTION to give them opportunities in life and to make a STEM career a possibility for other young girls and teens from underserved communities.
Oncel, a white woman, has mixed race daughters. She was confronted by the importance of diversity when her four-year-old asked why the hErVOLUTION instructors looked like her mother, but not her. This anecdote is a reminder to all of us that children notice these things at a very young age. As employers, academics, politicians, etc., representation matters. If we want to create an environment that is welcoming and inclusive, colour, gender and how we recognize sexuality are important. “You can’t be what you can’t see” is both obvious and profound when we think about young people choosing career paths, but it applies to adults too. Does the leadership in your workplace look like you?
Another point that Oncel made that resonated for me is that “free does not mean accessible.” This speaks to equity in EDI. A free workshop may not take into consideration that participants may be travelling hours each way by public transit to reach the event and that travel costs money. These days, with so much online, free webinars would seem very inclusive; however, some people don’t have access to a home computer or even the internet. When libraries and schools are closed, these present significant barriers to low socioeconomic households. (Both EngiQueers and hErVOLUTION accept donations.)
Angela Wojtyla, who has been a driving force for EDI in her workplaces, developed networking groups for women engineers when she noticed they didn’t already exist. It’s well known that important work and relationship-building happen on the golf course, at sporting events and other places that male colleagues typically congregate. Having networking groups for women is one strategy to assist with career advancement. So is mentoring. For example, having a champion or a mentor who can advise you on crucial work matters, like salary negotiations, is essential to advance in your career. Mentors aren’t for women only, but they may be even more valuable to women who continue to be underrepresented in the c-suite and on boards. But the many reasons for that sound like a blog for another day.
Now for something a little lighter, here’s a video on sensitivity training.
Stacey Johnson
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