The Diversity First Showcase was an opportunity for students of all grades and majors to speak with professionals in their desired future career paths. By asking questions, students were able to learn about diversity programs, recruiting initiatives and potential positions at various companies.
Students were able to sign up for the event through Handshake and attend via Microsoft Teams. To open, Tamika Williams, assistant director of the Career and Leadership Development Center for Diversity & Inclusion, spoke about the event and welcomed the attendees.
The Diversity First Leadership Awards were awarded during the event, with 15 undergraduate students receiving a total of $30,000 in scholarships. Students were evaluated based on their leadership skills, experiences through their resumes and how they were able to verbally articulate their skills. Another key factor was their ability to demonstrate their understanding and importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
“The first part of the event was really exciting being able to not only see myself be put up there on the list for receiving an award, but also seeing a lot of the other award recipients and seeing some of the upperclassmen, especially since I haven't gotten a chance to meet a lot of the upperclassmen since not a lot of them are on campus this semester,” Sedric Granger, a freshman studying journalism and the winner of the Diversity First Showcase “Leader on the Rise” award, said. “It's really cool to be able to see the other upperclassmen who were journalists and seeing them excel. That really gives me a lot of hope … You just really got to see how far the reach of Ohio University really is.”
The students awarded for their leadership skills think winning has put them on the right path to earning more confidence.
“This award was a step in the right direction for me,” Brenna Cromwell, a freshman studying interior architecture and the winner of the Diversity First Showcase “Future Leader” award, said. “The process to actually get to the showcase was, it was a lot ... (Williams) really had driven me to make my resume better, and she's given me a lot more skills that I was able to use when I did my big interview. Tamika has really just helped me through this a lot, and I just really appreciate her.”
After the awards, students and employers were split up into breakout rooms according to their major. The breakout rooms allowed employers to share information about their business and the importance of diversity within their workplaces.
Within these breakout rooms, students were able to learn more about what different businesses and employers are looking for when it comes to applying for a job. The conversation revolved around resumes, interview skills, applying for professional opportunities and how to operate Handshake.
“I think it's so awesome that Ohio University is making initiatives to help our minority students or even those who are allies or just support the marginalized groups because it can be harder to get opportunities,” Micaylah Nash, a junior studying sports management and marketing and the winner of the Diversity First Showcase “Outstanding Leader and College of Business Suit and Tie” award, said. “It's great that our institution is implementing different events like this to help us out.”
Williams believes it’s important for students to have the opportunity to ask potential future employers questions and gain experience in practicing what the next steps are in an interview process.
“I really want to build the student's confidence in realizing they are a good catch right there,” Williams said. “They're a strong candidate, and they should have the courage to ask those difficult questions to the employer because you want to see ultimately if they're a great fit for you and not just if you're a great fit for them.”
