Several University organizations co-sponsored the event “Minorities and Millennials in the Workforce” Monday to address stereotypes and provide student with informational resources about entering the workforce.
Approximately 50 students attended the event, which was hosted by the Latino Student Alliance, Black Student Alliance, Feminism is for Everyone, Middle Eastern Leadership Council, Queer Student Union, Multicultural Greek Council, Society of Women Engineers, Collegiate 100 Society, UFUSED and Career Peer Educators.
Third-year College student Amelia Garcia, vice president of administration for the Latino Student Alliance, said the idea for the event came to her over the summer after she had personal experience with the stereotyping of millennials while interning in Pittsburg.
One of the primary goals of the event was to address the many stereotypes different races, genders and age groups might encounter in the workplace, Garcia said.
“We want people to think of the stereotypes they may have to face, or others groups might have to face,” Garcia said. “It’s also about being prepared and being adequate candidates in the face of those stereotypes.”
Diversity is a valuable asset to many companies, she said, though many peers may have a poor perception of minorities in the workplace.
“We want to prove to people that minorities are qualified for the opportunities they’re being given,” Garcia said. “Just because some opportunities might be affirmative action opportunities doesn’t mean that minorities wouldn’t normally receive them in an open application.”
FIFE Social Chair Lindsay Mottola, a fourth-year College student, said she hopes the event proves useful to students who are about to enter the workforce and may be ill-prepared for the general challenges they’ll face not only in the application process, but once employed.
“A lot of us are about to go into the workforce and there are certain things we have to know as a millennial or a minority, like how to navigate that space,” Mottola said.
At the event, students were asked to participate in a short activity stereotyping certain groups of people, and afterward broke into table discussions to talk about the associated stereotypes with those groups.
Career Peer Educators were also available at the event to offer basic employment tips and advice, such as writing resumes or interviewing for employment. The educators spoke briefly regarding the many resources available to students to prepare them for their careers in the future.
Lee Williams, associate director of diversity at Career Services, spoke briefly about his own experience as a minority in the workplace and encouraged students to keep open minds and embrace diversity.
“It’s not about what you see. Diversity is not about what you look like,” Williams said. “It’s about these other intangibles you might not know.”
Overall, Williams stressed the importance of valuing the varying perspectives those of different backgrounds offer a work environment.
“Live diversity,” Williams said. “Diversity is not something you just have, it’s something you live.”
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