As part of Diversity Week, the Shippensburg University Career Center hosted a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the Workplace” panel on Thursday afternoon in Orndorff Theatre. 

The panel discussed how important DEI is in the modern workplace and what barriers still need to be addressed.

The panelists were Asha Early, resident district manager for Aramark; David Gongora, assistant director of corporate talent acquisition for Hershey Entertainment and Resorts; George Fernandez, CEO of Color & Culture; and Shaun Nahar, associate financial representative at Northwestern Mutual. The panel was led by Manny Ruiz, Assistant Vice President for Inclusion and Belonging and Director of Social Equity at Shippensburg University.

The discussion started with the four panelists each saying what DEI and belonging meant to them personally, with Fernandez calling it a “celebration.” This rang true for the other three members, and each discussed how proud they were of their backgrounds.

Another common topic throughout the discussion was the hard conversations that we often have about DEI. Early was passionate about this and mentioned how conversations are both very draining but very necessary, which Ruiz expanded on by saying the conversations are more important than ever.

The panelists then proceeded to discuss the obstacles that still hurt DEI in the workplace, with Gongora mentioning how it seems some ideas can get lost in large organizations. He then advocated for those with ideas about DEI to step up and share it, mentioning how all employees can be leaders regardless of what title or position they have.

There was a short Q&A session to end the panel, with topics ranging from ways to begin discussions about DEI in the workplace, to whether listing certain diversity-based organizations on your resume is a good idea. 

Overall, the students attending received great advice from the panelists who, while coming from four unique backgrounds, all expressed the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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