SWE Graduate Community Blog Series for a Diverse and Inclusive Campus:
Learning How to Be an Ally for Multicultural Communities
Dear SWE Graduate Community,
as part of the GradSWE Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) blog series, the D&I team has interviewed Jeriah Bankson, a Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Jeriah shares her experiences and insights on how to advocate as a graduate student and learn to be an ally for multicultural communities on campus.
Interview:
How was your first experience with SWE on campus, and can you tell us how you find SWE advocates for an inclusive and diverse community on campus?
My first experience with SWE was on campus at a meet and greet. The event I attended was during COVID-19, so it was a Zoom meeting with other members and leaders. They explained SWE's mission, goals, and future planned activities. SWE advocates for diversity and inclusion on campus through creating dialogues. For example, during Women's History Month and Black History Month, the SWE section hosted a panel of women that spoke about previous and current struggles for underrepresented women and watched a video about the history of racial justice. These events raised awareness of racism on campus and provided spaces to learn ways to support them.
As a graduate student/woman in STEM, can you share your perspectives and initiatives in your community/campus to support and advocate for underrepresented minorities?
Even before the year 2020, conversations on social justice were among us. The reality is that these situations of unfair treatment or racism, unconscious bias, monopolized opportunities in school, and jobs are not novel; injustice has persisted through our country's history for years. Personally, I think that one of the causes of these situations is our busy lives. We prioritize what we discuss, ponder, and learn about because we only have so many hours in the day. It leads to deafness to essential issues or injustices experienced by people outside the campus and our colleagues from different countries and cultures.
Without motivation to engage in discussions about diversity, our never-ending task list will be bought at the price of filtered ignorance about the situation. What I am learning is that to make lasting change in large-scale social equity. It begins with dialogue in smaller groups of influence. To mention some examples, in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), there are
diverse groups like the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Black Student Alliance which help raise awareness of diversity on campus. I have begun to participate in an initiative thanks to my advisor, who has coordinated a bi-weekly, 20-minute discussion about diversity in our group meetings. These smaller discussions have helped raise the awareness of our unconscious bias and challenged us to evaluate our responses to large-scale social injustices. The simpler and consistent discussions have brought more passion and conviction for diversity in my life than many of the wide-sweeping and large events I have participated in. To create change, we need more people who are aware of their biases, aware of others' challenges and feel impassioned to do something about it.
Are there any other initiatives that can be taken on campus to promote the inclusion of fellows from diverse cultures?
I am a Caucasian female, which means I am always excited to learn about the richness and variety of other's backgrounds and cultures; I want to hear about people's history, where
they grew up, culture, and family's traditions. My goal is to always create an environment where I am talking less and listening more to those who have something to say.
Some events on campus that could create this learning environment could be monthly movie nights, with movies that feature descriptions of the diverse culture of students on campus. You can showcase movies based on narratives of people's lives that are not just filled with historical facts but personal stories about worldviews, challenges, victories, and
the beauty of the country and culture. Another campus-wide action could be like the one with my advisor. Inside the classroom, there could be a monthly class discussion about
diversity using some form of discussion cards that highlight a minority group, unconscious bias, or a current event.
Can you share an experience(s) in which you had a personal connection with a diverse community from your campus?
A fond memory I have is in my first year in the Material Science and Engineering department and meeting one of my current friends. He is from India, and we bonded through the
challenge of the coursework and studying together. He invited me to his house one day for lunch, which ended up growing into a weekly tradition over the summer while I prepared for
my qualifying exam. As a U.S. citizen, I am all too familiar with the rush-n-go-ness of life, where workaholics are praised and productive activities hold the highest value for our time.
But what I was taught by those friends of mine is the importance of slowing down. They take almost an hour a day to prepare their biggest meal (lunch), and they take their time
eating it as well. Their understanding is that sacrificing time to enjoy things more, at the cost of doing less, yields greater satisfaction to whatever you are doing. Eating great food with
my friends ended up teaching me about some of the cultures in India. But it also revealed a hurried self that I was blind to. I am grateful that one lunch turned into a much-needed life lesson.
What is your personal learning from knowing more about traditions and culture from fellows from diverse cultures?
I can say that my personal learning has been to be empathic. Empathy allows me to start dialogues in science and connect in a more authentic and open way.
How has this personal learning impacted your perspective as a current graduate student in diversity and inclusion advocacy in your future workplace?
Creating an inclusive environment through dialogue and advocating for justice in the workplace can bring many benefits for an organization to grow. When people feel seen and respected, they are more likely to share more, and they are willing to be challenged and build strong relationships in the workplace. How is this possible?
First, the more you engage in discussions with people of different cultures and backgrounds, you will gain a greater sense of empathy. When you are willing to sympathize and try to understand, it provides you with new perspectives of the world and the events that happen to us. When both persons show the same empathy and intentionality to hear the other's
life, a mutual feeling of being seen and respected is generated. This connection and feeling of safety are where quality dialogue is manifested. From a professional standpoint, when people feel respected, it creates a disposition to give constructive feedback, which is very
important for teamwork in the workplace.
Secondly, diversity brings the enjoyment of life. As I mentioned before about my lesson in slowing down, different cultures can teach you new ways of doing things, fun new activities, and cooking and amazing food. You might have certain ways of doing things, but you never know if one day you may learn a more enjoyable way to do something from someone you would never have suspected.
Are there any final thoughts you would like to share with other graduate students to be an ally for a diverse and inclusive campus?
I would like to add that one important question we can ask ourselves is, are we genuinely listening to what people have to say? Are we going through life at a slow enough pace which allows us to learn from someone's life experiences? A helpful way that reminds me to engage in the diversity of dialogues is to ask myself, "have I learned something new, from someone new, today?"
as part of the GradSWE Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) blog series, the D&I team has interviewed Jeriah Bankson, a Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Jeriah shares her experiences and insights on how to advocate as a graduate student and learn to be an ally for multicultural communities on campus.
Interview:
How was your first experience with SWE on campus, and can you tell us how you find SWE advocates for an inclusive and diverse community on campus?
My first experience with SWE was on campus at a meet and greet. The event I attended was during COVID-19, so it was a Zoom meeting with other members and leaders. They explained SWE's mission, goals, and future planned activities. SWE advocates for diversity and inclusion on campus through creating dialogues. For example, during Women's History Month and Black History Month, the SWE section hosted a panel of women that spoke about previous and current struggles for underrepresented women and watched a video about the history of racial justice. These events raised awareness of racism on campus and provided spaces to learn ways to support them.
As a graduate student/woman in STEM, can you share your perspectives and initiatives in your community/campus to support and advocate for underrepresented minorities?
Even before the year 2020, conversations on social justice were among us. The reality is that these situations of unfair treatment or racism, unconscious bias, monopolized opportunities in school, and jobs are not novel; injustice has persisted through our country's history for years. Personally, I think that one of the causes of these situations is our busy lives. We prioritize what we discuss, ponder, and learn about because we only have so many hours in the day. It leads to deafness to essential issues or injustices experienced by people outside the campus and our colleagues from different countries and cultures.
Without motivation to engage in discussions about diversity, our never-ending task list will be bought at the price of filtered ignorance about the situation. What I am learning is that to make lasting change in large-scale social equity. It begins with dialogue in smaller groups of influence. To mention some examples, in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), there are
diverse groups like the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Black Student Alliance which help raise awareness of diversity on campus. I have begun to participate in an initiative thanks to my advisor, who has coordinated a bi-weekly, 20-minute discussion about diversity in our group meetings. These smaller discussions have helped raise the awareness of our unconscious bias and challenged us to evaluate our responses to large-scale social injustices. The simpler and consistent discussions have brought more passion and conviction for diversity in my life than many of the wide-sweeping and large events I have participated in. To create change, we need more people who are aware of their biases, aware of others' challenges and feel impassioned to do something about it.
Are there any other initiatives that can be taken on campus to promote the inclusion of fellows from diverse cultures?
I am a Caucasian female, which means I am always excited to learn about the richness and variety of other's backgrounds and cultures; I want to hear about people's history, where
they grew up, culture, and family's traditions. My goal is to always create an environment where I am talking less and listening more to those who have something to say.
Some events on campus that could create this learning environment could be monthly movie nights, with movies that feature descriptions of the diverse culture of students on campus. You can showcase movies based on narratives of people's lives that are not just filled with historical facts but personal stories about worldviews, challenges, victories, and
the beauty of the country and culture. Another campus-wide action could be like the one with my advisor. Inside the classroom, there could be a monthly class discussion about
diversity using some form of discussion cards that highlight a minority group, unconscious bias, or a current event.
Can you share an experience(s) in which you had a personal connection with a diverse community from your campus?
A fond memory I have is in my first year in the Material Science and Engineering department and meeting one of my current friends. He is from India, and we bonded through the
challenge of the coursework and studying together. He invited me to his house one day for lunch, which ended up growing into a weekly tradition over the summer while I prepared for
my qualifying exam. As a U.S. citizen, I am all too familiar with the rush-n-go-ness of life, where workaholics are praised and productive activities hold the highest value for our time.
But what I was taught by those friends of mine is the importance of slowing down. They take almost an hour a day to prepare their biggest meal (lunch), and they take their time
eating it as well. Their understanding is that sacrificing time to enjoy things more, at the cost of doing less, yields greater satisfaction to whatever you are doing. Eating great food with
my friends ended up teaching me about some of the cultures in India. But it also revealed a hurried self that I was blind to. I am grateful that one lunch turned into a much-needed life lesson.
What is your personal learning from knowing more about traditions and culture from fellows from diverse cultures?
I can say that my personal learning has been to be empathic. Empathy allows me to start dialogues in science and connect in a more authentic and open way.
How has this personal learning impacted your perspective as a current graduate student in diversity and inclusion advocacy in your future workplace?
Creating an inclusive environment through dialogue and advocating for justice in the workplace can bring many benefits for an organization to grow. When people feel seen and respected, they are more likely to share more, and they are willing to be challenged and build strong relationships in the workplace. How is this possible?
First, the more you engage in discussions with people of different cultures and backgrounds, you will gain a greater sense of empathy. When you are willing to sympathize and try to understand, it provides you with new perspectives of the world and the events that happen to us. When both persons show the same empathy and intentionality to hear the other's
life, a mutual feeling of being seen and respected is generated. This connection and feeling of safety are where quality dialogue is manifested. From a professional standpoint, when people feel respected, it creates a disposition to give constructive feedback, which is very
important for teamwork in the workplace.
Secondly, diversity brings the enjoyment of life. As I mentioned before about my lesson in slowing down, different cultures can teach you new ways of doing things, fun new activities, and cooking and amazing food. You might have certain ways of doing things, but you never know if one day you may learn a more enjoyable way to do something from someone you would never have suspected.
Are there any final thoughts you would like to share with other graduate students to be an ally for a diverse and inclusive campus?
I would like to add that one important question we can ask ourselves is, are we genuinely listening to what people have to say? Are we going through life at a slow enough pace which allows us to learn from someone's life experiences? A helpful way that reminds me to engage in the diversity of dialogues is to ask myself, "have I learned something new, from someone new, today?"
Bio:
Jeriah Bankson (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in the Material Science and Engineering department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York. Her research project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to use in-situ electron microscopy techniques to study the kinetics of molten salt corrosion relevant to next-generation solar concentrator plants. Jeriah attended Whitworth University, earning a B.S. in Physics with minor studies in Chemistry and Spanish. After completing two different summer internships at Florida State and Stanford's SLAC national lab, she found a passion for material science because of its tangible application to improving renewable energy technologies. When not in the lab, she loves being surrounded by nature, either by being outside rock climbing or trail running or inside doing yoga surrounded by her many houseplants. She is also an active leader of a small group of women and does volunteer work within her community.
Contact information:
e-mail: banksj4@rpi.edu
linkedin.com/in/jeriahbankson
Yareni Lara-Rodriguez
Content Creator
Diversity & Inclusion Team
SWE Graduate Community (GradSWE)
Jeriah Bankson (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in the Material Science and Engineering department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York. Her research project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to use in-situ electron microscopy techniques to study the kinetics of molten salt corrosion relevant to next-generation solar concentrator plants. Jeriah attended Whitworth University, earning a B.S. in Physics with minor studies in Chemistry and Spanish. After completing two different summer internships at Florida State and Stanford's SLAC national lab, she found a passion for material science because of its tangible application to improving renewable energy technologies. When not in the lab, she loves being surrounded by nature, either by being outside rock climbing or trail running or inside doing yoga surrounded by her many houseplants. She is also an active leader of a small group of women and does volunteer work within her community.
Contact information:
e-mail: banksj4@rpi.edu
linkedin.com/in/jeriahbankson
Yareni Lara-Rodriguez
Content Creator
Diversity & Inclusion Team
SWE Graduate Community (GradSWE)
