Stanford MBA students in a class. Credit: Elena Zukhova

Voices of the Community

Hear from members of the community as they share experiences or personal perspectives on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Natalie Meurer
I came to Stanford GSB because business leaders shape ethical norms around new technologies.
Natalie Meurer
MBA ’23
Jamille Jamison
My favorite part of any job I do is coaching and managing others.
Jamille Jamison
MBA ’23
Jean Accius
I continue to believe — and I’ve seen this in my own life — that there is value that comes with getting older.
Jean Accius
Stanford LEAD, ’20
David Vernal, MSx student
It’s a fairly common immigrant experience to attach yourself to the national mission.
David Vernal
MSx Class of 2023
Marcia Austin, MBA ’22
The idea of walking away from stability and into an unknown future was terrifying.
Marcia Austin
MBA ’22
Conor O'Meara | Credit: Kiefer Hickman
My mom always said: ‘Surround yourself with people who raise you higher.’
Conor O’Meara
MBA ’22
Stanford GSB Professor Charles Chu standing outside in front of ferns smiling at the camera. | Credit: Kiefer Hickman.
It‘s clear from my work that we experience disagreement, especially in the domain of politics, in a deeply personal way.
Charles Chu
PhD ’23
Prao Suchato| Credit: Kiefer Hickman
I want to help women in tech make their voices louder, to be a supporter for them.
Prao Suchato
MBA ’22
Jennifer Fate Velaise. Credit: Miriam Geer
Our tribe elects me to represent them and it’s deeply gratifying work.
Jennifer Fate Velaise
MBA ’88
Photos by Tricia Seibold
The world we live in today is all hyphenated and intertwined already — we just need the media to catch up.
Marty Chen
MSx Class of 2021
Photos by Elena Zhukova
I’ve been focusing on and talking about these issues of social change for a very, very long time.
Sarah Soule
The Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior
Photos by Elena Zhukova
In Latin America, gaps of access to quality education are pervasive, and we want to change that.
Daniel Uribe Villa
MBA/MA in Education, ’21
Photos Courtesy Sakhelebi Photo Studio/The Georgian Times
I had a chance to return home with knowledge and experience and connections.
Guram “Guga” Tsanava
MS ’12
Dara Treseder, MBA ’14. Photo by Andrew Perry
How can I help make this a reality, where Black women are in positions of power and are able to lift up our communities?
Dara Treseder
MBA ’14
Areeba Kamal, MBA ’21. Photo by Jenny Zhou (GSB 2021)
I want to spend my career making technology products accessible, especially for disenfranchised groups.
Areeba Kamal
MBA ’21
Annabelle Williams, SEP ’19
One in five people have a diagnosed disability, but everyone has something they struggle with.
Annabelle Williams
SEP ’19
Photos by Tricia Seibold
I want to make sure anyone who works under me understands that I accept them for who they are.
Jurelle June Mendoza
MBA ’21
Kudzi Chikumbu, MBA ’16
I am focused on authenticity. I want people to be able to bring their full selves to work, whatever their identity is.
Kudzi Chikumbu
MBA ’16
Xiaorong (Hazel) Hu, SEP ’19. Credit: Elena Zhukova
I think for any entrepreneur, there’s a risk in being overconfident in your own decisions. That’s something I want to improve.
Xiaorong (Hazel) Hu
SEP ’19
Oladoyin Oladapo, MBA ’20. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
Kids need to grow up seeing children who look like them, in whatever media they’re consuming.
Oladoyin Oladapo
MBA ’20
Andrew Jakubowski, MBA ’20. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
Diversity is about fostering individual views and capabilities.
Andrew Jakubowski
MBA ’20
Ira D Hall. Credit: Toni Bird
Service will produce its own reward.
Ira D. Hall
MBA ’76
Shainoor Khoja, SEP ’16. Credit: Studio360 Dubai
When you think about a marginalized individual or a child, they don’t just need food that’s nutritious, or clothes, or education, or healthcare. They need it all.
Shainoor Khoja
SEP ’16
Phillipe Diego Rodriguez, MBA ’20. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
This place is something else. I’ve been amazed by the caliber of the discussions.
Phillipe Diego Rodriguez
MBA ’20
Sophia Salma Shramko, MBA ’19. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
We had no money. No social status. But every morning, my mother told us that education was our weapon.
Sophia Shramko
MBA ’19
Ashutosh Thakur, PhD ’20. Credit: Jae Hyuck Park, OIT PhD candidate
These projects take the theoretical tools and apply them to real-world problems and systems in practice.
Ashutosh Thakur
PhD ’20
Rukaiyah Adams, MBA ’08. Credit: Samuel Gehrke
It was only because I was candid about my challenges that I got the opportunity. I learned to just tell it like I see it.
Rukaiyah Adams
MBA ’08
Jess Adepoju, MBA ’21. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
It’s one thing to consume media and another thing to create it — it is very empowering.
Jess Adepoju
MBA ’19
Wendy De La Rosa, PhD ’21. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
The focus of most of my research is figuring out ways to help people make better financial decisions.
Wendy De La Rosa
PhD ’21
Jessica Rodriguez, MBA ’01. Credit: Jeffrey Salter
You have to make the magic happen.
Jessica Rodriguez
MBA ’01
Mohammad Akbarpour, Credit: David Elliott
In some ways, all of academia hinges on this receptiveness to having your mind changed.
Mohammad Akbarpour
Associate Professor of Economics
Owen Wurzbacher, MBA ’19. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
Investing is a lot about people and a lot about human decision-making.
Owen Wurzbacher
MBA ’19
JoAnn Morgan, MS ’77. Credit: Kay Bjork
The idea of having to leave the direct, hands-on work and becoming a decision-maker — it didn’t appeal to me in the beginning.
JoAnn Morgan
MS ’77
Samanthe Tiver Belanger, MBA/MS ’18. Credit:
I exceeded my wildest expectations in finding people I connected with.
Samanthe Tiver Belanger
E-IPER MS/MBA ’18
Denise Peck, MBA ’85. Credit: Camilla Ekenheim
If you define success narrowly, you may miss out on future opportunities.
Denise Peck
MBA ’85
Kirsten Byron, MS ’18. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
I feel more confident and better equipped to be an ally to an identity that’s not my own.
Kirsten N.J. Byron
MS ’18
Pamon Forouhar, MBA ’18. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
Why not choose to be happy and positive?
Pamon Forouhar
MBA ’18
Chaitra Yarlagadda, MBA ’19. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
I thought tech was what I wanted, but I couldn’t find a purpose in my day-to-day work.
Chaitra Yarlagadda
MBA ’19
Beth Berger, MBA ’18. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
How do I prepare for a job that doesn’t exist yet?
Beth Berger
MBA ’18
Zoe Dunning, MBA ’93. Credit: Alanna Hale
It takes tremendous time and energy and emotional toil to pretend you’re something you’re not.
Zoe Dunning
MBA ’93
Tawanda Michael Mahere, MBA ’19. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
I’d been in scrappy teams, in startup culture. I wanted to learn in a more structured way and be a more analytical thinker.
Tawanda Mahere
MBA ’19
José E. Feliciano, MBA ’99. Credit: Joe Bradwell
If you’re not making others better, you’re not leading.
José E. Feliciano
MBA ’99
Clinton Etheridge, MBA ’74. Credit: ToniBird Photography
When you’re gone, what will your legacy be? What did you do to make the world a better place?
Clinton Etheridge
MBA ’74
Richard Lonsdorf, Class of 2018. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
I’m learning how to speak business so I can realize my artistic goals.
Richard Lonsdorf
MSx Class of 2018
Celina Johnson, MBA ’08. Credit: Emily Billings
Being entrepreneurial doesn’t mean you need to be the founder.
Celina Johnson
MBA ’08
Susan Athey and her chicken, Violet. Credit: Tricia Seibold
Economics is an area that allows you to approach important issues that have a lot of impact on people.
Susan Athey
The Economics of Technology Professor
Robyn Sue Fisher, MBA ’07. Credit: Courtesy of Organic Hobo
I’d rather try my hardest and fail than play it safe and ask, ‘What if?’
Robyn Sue Fisher
MBA ’07
Kathryn Lear, MBA ’77. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
Everybody had worked to open those doors, and I thought, ‘I have to walk through them.’
Kathryn Leary
MBA ’77
Eugenio Garza y Garza, MBA ’97. Credit: Kiefer Hickman
It was a shock, but it was also a learning experience. It helped me open up.
Eugenio Garza y Garza
MBA ’97
Gabrielle Scrimshaw, MBA ’17. Credit: Yuri Sagalov
There are small gestures that can be such big moments for people.
Gabrielle Scrimshaw
MBA ’17
Justine Evirs, MS ’15. Credit: ToniBird Photography
My superpower is empathy.
Justine Evirs
Stanford Ignite – Post-9/11 Veterans ’17
Marco Chan, MBA ’16. Credit: ToniBird Photography
Because I grew up in a conservative religious tradition myself, it was easier to see how much united rather than divided us.
Marco Chan
MBA ’16
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