About 85 Ohio University students and alumni discussed diversity and leadership in the workplace during a luncheon Saturday in Baker University Center Ballroom.
The Diversity Leadership Luncheon included a diversity case study, alumni discussion panels and a keynote speech by Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi.
Connect, a student organization in the College of Business, and the Student Alumni Board sponsored the event.
Lombardi’s speech focused on leadership and success, and he asked students to consider what sets them apart from others.
“There’s really no secret to success. It’s your ability to work with people,” Lombardi said. “Open your mind and be willing to embrace those different perspectives.”
For the diversity case study, each table worked together to solve a hypothetical diversity problem in the workplace and presented its solution to another table.
The challenge involved bringing people of various ages and ethnicities together to remedy problems with communication, morale and productivity.
Courtney Van Atta, a junior studying marketing and a member of Connect, said there is a difference between overcoming one’s differences and recognizing one’s differences.
“I think recognizing and embracing our differences is really important because people are unique,” Van Atta said. “It gives you the opportunity to challenge yourself.”
During the luncheon, alumni panels spoke to groups of approximately 15 students about diversity in the workplace, the transition period from college to the real world and the best thing to stress on your resume.
Elena Mihajlovska, a sophomore studying accounting and economics, is from the Republic of Macedonia and said she experiences diversity every day.
“Being diverse in the U.S., I think people should be more aware of diversity in the workplace,” Mihajlovska said. “There is diversity in the U.S., but people don’t know a whole lot about the world outside of the U.S.”
OU President Roderick McDavis and Brian Bridges, vice provost for Diversity, Access and Equity, stopped by the luncheon to show support.
Jamie Carter, a marketing instructor and Connect’s adviser, said she was very happy with how the event turned out.
“The collaboration was extremely successful, and the coordination was great,” Carter said.
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