There’s an overwhelming lack of diversity in the technology world, and employees are feeling the strain. Seven out of 10 young technology workers have felt uncomfortable in a job because of their gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background, or neurodiversity, according to a recent report from the publishing company Wiley. For women of color, this number increases to nearly eight out of 10.
In December 2020, People of Color in Technology (POC-IT) and the CIO Council released a Statement of Solidarity and Commitment to Action to address inequality and underrepresentation in technology at Stanford.
One of the action items that came from the statement was the design and delivery of a quarterly tech clinic to spotlight career opportunities and discuss career pathways. The first-ever quarterly Explore Careers In Technology Event (ExCITE) was held on Nov. 4. More than 90 attendees from Stanford University, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s Health—including managers, long-time employees and new hires—participated in sessions via Zoom.
“The goal of ExCITE is to enable increased DEI hiring as well as career advancement, not just within one organization at Stanford and not just at the university proper, but across all of Stanford,” said Stanford CIO Steve Gallagher.
According to Lily Lee, acting associate director of application services in Stanford Humanities & Sciences Information Technology, and POC-IT co-lead, ExCITE showcased relevant and timely topics that encouraged people to "find where they belong" and offered actionable information that they could put into place immediately.
Echoing sentiments expressed by many participants, Angelica Liu, a research finance manager in the School of Medicine, said she enjoyed the event and came away with a better understanding of Stanford's culture.
“I met and connected with amazing people and learned more about how Stanford supports diversity and inclusion,” Liu said.
Sessions presented opportunities for participants to network and learn a little more about each other. The event also included discussions about career exploration through job shadowing and presentations focused on strategies for anti-racist interventions in the workplace, inclusive hiring practices and how to avoid bias when hiring. See the complete list of sessions and available recordings below.
In the workplace, teams of people from different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives perform better, says Rachel Bernardo, who served as human resources director for University IT before recently joining the School of Medicine's Employee and Labor Relations team. During her ExCITE session, she shared tools and practices for more inclusive hiring decisions.
“It’s a critical function of the hiring manager and the interview committee to remember they are there to help find the best-qualified candidate, but also to remain vigilant about blocking bias wherever possible so we can continue to achieve an even more diverse workforce," Bernardo explained.
“To work on and see the idea transform into ExCITE and then to have ExCITE be so well received by the community made me extremely proud to say, ‘We did this!’” said Rodney Carter, computing support analyst at SLAC and POC-IT emeritus lead.
POC-IT continues to work behind the scenes and through events like ExCITE to increase representation and opportunities for Blacks and other people of color. Look for the next ExCITE event in the Winter Quarter.
List of sessions and available recordings
- Main room opening session
- Putting The Best You Forward by Dani Aivazian
- Blocking Bias During Interviews by Rachel Bernardo
- Exclusion: Identifying and Removing the Barriers To Diversity by Natalie Holder
- Session 1 Donut Express
- Career Exploration through Job Shadowing
- What do I Say? Strategies for Anti-Racist Interventions in the Workplace
- Session 2 Donut Express
- Top 3 Micro-inequities
- Session 3 Donut Express
- Diverse Hiring Practices: A Gryphons Case Study
- Main room closing session
- Playlist
About POC-IT
Stanford People of Color in Technology (POC-IT) is a university-wide affinity group that advances representation, engagement, and support of people of any color in technology roles at Stanford. While primarily aimed at university, SLAC, and Stanford Medicine staff who work or have an interest in technology roles, POC-IT also welcomes faculty and students, allies, and those in non-technology roles who are interested in participating.
If you would like to learn more about POC-IT and the various initiatives and events, please visit the POC-IT website or email poc-it-connect@lists.stanford.edu. We hope to see you at future POC-IT events!
About IDEAL IT
IDEAL IT is a system of programs focused on diversifying recruitment, deepening inclusion and belonging, and increasing overall cultural awareness, competence, and understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) across Stanford IT.
Conceived from the beginning as “IDEAL for the IT Community at Stanford,” the program is sponsored as a strategic initiative by the CIO Council. Visit the IDEAL IT website for more information.
POC-IT is an IDEAL IT program.
