07/11/2023
A career in the financial industry was one I never thought would happen. My parents were artists and creatives; building wealth wasn't a topic that was prioritized or even talked about. We simply did what we could to get by each month. Gratefully, the values my parents prioritized meant we lived in the city's heart, and I attended schools where I wasn't in the majority as a white girl. What I lacked in financial security growing up, I more than made up for in experiences that have undoubtedly shaped who I am today and the path my career has taken over the course of 20 years.
When I started college, however, I was shocked at how white my campus was -- and admittedly, by the end of my college career, fell into complacency and comfort in ways I hadn't previously experienced. While my relationships outside of school were full of color & diversity, my education & early career was filled with a lot of the same, which in the financial industry, a lot of the same meant a lot of white men. As a woman, I knew I stood out, so I worked extra hard in my roles and never said no to any opportunity presented to me. It wasn't until I was sitting in a boardroom, as the only woman in a room full of white faces, where the topic of talent acquisition & development came up that I realized I had the ability to impact change. I was beyond frustrated when a senior leader said he 'just can't seem to find any diverse talent' because I knew it wasn't a priority; complacency drove so many behaviors and decisions in the corporate world, I realized. Going back to my childhood and the values my parents instilled in me, something clicked that day, and I knew I couldn't sit back and say nothing. From that moment forward, I was committed to stirring up the predominately white status quo in the financial industry & cultivating conversations that prioritized diversity & inclusion.
As a white woman, I have benefited from affirmative action. It's a fact that doesn't also take away my qualifications for the opportunities I've had. I'd be remiss not to acknowledge that it's also helped open doors to those very experiences that have shaped my career, knowing that white women tend to be the first 'diverse' recruit in male-dominated industries. I'm certainly grateful -- and, as a white woman, I know & believe we can do more.
It's time to take more action, risks, advocate, speak up & help open the doors for other hard-working, qualified humans who may not look like us. Disrupt the status quo. Don't take no for an answer. Diversity isn't just a trending topic of conversation. I could tell you that it's the right thing to do from a human perspective -- and it is. And I'm going to add: it's good for your business, your profits, your growth -- & ultimately, your wealth. We all benefit when we're surrounded by, learning from & supporting people & voices that don't look or sound like our own. The choice is ours: do we want to be a barrier -- or be a champion?
