 Hi, my name is Hannah and I'm a student in the School of Social Work and I was pleased to be able to complete all the necessary requirements for the RACM DEI Certificate Program. And I really appreciated my time in this program, specifically with the IDI survey, getting to really learn more about where my biases lie and the direction I need to go to become a more equitable, anti-racist, inclusive, and have that justice mindset in my practice, in my community, and in my learning, and in my future career. So during this time in this program, I was able to complete five core events, specifically around the main pillars that the certificate was built on, and then attend a bunch more non-core events that really allowed me to seek out these events on my own and use the School of Social Work resources, use resources that I was able to identify from my workplace, and resources that the DEI Certificate Program provided. So it taught me how to just seek out things for myself and not just be handed these resources and how to discern which resources would probably be the most helpful and the most inclusive. And that really helps me because now that I don't have access to this program and also soon when I graduate, when I have access to the University of Michigan resources, I'm more inclined to seek these out on my own and continue this learning because obviously it's lifelong, and I will be bringing this into my new workplace and into the new circles that I partake in, and I can't give up on it. It's ongoing and I now have a toolkit, I have the practice, and I have no excuses. So I really appreciated that accountability. Hello everyone, my name is Petal Grower and I am a sixth year PhD student in the Developmental Psychology Program. My pronouns are she, her, hers, and I'm actually very grateful for the opportunity to reflect on my time in the DEI certificate program today. I joined the DEI certificate program back in the fall of 2019, at which point I was really searching for a way to actualize my commitment to DEI, even though I didn't really know what that meant or what that might look like. I was really excited to find that through my participation in the certificate program, I was not only able to ensure that I was engaging in regular conversations around DEI, but also that I was able to develop both a skill set and a vocabulary that I found absolutely essential to doing this work in other spheres. And since joining the certificate program, I've also joined my department's diversity committee and my area's brown bag committee and started a now two year long conversation around climate with my area chair. But even looking beyond what the DEI certificate program has helped me do during my time here at Michigan, I think it's helped me ask myself a lot of important questions about the work that I want to do in the future. And one of the most important revelations that I've had is that I want the justice work I do to reach outside the walls of the ivory tower. So although I'm currently staring down a very daunting job market, I'm feeling pretty hopeful that I will be able to identify a position hopefully within a nonprofit organization that allows me to marry my passion for social justice with my background in research. And so with that, I would just like to take a moment to give a special thank you to Debbie Willis and to the scary rushing. The two of you really brought this certificate program experience to the next level. I think it is one thing to help teach a set of skills to a group of people. But the two of you have embodied this work in such a meaningful way that you served as very powerful role models for me and I know for others in the program as well. So with that, I just want to say that I hope you all take care and enjoy your summer. Hi, my name is Michael McMedamin and I'm a full time MBA student here at the University of Michigan. The DEI program has been an amazing opportunity. It's given me the chance to meet professors and staff members at the university. It's allowed me to connect with other classmates. And it's also allowed me to share what I've learned with my own family members and have these crucial conversations. And as I look ahead to starting my new job after graduation, I feel much better prepared to be a better colleague, friend, ally, and just a more well rounded person. I'm so thankful that the University of Michigan has this program. I'm Tarence McQueen, a second year master's student in the higher education program. I chose to participate in the DEI program because I wanted to understand what DEI and social justice looks like across different disciplines. I enjoy discussing with students from the School of Social Work, School of Public Health, and School of Public Policy about the different ways to implement DEI in their discipline. To continue furthering my knowledge and studying of DEI, I am attending the Ogier Vanity School to incorporate social justice and theology in order to uplift and support marginalized communities like those with disabilities and those belonging to the LGBTQIA plus community. Hello, my name is Mariah Meyer-Holtz and I'm a graduate student at the School of Social Work pursuing an MSW degree in the interpersonal practice and integrated health, mental health, and substance abuse pathway. I hope to either pursue a licensure after graduation to become a licensed clinical social worker in the field of hospice or continue to pursue my interests in public health and policy at Portland State University's PhD program in epidemiology. I chose to participate in the RACM DEI program because I grew up in a rural community in Oregon with less than 2,000 people. So as you might be able to imagine, I was pretty close off from the rest of the world and had a limited awareness of what was happening outside of my county lines. After spending a portion of my undergrad experience working with at-risk youth and local indigenous and Pacific Islander communities, I began to notice racial disparities and issues of injustice and resource allocation, health care, and access to quality education. To be completely transparent, I'm not sure I realized this year magnitude of systemic racism until the death of George Floyd, which drove me to do more research and connect with communities directly experiencing the impact of systemic inequities to better inform myself of the life altering experiences of BIPOC communities in the US, especially in the form of police brutality, mass incarceration, and anti-Asian racism intensified as a result of COVID-19. While on this topic, my deepest condolences go out to the families who lost their loved ones in Atlanta last week, among others who have been impacted by AAPI hate crimes and BIPOC communities mourning the loss of their loved ones to racially motivated acts of violence. Though my sociology background introduced me to the concepts of implicit bias, privilege, and oppression, I did not initially have the tools to engage across difference, nor did I have the courage to show up and sit in discomfort or uncertainty with others. I was especially stuck in this dichotomy between shame and guilt, which prevented me from being present in creating space for others to heal from trauma that they had endured as a direct result of white supremacy and systemic racism. The DEI program taught me that it's okay to have intentional conversations, it's okay to be vulnerable, and it's okay to be uncomfortable because that's exactly where growth awaits us. One point that really stood out to me during the program was presenting oneself as a savior of a marginalized group, a power dynamic that views marginalized groups as victims in need of saving. Rather as a white cisgender woman, I see myself as an ally and an advocate, a person who acknowledges the power of empathy, remains self-aware of my own positionalities and space-taking, and then helping others understand privilege and the impact it has on marginalized groups. I try my best to remain present, self-aware, and open to learning from others. This program has allowed me ample opportunities to connect, learn, and grow from the experiences of other students and professionals, especially the willingness to name and take on openness and visibility, practicing vulnerability and taking risks, as well as never trading my own comfort and safety for someone else's. Which is why bystander intervention is so important, especially when appropriate intervention tools are utilized like listening to understand, calling on empathy and compassion, as well as making a conscious effort to call people into the conversation rather than calling people out as a means of feedback and self-awareness. As a graduate social work student, cultural humility is a key focus of our work, which acknowledges that learning is a lifelong process in which we must challenge power imbalances and recognize our limits based on personal perspectives and lived experiences. Though I may never be a master of all cultural aspects, I can be open to new ideas and perspectives and mindful of my own shortcomings. Six years ago, I decided to dedicate my life to the field of social work and lifelong learning in diversity, equity, and inclusion to ultimately assist communities in addressing the social determinants of health and breaking down systemic barriers that prevent people from thriving in their home, work and learning environments. I am determined to generate environments where people of all cultural orientations and intersecting identities can freely express who they are, particularly their experiences, struggles, values and goals, creating safe and inclusive spaces immersed in critical self-reflection, mutual respect and genuine relationships. I look forward to engaging, connecting, educating, supporting communities in my future career as a clinical social worker. Thank you for listening and have a nice day. Hello, my name is Louis Willis. I am a master of engineering management student at the University of Michigan Dearborn. I am considered a non-traditional student, whatever that really means, but I started school a little later in life, working full-time, also working full-time to help manage a family. As a person of color, I, you know, I tend to focus on some of the issues that are related to our community, but I want to talk a little bit about the DIA certificate program because the DIA certificate program has been a catalyst to help me do some self-reflection, to think about my unconscious bias. I think about the IDI survey where it talks about cultural mindsets, perceived orientation versus the developmental gap and trying to understand how I impact others. I just believe it's important to be on this journey and no matter where you think you are and your or believe you are in your quest for righteousness, I still think that this is very beneficial to anyone. I think about culture in African American black church, even if you say something as a statement of, I won't be before you long. Well, most people from the culture understand what that really means is an oxymoron. You know, it makes you think about questions when you see difference and hopefully you ask those questions based out of curiosity to gain knowledge and not a judgmental lens, but even a simple question as why I see that you leave your shoes at the front door or why is it so important that you get all the information of a question answered or the information before a meeting so that you won't, you know, be put on the spot at a meeting. These are things that can show stereotype or be reflection of communities if not taken with the right lens. So, all in all, like I said, I would tell anybody about the DNI certificate program. I would suggest it for anyone to go through this journey. As a non-campus or non-main campus student, I felt I potentially could be ostracized from the community, but I feel like the staff has done a wonderful job with developing the structure and and having formats and forums where we could talk openly and develop relationships with other folks that are going through similar things and I feel like they've challenged me to be a better version of myself and I want to just thank them for everything that they've done and, of course, Go Blue!