Blueprint for Action
Main Findings
1. Racial & Ethnic Diversity - Room for Growth
- HUWIB's racial/ethnic make-up does not reflect that of the undergraduate body's
- Compared with Harvard College's breakdown, HUWIB's membership is more Asian American, similarly White, and less Hispanic and African American
2. Industry-Based Diversity - Interests are Broader than Offerings
- While finance and consulting are the two industries with the most interest among surveyed members, other industries (i.e. Nonprofits/Third Sector and Tech) garner similar levels of interest
- This is not proportionate to the amount of programming dedicated to each industry: the interviewees on average guessed that 44% of HUWIB's programming is related to finance and 26% to consulting
3. HUWIB's Prominent Role in Members' Recruiting Processes - Important Responsibility
Through the interviews, I was surprised to learn the extent to which HUWIB has directly helped its members obtain internships. This effect can take many forms; those specifically named in the interviews included:- One-on-one interview help from HUWIB upperclassmen
- HUWIB's alumnae database (250+ alums from all around the world)
- HUWIB's formal mentorship programs (internally, with HBS' Women's Students Association, with local companies, etc.)
- Exposure to new industries (particularly through the informational panels integrated into the 10-week "comp")
- Workshops for resume and cover letting writing, interview tips, personal branding
- HUWIB-exclusive networking events with sponsor companies
Actions Taken Thus Far
https://vimeo.com/333130854
1. Created New Diversity Committee
- *See 2:09 - 2:50 in the video above for a snapshot into the new committee!
- Diversity Dinners - fully-covered meals at nice restaurants, during which HUWIB members discuss topics pertaining to diversity
- Focus on organically increasing diversity through focusing on Visitas and recruitment
2. Expanding Industry Exposure
- Boston Treks - day trips to companies in less conventional industries (i.e. food & beverage, marketing)
- Created new committee positions dedicated to reaching out to non-finance/consulting companies for corporate sponsorships and career networking events
- For instance, introduced two Innovation Director roles who focus specifically on opportunities pertaining to VC and entrepreneurship
3. Conceived of Campus Diversity Ambassador Program
- To be implemented later this semester and next semester - see below for more information
Recommendations for Further Action
1. Campus Diversity Ambassador Program (to address Racial & Ethnic Diversity)
- Campus Diversity Directors
- Volunteers recruited from existing membership (voluntary nature prevents tokenization)
- Liaise with cultural groups - more organic than cold outreach
- Required to host a certain number of info sessions to tell those in their cultural groups (and of their affinity) about HUWIB's opportunities and to encourage them to join
- Lead affinity groups for those within HUWIB who identify with that given identity marker
- Freshman Campus Diversity Ambassadors
- Apply in the summer before their freshman year
- Connect "compers" with HUWIB affinity groups of existing members
- Foster community specifically among "compers" of their affinity by spearheading affinity connections within their class
2. Fill a Void in Tech Recruiting Awareness (to address Industry-Related Diversity)
With the rise of e-commerce, AI, and technological advancements, it is critical to increase the offerings specific to the tech sector, so as to remain relevant as an organization. Harvard presently lacks a robust support system for tech recruiting. There is little accessible information about tech recruiting timelines, as evidenced by the fact that the OCS calendars are overwhelmingly finance- and consulting-specific. To address this void, HUWIB could do the following:- Introduce committee positions that are specifically dedicated to working with Tech companies - such as members who exclusively solicit sponsorships from them or who exclusively coordinate with them for networking events
- Highlight specific Tech companies through glorified networking events, such as day trips to local companies ("Boston Treks")
- Integrate Tech company visits into existing programming, such as on the New York and International Career Exploratory Trips
3. Rebrand HUWIB's Mission and Vision
Utilize our marketing channels (both internally and externally) to emphasize the HUWIB is comprised of an welcomes people of a diverse range of:- Concentrations (not just all Economics)
- Career Aspirations (not just all Banking)
- Racial and Ethnic Backgrounds (not just all White & Asian)
- Other Extracurricular Interests (from athletics to music to art)
- Personalities (from introverted to extroverted, from creative to quantitative)
- And More!
