I have always been interested in the idea of community, and have been motivated to build communities. After graduating with a degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology, I went into the non-profit world as a community leader for an organization specializing in mentorship. One day, while working on improving the look and feel of materials for a Board of Directors meeting, I had this moment of inspiration. I said to myself: “I want to design for a living!”
I then started to take courses at the School of Visual Arts in New York and began volunteering my design services to non-profits that could not afford to pay for professional design.
As I worked as a freelancer and built up my portfolio, a Capco recruiter reached out to me. From the outside, I liked the firm’s Be Yourself at Work philosophy and focus on corporate social responsibility. I also liked how my original degree and career did not disqualify me from joining Capco. When it came to the interview process, I was interviewed by a relatively diverse panel of people.
The recent news of racial violence is unfortunately not new to the Black community. Coming to work after hearing that yet another tragedy has befallen the Black community takes its toll on you emotionally. It is hard to carry on as if everything is fine. I began to feel that my work life did not reflect enough my desire for community building and advocacy.
Capco needed a new network specifically for community building and advocacy for its Black employees, a network to advocate for diversity and to support each other professionally. With the support of Capco’s senior leadership, we formed the Black@Capco Affinity group. Black@Capco aims to create a space and network for Black employees to connect, engage, collaborate, and build professional and personal connections. Our mission is to partner with HR to recruit diverse talent, raise the rate of retention and improve advancement opportunities for Black employees. We have hosted a series of events, everything from virtual Jeopardy sessions to a training session on unconscious bias. To date, our events have been really well received and appreciated.
Capco as a whole is taking steps and implementing an action plan to continue their journey for greater diversity, equity and inclusion. I feel happy to be part of it.
As a child you think, “If I think this, it will happen,” but as I grew up, I realized this is not always the case. At Capco, however, it is as if my professional and personal worlds are finally blending. I am being true to my younger self and the community around me, and it feels good.
