Taking Charge of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Writer: Caroline M. / Editors: Shaina F. and Savannah T. / Photographer: Olivia E. / Graphic Designer: Lily R.
There are some people in this world that speak with such vigor and passion that the moment you start listening to them, you want to hear everything they have to say. Their drive and enthusiasm draw you into their conversation and cause you to want to know more about the topic they are so interested in. Manuela C. is one of those people.
A junior in Alpha Phi majoring in marketing and minoring in French, Manuela has been active within her chapter. Her freshman and sophomore years, she served as her chapter’s Director of External Philanthropies, where she focused on community relations, working with delegates in other chapters, and acted as a liaison with other chapters. Recently, Manuela has been appointed to the Alpha Phi International Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Collegiate Advisory Board.
In her own words, Manuela describes the council’s job as “providing input on education programming and changes to our structure. It’s a top-down approach to how we’re going to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion in our chapters.”
Manuela says that a significant inspiration of hers to apply for this position was when she was chosen as a Rho Gamma, or a Recruitment Counselor for the Panhellenic Formal Recruitment process. Going into further detail, she explains that the conversations that she had during that process had given her different perspectives that she hadn’t thought of before. From that experience, it made her realize that she wanted to bring the same ideas and realities to her chapter. She said that one of her main priorities is to help her chapter gain a new perspective through her past experiences, as well as within her new position.
“I’m going to join this to try to help my sorority go through that same process of ‘Oh wait, there’s so much more that we need to know, so we need to open ourselves up to learn about different cultures and backgrounds. I think perspective is the number one thing,” Manuela explains.
“[This] is something I personally feel very strongly about, I’m hispanic, I’m an immigrant and it’s something I’m proud of,” Manuela says. She talks about how when she saw that Alpha Phi was creating this DEI Advisory Board, she felt “very proud and instantly wanted to be a part of it.”
When asked about what this advisory board means for other chapters, she explained hopes that these ideas of diversity, equity, and inclusion become widespread policies throughout all chapters in Panhellenic, but even more than that, Manuela says that she really wants these topics to become part of an open conversation.
Manuela’s feelings towards, not only her chapter, but the position she now possesses are so true and so genuine. Whenever she was asked a question, instead of immediately answering, she would take a second to align her thoughts and then answer. Her poignant and well thought out replies mirror that thought process, and her dedication and mindset are an absolute asset to the Panhellenic community.