In honor of LGBTQ+ History Month, we asked members of Tuck Pride—the Tuck community’s LGBTQ+ resource and support group—to reflect on their goals, accomplishments, inspirations, and passions.
Gender Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: Guadalajara, Mexico
What does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean for you today, and in your words, why is it so critical?
For me, DEI is important to create a fairer and more inclusive society. Simply put, it is the right thing to do. For companies, it is mission-critical to generate better ideas, be more competitive, and have a satisfied team workforce. DEI helps to create a better society where all members are represented, supported, and included. In my view, it is crucial to make individuals feel welcomed, recognized, and appreciated.
How would you describe your life philosophy? What do you believe are the components of a “good” life?
My life philosophy is to live life at its fullest while doing everything I can to achieve any goal I set my mind to. I think that life goals do not have to be necessarily professional, however, I believe that living with intentionality allows you to design your life the way that you want to—whether that is professionally, personally, or both.
When I think about a good life, I think it’s one with authentic, loyal, and loving relationships that also includes working towards a legacy of doing good in the world. I define success as contributing to the lives of other individuals. I believe professional achievement is important, but reflecting on my own experience, the moments when I was contributing to the betterment of another person were when I felt the most fulfilled and successful.
In your opinion, what makes a good leader?
To me, a good leader is one that actively improves others and helps them to achieve their goals. I realize that the best leaders I have met, worked with, or been inspired by, are the ones developing and motivating those around them.
What have you recently, read, watched, or listened to that you enjoyed and would highly recommend to others?
Recently, I read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius as I wanted to take a few moments to (re)think deeply about my life and future contributions to society. I recently watched Lost In Space on Netflix, the reboot of the 1965 series, as I get super excited about space travel, discovering the unknown, and the journey to a new home. As far as listening, I recently revisited Handel’s Messiah, and have been obsessed with KYLE—I love Perfect!—after he came to perform here at Dartmouth.
Gender Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hometown: McLean, Virginia
Describe an ah-ha moment for you—a defining moment that changed the course of your life, career, or altered your way of thinking.
Before Tuck, I worked in the nonprofit world. I loved it and felt competent at what I did. However, Tuck has been a hard academic adjustment since everything is new to me and everybody seems to have more experience.
I was interviewing with an FYP group I was really interested in. I started the conversation by sharing that I wasn’t sure what technical experience I could bring so I would understand if they didn’t pick me. One of my classmates stopped me and said “We wanted to talk to you because we think you could be an asset to this team. So why don’t you share what you would bring?”
That was a transformational moment for me. It reminded me that if I sell myself short, others will too. It also reminded me that no matter what your background is, you have an important perspective that can benefit a group. It’s really helped my confidence in business school.
What’s something about you only a few people know?
I played rugby in college. At 5' 1", people are always surprised when they learn that about me!
What does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean for you today, and in your word, why is it so critical?
It’s important to remember that diversity only happens in groups. I think the word “diversity” is often used to describe a person who adds a unique background to a group. But it’s not until you look at the composition of the whole group that you understand its diversity—what different backgrounds and perspectives it has.
DEI is so important because it’s an important way to learn. The more backgrounds and perspectives we’re exposed to, the more flexible our thinking. With more flexible thinking and inclusive teams, we’ll be able to come up with better solutions to some of the world’s most challenging problems.
In your opinion, what makes a good leader?
I think a good leader is somebody who is willing to stand alongside their team and get their hands dirty doing the work, but who knows the right time to step back and direct. I think good leaders know how to challenge their team members to grow, because that looks different for each person. I’ve appreciated the leaders in my life who have given me the autonomy to sometimes make mistakes but always the opportunity to fix them and learn from them.
What have you recently, read, watched, or listened to that you enjoyed and would highly recommend to others?
I highly recommend the Code Switch podcast produced by NPR. They always cover an interesting topic and it’s been a helpful way for me to learn about different cultures, as well as think more deeply about different aspects of race and how they show up in everyday life.
Gender Pronouns: He/Him
Hometown: Kunming, China / Sydney, Australia
What keeps you busy? How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
Exercise, travel, and seeking out new experiences.
What do you believe are the components of a “good” life? How do you define “success”?
To me, the components of a good life are being content with what you have while supporting others in their lives, whether that be in a personal, educational, or professional way. Helping others grow and develop along the way is what defines success for me.
In your opinion, what makes a good leader?
While possessing the traditional leadership ideals—strategic thinking, decisiveness, ambition—are all part of a good leader, a truly good leader possesses a sense of selflessness: a kind of servant leadership that sees leadership as an opportunity to serve others, measures success through the growth and development of their teams, and leads authentically while being true to themselves in their professional and personal lives.
Describe an ah-ha moment for you—a defining moment that changed the course of your life, career, or altered your way of thinking.
My ah-ha moments have come through the multiple moves throughout my life. In meeting new people and being part of different cultures, I have been able to recognize that people globally have similar wants: to be recognized for who they are and to be supported on what they are going through, be that professional or personal. While the specific nature of what this means varies widely by person, place, and culture, approaching the world with this lens has allowed me to connect with others in very powerful ways.
Many Voices, One Tuck celebrates the stories of our vibrant and diverse community. What’s your story? Email DEI at Tuck if you’d like to contribute to the MVOT project.
Note: MVOT is open to members of the Tuck community, including students, alumni, faculty, staff, TEE and Tuck Bridge participants, and MHCDS graduates.
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