I.D.E.A.L. Week celebrates justice, diversity, equity and inclusion in business

I.D.E.A.L. stands for inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible leaders. Beginning March 28, the College of Business held events each day dealing with each of these core tenets, culminating with the Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Case Competition on April 1. 

Throughout the week, students participated in a range of events including (but not limited to): 

• Pastries and Prompts, where participants were rewarded with pastries for sharing their ideas on how students’ beliefs and lived experiences play a role in the College of Business on a speech bubble. 
• A video story booth where students were encouraged to share their thoughts on equity for future I.D.E.A.L. Week presentations. 
• Difference Matters (a mural of diversity responses), which is where students were given the opportunity to respond to the prompt “How do you contribute to diversity in business?”  

Palmer said the whole goal of I.D.E.A.L. Week was for the events to be driven by the diverse group of student organizations within the College of Business. 

One of the students involved was Juan Hernandez, a first-year business student who identifies as queer, Latinx and the first in his family to go to college. 

“It’s so important to get involved and have this support system, because it’s all fairly new to me,” he said while writing on the banner that now hangs in Rockwell West.

Ariana Martinez, another first-year business student, said she hopes to use her degree to open up a restaurant after graduation. She hopes sharing her experiences during I.D.E.A.L. week will resonate with the rest of campus. 

“For me, this is about getting my ideas out there and sharing my point of view so we can all move forward,” she said.