A History of the ODEI Alumni Board

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Alumni Board (ODEIAB) was formed in March 2021 through the collaborative effort of multiple bodies of people within and outside of Penn Engineering. Spurred by the events of summer 2020 surrounding police brutality and the nation’s legacy of racism, Penn’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) virtually met with school administrators in July 2020 to discuss the experiences of Black students within Penn Engineering.

With over 100 attendees, students, staff, and alumni shared their similar examples of mistreatment they experienced over the years while at Penn Engineering: of students feeling actively excluded by their peers and departments; of faculty foreclosing on students’ academic capabilities by discouraging them from pursuing certain careers; of their status as Penn students being questioned while on campus, along with an overall lack of institutional support for ODEI. Observing that many of the troubles faced by older alumni were those that current students continued to face decades later, a small group of alumni (pictured below) began to conceptualize a potential path forward that would ensure that ODEI and its students felt supported and heard moving forward under the guidance of ODEI Associate Director Dr. Yulanda Essoka during fall 2020. It was out of these repeated misgivings that ODEIAB was born, in hopes that together, ODEI and its alumni could bolster ODEI’s efforts in advancing the office’s mission of compassion, excellence, and service within Penn Engineering, while ensuring that Penn Engineering became an equitable, accessible, encouraging place for all.

 

The group of alumni who first began the conceptualization of ODEIAB

 

In February 2021, elections for the inaugural Alumni Board were held. Alumni from across the years demonstrated interest in taking up the task of joining the inaugural board, thereby ensuing the process of nominations and voting. After a week of voting, we had our first newly-elected board, serving the 2021-2022 term. The ODEI Alumni Board is, similar to the student body that ODEI serves, an amalgamation of remarkable experiences, skill sets, and keen perspectives; currently, class years ranging from 1989 to 2019 are represented, across various majors (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Civil Engineering, Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering) and current life paths. Together, we are unified in our commitment to serving the agenda of ODEI while encouraging fellowship and partnership between current students and alumni.

The Alumni Board meets every other week to research, plan, and implement our programs and initiatives. We are advised by Dr. Yulanda Essoka, with additional assistance provided by Dr. Laura Stubbs.

We believe that this work is best done in concert with others, so we always welcome input, suggestions, and ideas from the greater ODEI community! Please see the “Get Involved” page to see how you can participate in our efforts.

The mission of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Advisory Board is to work in collaboration with ODEI to engage with, and provide support for, the office as well as the marginalized students of myriad identities and backgrounds within Penn Engineering that the office serves. Our collective mission is to encourage transparency, proactive decision-making, and meaningful appreciation for sociocultural implications surrounding all initiatives within the school through the active engagement of alumni perspectives as a means of informing key decision-making of the Penn Engineering administration; to develop programming and communication strategies within ODEI and the broader school that positively shape material conditions concerning DEI within Penn Engineering while emphasizing equity, belonging, and excellence; and to provide an avenue for community-building and (re)connection between current students and alumni from historically marginalized backgrounds.

The overarching goals of ODEIAB include:

  • ○ Proactively identify and resolve grievances by marginalized populations in the Penn Engineering community alongside ODEI
    ○ Provide insight and guidance to DEI initiatives vis-a-vis ODEI, thereby influencing administrative decision-making and policy within Penn Engineering through goal-driven recommendations

  • ○ Through ODEI, support students and alumni by tangibly improving material conditions for current and future students through efforts such as advocacy (mentioned above), contributing financial support, and providing mentorship
    ○ Provide meaningful opportunities for ODEI alumni to engage with the University of Pennsylvania and give back strategically to ODEI, furthering the tenets and goals of ODEI

  • ○ Cultivate student and alumni connections with regards to professional development through targeted educational programming with individuals in industry roles, workshops, and networking events
    ○ Leverage collective knowledge and influence to help students develop professional and career goals while advancing the professional goals of alumni in the process

  • ○ Grow and strengthen the network of marginalized alumni, facilitating opportunities for current students of ODEI and alumni to connect through planned programming and social events
    ○ Provide a space to which current students and alumni can feel a sense of belonging and encouragement