2021 GlobalMindED
The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable
GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
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Now a Data Analyst at Harvard, Adinawa Adjagbodjou was a Dell Scholar, Valedictorian of Denton high school, accepted to 7 of 8 Ivies, Vice President of Association of Black Women while at Harvard, she now works with Joan Hornig and Pave the Way as she completes her PhD program. She was featured last month in our Fireside Chat with GlobalMindED leader and Harvard alum, Joan Hornig. It is an honor to share her story today as we celebrate STEM Stars all month who brightly light the inclusive way forward.
The GlobalMindED YouTube channel has over 90 DEI webinars. Recent International Month of Women Events:
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You are a successful Harvard graduate, an experienced researcher and project manager, and a powerful Béninoise female leader. What is your personal story and how did you get to that level of success?
A big part of what has led me to where I am today has been my dedication to using the resources and opportunities that I'm given to make the path of those who come after me an easier one. My family moved to the US when I was young but the realities of the world I left behind remained ever present in my mind and pushed me to live up to the meaning of my name by excelling beyond what those who came before me could have dreamed.
Although there were many moments in which I felt discouraged, I knew that nothing I did was just for me and that I had the opportunity to carry my family, my community, and my native home with me in every space I entered and I wanted to make them proud. So, I lead with curiosity, with an open mind, and with a genuine desire to understand the world around me and how I can play my part in making it a better one. That has made it possible for me to show up authentically in spaces, to use my talents in ways that help me grow and learn, and to take on new and diverse opportunities to challenge myself and those around me.
Tell us more about your involvement in closing the equity gap.
As a first generation immigrant, I have witnessed the importance of communities and helping families overcome the hardships that come with navigating new and strange environments. Because of this, I understand the importance of sharing resources knowledge and networks they help students and families orient themselves for success. Working with immigrant communities is something that I have done in local communities in the U.S. through educational and health resources, and through organizations focused on Food and Housing Insecurity.
When it comes to education and first-generation students, particularly in STEM, I am all too familiar with the disparities that exist and opportunities that are not awarded to students who do not see themselves represented in the spaces which they aspire to occupy. Because of this I've always been extremely devoted to mentoring others the way I have benefited from mentorship through my own organizations and by volunteering my time in organizations within and outside of Harvard.
I am very lucky to take part in and to help cultivate spaces and communities that focus on the needs of black woman and femmes and uplifts their voices and it's really important to me that I continue to do so.
In my current research I am developing guidelines focused on the role of critical race theory in human artificial intelligence in an effort to reduce the harm that machines effectuate on marginalized, indigenous, and Black communities.
I'm very privileged to be in a position where I'm able to lead nuanced conversations that engage artists, activists, sociologist, technologists and beyond on important issues through my research and in my own community.
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Tell us about your experience developing QuVis and what advice would you give to future leaders?
QuVis is a really important project for me to take part in because of my own personal experience navigating the world of Computer Science and understanding what an ostracizing landscape it can be. This project was focused specifically on providing access to the world of Quantum Computing to students who are from backgrounds where they feel less comfortable with the subject. This platform is intentionally designed with interactive and educational features to specifically bridge the gap for these students.
This project has been a really great exercise in understanding the role that education and its intersection with accessibility can play in making technology a field with more diverse perspectives and inspires the work I will be continuing in my graduate studies.
To future leaders I would say lean into discomfort, lean into frustration. When faced with challenges, it is often these moments and your intentionality in learning from other, listening, and reflecting that will lead to the greatest change you will see in yourself. Don’t be afraid to be wrong, don’t be afraid to take the first step, and don’t be afraid to raise up your hand. Understand that your voice matters, and that your experiences not only enrich the dialogue but are needed for real change to happen.
At the end of your career, what do you want your legacy to be?
It has always been really important to me to live a life that is driven by compassion and to push myself to do good in the world. As I've grown older, I've come to understand the complexities of the history and systems that are at the root of so much suffering in the world and that continue to perpetuate the oppression of those who look like me across the globe.
As I have become more aware of the intersectional nature of the issues I wish to tackle through technology, education and access to both, I have simultaneously become more cognizant of the privilege that I hold within the conversations and movements that would help to eradicate these systems. This has helped me frame what I wish for my legacy to be.
At its heart I wish for my legacy to not be about me at all, but rather to be an intricate story that focuses on those who I have the opportunity to work with, to listen to, to build with, and to uplift. I hope for my legacy to be about those who afford me the privilege of entering their spaces, of partaking in their lives, and understanding their struggles. I hope for my legacy to be one in which I keep the promises of those who entrust me with the responsibility of amplifying their voices in order to build a better world with, not simply for, them.
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Click below to watch the Inclusive Leader Award Ceremony featuring inspirational messages from the diverse Award Winners
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GlobalMindED and the SDG Impact Fund are delighted to announce GlobalMindED's Donor Advised Fund. 2020 is the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Women's Declaration and Action Platform. Many from around the world are thinking of 2020 as the gateway to our most vital decade for delivering equity, the Sustainable Development Goals, and a world where all can thrive. Our key time for these outcomes is 2020-2030.
GlobalMindED DAF and the SDG Impact Fund are a powerful combined force for good as the 2019 year comes to a close and we reflect on the gratitude and the commitments we make to the causes we care most about. The DAF offers immense power and flexibility for giving prior to the year's end as you plant seeds of generous intention for 2020 and the decade ahead.
When you contribute to GlobalMindED, you support First Gen students. We have served more than 400 students by connecting them to role models, mentors, internships and jobs. Your generous support will allow us to take our work 10x and reach these talented students at scale who lack the resources and support we provide. Your support also helps teachers who can't afford the conference fees, faculty at colleges which are under resourced and students who persist at those universities despite food insecurity and/or housing insecurity.
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Links to read about Inclusive Leaders, many of whom are African American and people of color:
Curated sessions from GlobalMindED 2020 YouTube channel:
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From the Center for Positive Organizations:
From the Economist:
From Forbes:
From Harvard Business Review:
From the World Academy of Art & Science and UN; Geneva Global Leadership in the 21st Century econference:
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Listen here for an interview with Pam Newkirk, GlobalMindED speaker and author of Diversity Inc.: The Failed Promise of a Billion- Dollar Business.
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Meet GlobalMindED Founder, Carol Carter as interviewed by Tim Moore on his podcast Success Made to Last: From Success to Significance
Listen to Part 1 of Carol's interview
Listen to Part 2 of Carol's interview
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Recent GlobalMindED Newsletter Profiles:
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Since 2006 when the flagship TGR Learning Lab opened its doors in Anaheim, CA, TGR Foundation has had a lot to celebrate, including its most recent milestone of one million students impacted by TGR EDU: Explore, alone.
Developed in partnership with Discovery Education, TGR EDU: Explore is a free digital resource library that offers interactive web experiences, lesson plans, training videos and tools for educators, students and families to explore new disciplines and gain skills for a modern and expanding workforce.
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As you start the New Year, are you looking for ways to re-engineer your classroom culture? Check out Designing the Future: How Engineering Builds Creative Critical Thinking in the Classroom. The associated website has lots of activities, projects, and resources you can implement immediately. Our fall workshops using the book as a roadmap for change have been highly successful. Start designing the future today - try using the customized Study Guide for a book study in your PLC. Or contact ProjectEngin or Solution Tree to learn how you can bring professional development based on Ann's book to your school, district, or conference.
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THE FLYOVER NATION
Energy's Role in a Troubled Heartland
By J.C. Whorton
A unique and timely discussion of the challenging issues facing the country’s troubled Heartland.
Since the beginning of westward expansion into the Heartland’s vast regions, natural resource development has played a historic role in shaping its communities. Today, domestic oil and gas development offers one of the strongest prospects for the Heartland’s present and future prosperity as well as the nation’s re-emergence as a dominant player in the global energy economy.
The U.S. is now the world’s largest producer of crude oil and natural gas, two circumstances that are universally disrupting international geopolitical order. The earth has a finite supply of natural resources and a rapidly growing and over consuming population.
As America positions itself for a very uncertain and constantly evolving global marketplace, will the Heartland become America’s “great connector” or “great divide”?
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J.C. Whorton is a senior level energy and financial professional with over forty years of essential experience. Having a ranching and Native American heritage, Mr. Whorton is a strong advocate for rural education and economic development initiatives.
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