Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) is an imperative aspect of organizations requiring a thoughtful action plan. Members of the global HR community understand this more than ever. Many individuals are beginning to further question the meaning of DE&I across all spaces they participate in. This begs the question—if you were to ask yourself what diversity, equity and inclusion truly means to you, how would you answer it?
My name is Rocio Gonzalez Melendez and I am the 2021 summer intern for the Oracle Cloud HCM Global Marketing Team. The intersections of my identity begins with being a first generation student of Mexican descent. I am part of a culture rooted in the celebration of unity and respect for self-advocacy, which are two qualities that I have learned to be of imperative nature when regarding elements of DE&I. When I learned about the Marketing Internship program at Oracle, I knew I had found what I was looking for. Since joining this program, I have discovered Oracle’s strong efforts in recruiting diverse interns from across the country including HBCU schools while also partnering with the UNCF scholars program. My experience thus far has been full of thoughtful workshops, executive brunches, and opportunities to grow both professionally and personally.
My journey to discovering the meaning of DE&I began in college, where I was shocked to realize that I had no prior exposure to this concept. Thankfully, attending a liberal arts school lifted the blinds on what the celebration of diversity could look like and how that could fit into my quest of employment pursuits. Informative workshops and training sessions on DE&I topics such as intersectionality, accessibility of resources, and mental health conversations allowed me to understand DE&I as two pieces of a puzzle. With the puzzle being how to foster a sense of belongingness and how to engage as an active contributor, I also began to recognize my own value systems. On a professional level, I knew I needed visibility, a degree of autonomy, and respect for my own layers of diversity. As a result, I’ve come to understand DE&I as the responsibility of everyone to work towards the embodiment of a genuine acceptance of others’ evident and self-prescribed identities. Understanding DE&I and where you fit in as a contributor does not happen overnight. The good news is that you can make an active effort to start your journey regardless of where you stand in your knowledge level.
Discovering the celebration of DE&I at Oracle
Finding this internship has allowed me to explore my interests in marketing while also checking the boxes of my value system by seeing Oracle’s active DE&I efforts. I have already discovered that as the Global Marketing Intern for the HCM pillar at Oracle, my diversity is welcomed in an environment that thrives off of inclusivity. As an emerging professional, it is refreshing to see this level of commitment from a highly wide-spread and structured organization. Not only do my contributions matter, but I have the same opportunity all other Oracle employees do—to ask for feedback centered on growth and development. From my perspective, the constant willingness for collaboration is one of the many reasons why Oracle’s inclusive nature remains strong. On top of this support, Oracle also offers a wide range of employee resource groups (ERG’s) to further create a sense of unity for employees of all backgrounds. Oracle Latino Alliance (OLA) has already provided feelings of belonging for me as I have access to thousands of perspectives and insight that further enable my personal and professional growth through a network of inclusivity and support.
As an HR leader reading my perspective as just one intern in a global workforce of millions, you may be thinking how this one experience relates to the overall emerging workforce. I believe that the perspective of one does not always equate to complete isolated experiences. Prospective workers in my generation will be looking for organizations that excel in DE&I, as evidenced by our tendency to urge businesses to take action on social issues related to accepting diversity. Organizations can jump start their DE&I efforts by offering ongoing learning opportunities and initiatives for all employees. At Oracle, the internship program is providing each of us with the same DE&I informative sessions regardless of what our role is. This gives each of us equal access to information that enables the understanding of available resources. Well organized efforts like these provide an avenue to supplement knowledge levels and empower us to continue the learning process.
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