Matter, Belong, Persist Conference

Last Friday, May 12th, the Multicultural Business Program (MBP) hosted their annual Matter, Belong, Persist Conference (MBPC). The MBPC is tailored to engaging emerging business leaders and professionals across the Cal Poly community through interactive speakers and DEI workshops. Important topics such as mentorship, allyship, grit, and inclusion were discussed by professionals from PwC, Chevron, and Pacific Premier Bank. MBP was lucky and grateful to welcome these speakers and amplify their voices. There were also opportunities to network with various firms, rounding out an amazing professional development conference! 

The Multicultural Business Program is a diverse, inclusive, and multicultural community led by students for students where they matter, belong, and (with professional support) are connected with resources to persist to graduation and beyond. The Matter, Belong, Persist Conference is consistent with MBP’s vision of “an Orfalea experience where all students are prepared for personal, academic, and professional success in a diverse and multicultural world.” This year’s ‘Action’ conference was coordinated by Rithika Prakash, Lisette Abundez, and Yovani Alexander. We got the chance to speak with Lisette, last year’s conference co-lead, about the process of putting on the MBPC and what the team was hoping to get out of it.

MBP’s biggest aspiration with the 2023 conference was branching out from previous Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion topics with the goal to become more action-oriented. MBPC 2022’s theme was “Inclusion starts with Intent,” which Lisette was excited to aid in expanding upon this year with “Inclusion starts with Action.” For example, the goal was to create dialogue around “not only what a microaggression is, but how to be an active bystander and affect change.” The topics and speakers from this year were a reflection of taking steps to break out and become more focused on action. Speakers were identified and recruited through MBP’s existing network and by doing research and connecting with individuals on LinkedIn (The Career Readiness Center approves of this message!). 

Ultimately, the Multicultural Business Program hoped this conference would push people out of their comfort zone and inspire reliance on and further connecting within the community. Lisette shared that many of the decision-making conversations on topics, speakers, and logistics involved collaboration across the whole MBP team which not only amplified voices but made the impact of the conference stronger. The conference received lots of support from the OCOB community in particular, with attendance from many emerging business leaders including the MBP BUS 206 class students and student leaders such as the Ambassadors team. In future years, the MBP team hopes that the conference will continue to grow, and that cultural clubs across the campus have more opportunities to collaborate and build those crucial interpersonal relationships across communities. 

Lisette shared that one of her biggest goals when coordinating the conference was for attendees to get something different out of it as compared to other workshops, events or conversations centered around DEI, primarily through its focus on action. Her favorite part was Sarah Santana (from Pacific Premier Bank)’s session because she was focused on “being WITH the audience rather than talking TO them. It was personable, vulnerable, and evoked an emotional response”. It was truly a memorable, thought-provoking, and motivative conference, and we are excited to see what’s to come! Here are a few favorite parts and memorable moments from students who attended the conference:

“I really valued how intimate the MBP Conference felt. Even though it was a campus-wide conference, the sessions felt conversational with how down-to-earth the speakers were. I liked how the planning team and speakers embraced difficult, vulnerable conversations in DEI and created a space for attendees to feel comfortable discussing them with their peers. It was a great opportunity to mingle with students and industry professionals unified by our shared passions of advancing DEI and sharing these important conversations.” 

“The Multicultural Business Program’s annual conference brought people of all backgrounds together and left everyone with tangible and actionable steps to take in making Cal Poly and our communities more inclusive. In Lisa Leong’s session, not only did we discuss the importance of allyship and being an active bystander, we practiced the steps we would take while witnessing a microaggression. It was an amazing day and I enjoyed learning and having these important conversations alongside my fellow business students.”

“I absolutely loved attending the MBP conference this past Friday. It was great to connect with other leaders on campus and within OCOB who are passionate about continuously educating themselves on topics surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. A highlight of the conference for me was hearing from Lisa Leong, a senior DEI leader at Chevron. Through her presentation I learned more about the definition of a microaggression and ways in which I can be a more proactive ally. A huge congratulations to the whole MBP on an incredible event!”

The MBP center is located in Building 03, Room 106 and is open Monday — Thursday, from 9 AM — 5 PM, for all students to study, hang out, and more! Be sure to stop by and meet the amazing team of interns, and remember, inclusion starts with action!