TextNow Leads EDI Training at UNC Charlotte

TextNow thrives on our mission of democratizing reliable phone service. When your mission is at the heart of ensuring equitable access to a service, we jump at opportunities to make an impact in the communities around us.

Recently our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, Matthew French (They/He) presented on EDI and Leadership to The University of North Carolina’s Alpha Kappa Psi  at Charlotte, NC.

The presentation focused on how each student can take the multiple parts and intersectionalities of their identity to create a more authentic and equitable workplace for themselves, and for folx from traditionally underrepresented groups and for future professionals entering the workforce.

After the presentation we caught up with a few of the members to get their thoughts on EDI and leadership:

‍Alexander Rodykj , Senior - Mathematics for Business

‍"DEI is a huge component in leadership positions because it is important to know and understand people that you are working with. As a leader, you want to create a working environment when everyone is comfortable with being who they are. Only in that case, people can show their full potential and express their best ideas.

The presentation went super well! We are a diverse organization, and everyone was able to take something away from it. DEI is a serious topic, but adding humorous comments, Matthew made it so much more engaging.”

‍Raechel Hardeman Senior - Finance with a concentration in Risk Management and Insurance

‍"It's a topic and a business practice that I seek out in each aspect of my life, and I want to be part of the push to make it a world-wide "lifestyle".  Something that I learned from your presentation was the importance of that "safe space" and advocate of DEI. [TextNow’s] presentation not only spoke to my heart but also reignited that fire underneath me to live out that passion of mine, to never forget what I stand for and to always speak my truth.”

Making everyone feel welcomed and like they belong is a topic we don't take lightly at TextNow. If you want to learn more about our mission and commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, check out our TextNow life page here.