We recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. We talked about our experiences on and off campus that informed our career choices and ultimately landed us here at NaturallyCurly. Here is the full interview, written by Virginia A. Cumberbatch.
Hair care isn’t exactly the industry that most imagine when envisioning platforms to drive the diversity and inclusion conversation or to enact social change, but for four University of Texas at Austin (UT”> alumnae, their individual expertise and passions have come together to drive forward important dialogue, where inclusion and cultural acceptance is at the center through the online platform, NaturallyCurly.com.
Nikki Green (09″>, Cristina Cleveland (08″>, Evelyn Ngugi (11″> and Susonnah Barklow (11″> each came to UT looking for a unique experience. Nikki, a communications major, desired a campus where she could get a great education in the state of Texas, whereas Cristina, who studied advertising, transferred her sophomore year from a prominent private Texas institution, believing that UT’s large international population could provide the cultural diversity she was missing in her college experience prior. “I couldn’t imagine graduating in four years and only knowing one type of person, I wanted an environment that offered people with different life experiences and perspectives.” Having grown up in Brownsville, Texas, Susonnah thought UT offered a refreshing opportunity to explore life outside of her Latina roots, “I was just amazed by all the languages I heard every day walking around campus. I grew up in a majority Hispanic community and I appreciated getting to know people from different backgrounds.” Dallas-Fort Worth native Evelyn, who majored in journalism, gravitated to UT for the big university experience, providing just enough people and things to do that she could challenge herself to try new things and meet new people.
It was at The University of Texas that these alums discovered their interest in observing social patterns and cultural dynamics. As women of color, they were each uniquely challenged and groomed to take on tough conversations about identity, access, space and place on campus and in the larger world. For Cristina such social politics were defined by space, “there was always a feeling that I didn’t belong in West campus, I didn’t understand being a part of such a homogenous world, everyone dressed the same way, everyone straightened their hair. It was strange and uncomfortable.” Nikki’s interaction with the diversity conversation started in the classroom. An active member of the Black Student Alliance, Nikki felt that student organizations like the BSA were essential to providing African American students with a platform to explore their shared experience; likewise, the organization served as an invaluable resource for many African American students who felt isolated on campus. “I recall that the only time I wasn’t one of the only African American students in my class in the comm school was when I ventured outside the department to take Africana Studies courses. It was there that I felt like I got to study myself and feel a certain connection with classmates and professors.” These types of experiences translated to life outside the classroom as well, and although at the time only prompted personal reflection, ultimately in partnership with their fields of study and academic interests would guide their professional pursuits.
