Required Haas MBA Essay #3: One of our goals at Berkeley Haas is to develop leaders who value diversity and to create an inclusive environment in which people from different ethnicities, genders, lived experiences, and national origins feel welcomed and supported. Describe any experience or exposure you have in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging whether through community organizations, personal, or in the workplace? Candidates seeking consideration for mission-aligned fellowships may use this space to reflect on their commitment to the mission of those fellowships. (300 words max)
Objective: Which of the three Berkeley Haas DEI objectives are met by this sample essay – Increase Diversity & Representation, Integrate DEI Skills, and Cultivate Belonging?
Objective Met: Increase Diversity & Representation and Cultivate Belonging
Objective Met (Explained): The challenges for black entrepreneurs struggling to find funding had their origin in the belief that the demographic is mostly interested in the luxury and fashion industries. There is truth to this trend, but when after failing to raise funds in the apparel segment, the applicant started a forum hosting black entrepreneurs from diverse industries, he realized that the trend cut across niches.
Instead of existing in silos, the applicant hosted the predominantly white venture capitalists and black entrepreneurs under one roof. The authentic conversation that followed was a DEI moment on improving the understanding of the challenges each demographic faced.
Applicant’s Ethnicity: Nigerian American
Profile: Operations Manager
Industry: Manufacturing
Cross-Functional Role (Extracurricular): Entrepreneur
Skills: Communication, Organizing, Research, Strategy, Leadership
Traits: Cross-cultural Communication
Beneficiary: African Americans
Theme: Small Business, Entrepreneurship, Inclusion
Theme (Explained): In this Haas MBA DEI Essay, the theme is around biases that are propagated by a lack of cross-cultural communication. The applicant - an entrepreneur who had to transition from entrepreneurship to a corporate job from lack of funding for his apparel business is highlighting a leadership moment where he realized that the problem he faced was a challenge for many small businesses and start-up entrepreneurs in the African American communities.
Opener: I wanted to start with the applicant’s observation about the funding ecosystem in the SaaS industry and contrast it with the struggle of black entrepreneurs to raise funds.
Strategy: When highlighting a systemic issue in the narrative involving two ethnic communities, you can dramatically improve the believability of the narrative when there are no perfect solutions but a nudge to create a culture that improves cross-cultural communication.
The applicant’s achievement – starting a forum for black entrepreneurs and white investors to freely share ideas and concerns requires a delicate touch where the problem is highlighted, the right emotion is captured, and a believable conclusion is reached.
Sample Haas MBA Essay on DEI (Silicon Valley and Black Entrepreneurs) (297 Words)
When 2020-21 set a record in fundraising for SaaS companies started by white founders, black communities struggled to raise funds. As a black founder from Detroit, I found inspiration from the sub-culture with unique designs that disrupted the clothing industry, but Silicon Valley ..
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