1. Please describe your activities during your fellowship experience. Describe your final capstone project(s).
During my Fellowship experience, I did a lot of research on intellectual and developmental disabilities. I read different literature exposing me to a side of disabilities that I never knew existed. I interacted with much of the leadership which consisted of meetings both in person and online. I also interacted with students in the disabilities studies course and eventually, another Fellow.

My capstone project allowed me an opportunity to connect with a variety of community partners that contribute to the autism population in different ways. I worked with Autism Society of Colorado, THRIVE, Family Voices, and Parent to Parent of Colorado to create a policy brief that highlighted the significance of proper and accurate implementation of the screening tools (i.e SCQ) for Autism Spectrum Disorders. The hopes for this project was to raise awareness about the issue and create a tool that community partners can utilize to advocate for keeping trained professionals in schools to administer screening tools.

2. Who did your project inform, help, influence or impact? (UCEDD, individual, community, state) How?
This project was to give insight, to everyone, into what people of color look for in websites when it comes to wanting to be represented. This also was a sort of wakeup call up for AUCD and the UCEDDs to update some websites to be more representative being that one never picks and chooses who to work with.

3. Why did you choose to work on that project(s)?
Because I am a Black woman, my final capstone project centered diversity. I went online to AUCD’s UCEDD website directory and evaluated how much diversity could be seen based on a scale that’s specified in my capstone PowerPoint. I chose to do half of the websites as a starting point and sample. My basis was that in my experience, people in college towns look to the university for help a lot of the times, and representation is important. If I don’t have a sense that organizations work with people who look like me, then I don’t know if organizations are interested in helping people who look like me. This project was to give insight into what people of color look for in websites when it comes to wanting to be represented. This also was a sort of wake up call up update some websites to be more representative being that one never picks and chooses who to work with.

4. What did you gain from being a Diversity Fellow?
As a Fellow, I gained skills that would help me be more culturally competent in the workplace and a mindset that I plan to pass on to others. In doing this Fellowship, my advocacy hat has become much bigger and I now use my privileges to fight for people who may not be able to fight as effectively themselves.

5. How will this experience impact your education or career decisions?
This Fellowship has influenced my education because I’ve done most of my projects on something disability related because I wanted to get the word out about this topic that I feel is so heavily neglected mainstream. I also created a diversity awareness training program that I plan to pilot in my business training courses to create more culturally competent employees.

6. What are your future goals? Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
In 5 years, I see myself very successfully owning my development firms that gross millions and produce competent and happy employees.

7. What recommendations do you have for other Fellows?
The recommendations that I have for future Fellows is to work at a pace that’s best for you, learn your true workplace culture, ask for help when needed, and be mindful of the influence you may have on others.