Isaac Podolefsky is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a Senior IT Project Manager in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Technology Services, one of Isaac’s responsibilities is to supervise staff and student employees. Last fall, Isaac was having a conversation with one of his student employees, Rupanti Bose, when she mentioned that she tells people the wrong pronunciation of her name. Stunned, Isaac wanted to understand why she does this, how to correctly say her name, and to change our culture by helping others in his unit and the wider university recognize the importance of individuals and their name identities.

As a result of their conversation, Isaac started exploring ways the university could embody its DEI principles in this context; that part of the journey is recounted in this article. For more on Rupanti and Isaac’s conversation – and to discover how to pronounce Rupanti’s name – check out this video, “What is Your Story?” on the Pomerantz Career Center website.