The Center for Career and Professional Success recently hosted a virtual mini case study competition focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, pairing students together to address a diversity-oriented organizational problem. Student teams were given one week to review a case study provided by Dublin-based Level D&I Solutions and develop innovative resolutions and responses before presenting their ideas to a set of judges. Students did not necessarily know one another in advance, providing them an opportunity to bridge differences and practice teamwork, leadership and communication, while applying logic and cultural understanding to address the challenge. 

The winning team consisted of Anisha Kalidindi, a fifth-year molecular cellular development biology/neuroscience Ph.D. candidate, and Anais Fernandez Castro, a Spanish major in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese who is also majoring in philosophy, politics, and economics. She was kind enough to take some time to discuss her interest in entering the competition and her team's approach to the case with us. 

Anais signed up for the competition as a way to interact with students across a variety of different majors at OSU. It was the first case competition she had ever entered. "Our team's attack was centered on observing the tools that the business already had and the current needs of the company. We wanted to create a long-term, sustainable solution," Anais explained. Their group included integrated frameworks, data, current business practices, and personal experiences to create a viable and substantial solution in their presentation. Anais says that her biggest takeaway from the competition has been,  "Learning how to balance and work with my teammate, Anisha, to figure out our individual strengths so that we could highlight both of our experiences and thought processes while presenting one vision in our presentation." 

When asked why Anais chose to major in Spanish, she explained that she was introduced to I.M.P.A.C.T. (Interpreters for the Medical Profession through Advanced Curriculum and Teaching) - an outreach program lead by the Center for Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at OSU. "Through that program I really connected with my Latin roots and the importance of language. Spanish became an integral part of who I was, and OSU's Spanish program is very comprehensive." Anais affirms that learning Spanish, or any additional language, helps open your world to new experiences and understanding.  Her team utilized this perspective in their approach to the competition. In the case, Anais and Anisha noticed that, "Employees were able to voice how they felt, but the employer did not have the tools in place to listen and act. My group understood the importance of employee-employer dialogue because of our intercultural skills and communication."  

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese would like to congratulate Anais and Anisha on their team's success in the Center for Career and Professional Success virtual mini case competition. We look forward to Anais' involvement in SPPO in the years to come as she pursues her major in Spanish. We wish them both the best of luck!

To read more about the Center for Career and Professional Success virtual mini case competition, visit the OSU College of Arts and Sciences website.