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Opinion
Infusion - Focused on Improving Domestic Diversity at Haas
By Michelle D. Thomas, MBA 04, Infusion Co-founder
This article was written by Michelle Thomas, MBA 04,
cofounder of Infusion, and represents her opinion, not
that of the Haas School or the University of California,
Berkeley.
Berkeley MBA students are known for their ability to
mobilize and enact change. In a school that emphasizes
such dynamic thinking and action, it is not surprising
that three students should take lessons from the classroom
and apply them in starting their own organization. What
is surprising is that this organization, Infusion, is
a nonprofit working on a systemic problem within the
Haas School community, the low number of underrepresented
minority students enrolled in the full-time Berkeley
MBA program.
Founded in 2003, Infusion is the product of the efforts
of three students of color in the Berkeley MBA class
of 2004 – Clay Akiwenzie, Angel Martin, and myself.
Responding to the low number of Black, Latino, and Native
American students in the MBA class of 2005 (currently
less than 4% of the full-time student body), the founders
came together to form an organization that not only
addressed the lack of diversity in public business schools,
but also created a mechanism for students to share the
intellectual capital gained in school with underserved
communities.
Infusion is now looking to reach out to the Haas School's
alumni both to increase awareness of diversity issues
on campus and to ensure that funding for the Infusion
Minority Fellowship Program continues.
Infusion was built on the idea that improved access
to educational resources and a more efficient deployment
of these resources in community settings will measurably
reduce the glaring economic disparities that exist between
minority and Caucasian communities. We see a unique
opportunity for partnership between corporations, MBA
students and alumni, minority professional organizations,
and public educational institutions to create sustainable
and meaningful investment in these often overlooked
communities. Investment in the next generation of minority
business leaders will be a catalyst for this intellectual
infusion; the investment starts this year with the organization's
flagship program, the Infusion Minority Fellowship Fund.
The Infusion Minority Fellowship Fund is not just another
scholarship program. The fund provides fellowships ranging
from $5,000 – $10,000 a year, directly from Infusion
to students of color accepted into the Haas School of
Business who share in the organization's mission
and demonstrate a commitment to underserved communities.
Fellowship recipients agree to provide consulting services
for a local minority business owner and mentor an undergraduate
student of color while in business school. This year
Infusion is proud to welcome their first two fellows,
Natalia Williams and Ryan Pintado-Vertner, both students
in the Full-time MBA class of 2006.
In Infusion's short history, we have developed
strong working relationships with the Haas School of
Business and its Dean Tom Campbell (currently on leave),
the Robert Toigo Foundation, Wells Fargo Bank, and the
Level Playing Field Institute – Infusion's
fiscal sponsor and underwriter of all administrative
costs. These partnerships have allowed Infusion to raise
over $50,000 in individual donations, corporate grants,
and in-kind gifts, which will all be used to fund the
organization's programs.
Infusion does not exist alone. We need your help in
expanding our impact! We are looking for individuals
to take a hands-on role by becoming board members, mentors,
and providing internships for our fellows. If you would
like to assist Infusion in revitalizing minority communities,
please visit our website at www.infusionproject.org
or contact us at info@infusionproject.org.
Editor's note: The University of California,
Berkeley operates under the rules of Proposition 209,
a state law passed by voters in 1996 that ended all
preferential treatment on the basis of race, sex, color,
ethnicity, or national origin. Private scholarships
are not subject to Prop. 209.
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