Changing Systems, Changing Lives: A Conversation with Celeste Warren

0:04 SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to The Road to an Effective Classroom Environment where we bridge leadership, culture, and impact both inside and beyond the classroom. I am your host, Dr. Lashonta, also known as that Classy Sassy consultant. I'm an educator, a leader, and a consultant. And today's conversation is one that every leader, educator, and organization needs to hear. We are diving deep into what equity really means and more importantly, what it requires. Today I am joined by the phenomenal Celeste Warren, a visionary leader with nearly three decades of experience at a global Fortune 100 company, where she served as vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer.

0:53 SPEAKER_00: She didn't just talk about inclusion, she built systems that made it real. Now, as the founder of Celeste Warren Consulting LLC and co-founder of Destination STEM Incorporated, she continues to challenge organizations and communities to move beyond surface level efforts and create lasting meaningful change. She's also the author of The Truth About Equity, What It Really Is, What It Isn't, and Why Everyone Wins When We Get It Right, where she breaks down the misconceptions around equity and reframes it as a shared advantage, not a divisive concept.

1:37 SPEAKER_00: In this episode, we're not just talking about diversity, we're not just talking about inclusion, we're talking about systems, we're talking about leadership, and we're talking about what it truly takes to create environments where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. So if you've ever wondered why some initiatives fail and why culture feels misaligned, or what it really takes to lead with impact in today's world, this conversation is for you. So let's get started. Welcome, Celeste. Thank you for being here today.

2:15 SPEAKER_01: Thank you for the invitation.

2:18 SPEAKER_00: I have been looking forward to this. We talked a few months ago, and I've been looking forward to our conversation. And there are actually some people out there on LinkedIn that have also commented and said that this is going to be great. So I am looking forward to it. So we're going to jump right on into this. And so for those who don't know Celeste Warren and they're just meeting you for the first time, tell me who is Celeste beyond the titles and beyond the accolades. How would you describe yourself?

2:53 SPEAKER_01: Well, I would say that first, um a woman of faith. I'm a mother and a and a wife, sister, auntie. I'm I'm a truth seeker, part activist, and someone who truly wants to see an inclusive society.

3:17 SPEAKER_00: I love it. Great way to start off the show and describing yourself. So tell me, what inspired your passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion work?

3:30 SPEAKER_01: Well, it started when I was a child. My father, I grew up in a small steel mill town in western Pennsylvania. And my father was the first black teacher and black principal in that area, that region.

3:42 unknown: Wow.

3:43 SPEAKER_01: And so every day he would come home. I was one of five siblings, and he would come home and we'd be at the dinner table. And my mom would ask, you know, hey, honey, how was your day? And he would then proceed to tell us the challenges that he faced, the issues that he that he had, the obstacles that he had to overcome. And he didn't just complain. That wasn't who he was. He talked about what they were realistically, but then he talked about what he did to overcome them. And so every day I was front, I had a front row seat to watching this man just really progress in a system that really wasn't built for him at that time.

4:23 SPEAKER_01: And so for me, that's how it got started. It just stayed with me throughout childhood, throughout young adulthood and adulthood.

4:33 SPEAKER_00: So those those years of seeing your father going through those challenges, but also being someone who was in some pivotal positions, as being the first, the first black American in those positions in your town, that speaks volumes. And so seeing that as a young girl, that has helped to shape your career as well as I would say your well-being and and what you do and who you are. Absolutely. Absolutely. So many organizations they say that they value inclusion, but employees often experience something different.

5:15 SPEAKER_00: Why does that gap exist?

5:18 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, I think the main reason why it exists is the organization and the leaders in the organization might have one viewpoint of how they see inclusion. And then the employees who we really should be looking at it through their lens, how they view inclusion, how they feel. And so the gap is such where the leaders say, Oh, well, I think you know everything's good, everything's fine. And then the employees are saying, no, it isn't. And and so there needs to be this sort of meeting of the minds, and leaders, instead of doing a lot of talking, listening, listening to their employees, listening about what's going well, listening about what needs to be fixed, and listening, listening to their ideas on how to fix it.

6:11 SPEAKER_01: I think more of that needs to happen. And some companies do it through uh they take culture surveys and different things like that, where you can get the the written uh you know information, the quantitative information scores and all of that. And that's a great first step. But you get the information, and then what you need to do is look at it. Leaders need to look at it and say, okay, well, where are the pain points in my organization, in my part of the company or university or school? And then like talk to people, actually talk to them and and and ask them, okay, we we seem to have a gap here.

6:52 SPEAKER_01: Tell me what needs to happen, tell me what we need to be doing. And that conversation and that dialogue needs to happen more, more frequently.

7:02 SPEAKER_00: Do you feel like the dialogues don't often happen because as leaders, we are sometimes fearful about what we're gonna hear?

7:12 SPEAKER_01: Yes, there's that, and then there's also because nobody likes to be told they're not good at something, right? Right. So there's that aspect of it, and then I think also it goes against their paradigm. So they have a vision of the type of leader that they are, especially if they've been one for a long time. And so someone coming in and saying, Well, no, you need to, you need to fix some things, it's hard for them to sort of observe that. And then the other piece I just think is when they get the feedback, they're afraid to even get it and ask for it because they don't know if they'll be able to make the changes.

7:55 SPEAKER_01: And and you know, I've talked to leaders so much where they say, Well, I don't even know if we're gonna be able to do anything. Well, what do you mean you're not you you don't know if you're gonna be able to do anything? If we get the information, when we get the information, we want it so we can make changes.

8:11 unknown: Right.

8:11 SPEAKER_01: So it's just it's so interesting to me that sort of the the thinking of some leaders who are just fearful of getting the feedback and then fearful of the fact that we maybe I won't be able to make the changes.

8:25 SPEAKER_00: So when when you're talking to leaders who who say that, oh, I don't think we're gonna make be able to make these changes, is it because of, do they share that it's because of finances, or is it because of lack of being able to get people on board to change? Because we know that you know, change is hard. Many times change can be hard for people. So, what what do some of these leaders share as to why they feel like the change can't happen?

8:54 SPEAKER_01: Well, I think one of the things is, and I talk about this a little bit, some people think that equitable and fair practices take time. So if it takes, you know, 10 steps to do something, get a product out or a service, then if we stop and try to do it in a fair and equitable and inclusive way, then it's gonna take instead of 10 steps, it's gonna take 20 steps. And what people don't understand is that equity doesn't cause friction, it actually puts the things in place that allow that resistance to go away.

9:36 SPEAKER_01: And so that's one of the reasons. They think it's just gonna take too much time. You know, so another example is when when recruiters are recruiting and the hiring manager says, I need the job filled quickly, I need it filled quickly. And so recruiters, you know, they go on the path most traveled. The easiest thing, well, let me just put an ad in the paper or put an ad in this place or that place, and then just wait for them to come in. But in order to get good qualified candidates of all different identities, you got to do the work and you got to continue to do it, not just when the jobs are open, but you got to cultivate those relationships with those external organizations and associations and the labor market, so you can always have the candidates across all different identities available when a job opens.

10:28 SPEAKER_00: So, when you're explaining to organizations that invite you in and you're working with them, what do you say as far as why equity is important in the workplace? Share with our listeners what do you tell them?

10:49 SPEAKER_01: Well, I start to tell them that it's not an enigma wrapped in a question mark. And a lot of people don't truly understand the essence of equity. So if I use it in the context of diversity, equity, and inclusion, diversity is simply differences in people, those you can see and those you can't see. And so all those people have different skills, capabilities, identities, cultural backgrounds, life experiences. So all of those differences in people, and then inclusion, you're trying to surround them with a culture of inclusion so you can, so they can have a sense of belonging and you can get them to a collective purpose.

11:28 SPEAKER_01: And the collective purpose would be the mission or vision of the school or the university or the organization or the nonprofit. And equity comes in because recognizing that all these people are different in a lot of different ways. How do we meet them where they are and put those acts of equity in place to get them to that collective purpose? And for each of them, it looks something different, and that's where the acts of equity come in place, where you meet people where they are, because they started from different starting points, and then move them forward to get them to that collective purpose.

12:06 SPEAKER_01: And so it's basically leadership 101, management 101. And then when I put it in a business context, it's the same thing about a marketing strategy. In order for you to write a marketing strategy, you have to understand the customer base. And so you have to understand why certain identities of customers aren't really benefiting from your product or your service that you provide. So you have to do analysis, you do customer analysis, you look at and you segment the customer base. And so everyone who's in commercialization or sales or marketing, they know that.

12:46 SPEAKER_01: And so from that perspective, it's business 101. And and so I help them to see it from a very pragmatic way to help them understand that it's not this enigma, it's things that you have to do. It's leadership 101, management 101, and business 101.

13:06 SPEAKER_00: Definitely a great way to put um to put that. So you you have broken down for our listeners exactly what diversity, inclusion, and equity um look like in the workplace or in general. So let's go on to um our next uh next question for you. How can leaders create accountability around equity without creating fear or resistance?

13:34 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I would say that how the best way to do it is not to not just to hire diverse across all identities. That's that's one way to do it. That's not the only way, because you won't succeed if that's the only thing that you're doing. And a lot of people think that, well, if I hire so many of this or so many of that, I'm done. I have my I'm you know, it I'm done. I don't have to do anything else. And that's just a piece of it. You have to really look at the systems, the policies, the practices, the procedures that exist within the organization and integrate it from that perspective.

14:15 SPEAKER_01: So I talked about the marketing strategies and embedding inclusive strategies in our marketing strategies. Also, from a people standpoint, from the cradle to the grave, from the talent acquisition and recruiting through development, through assessment of performance, through succession planning, and then even through retirement or through transition of the employee, you have to look at all of those different policies and practices and talent management strategies that you put in place and do it through a lens, create them and implement them through a lens of diversity and inclusion.

14:53 SPEAKER_01: When you do that, you're helping to drive accountability. Because then if they're doing, if the manager or the leader is doing it appropriately, then you'll see the results of it. And those results could be in the from the standpoint of not just do we have a diverse workforce that mirrors the diversity in the in the area around us, but also, you know, looking at how the talent and the people flow through the organization. You know, is it are we, you know, what do we look like through the organization and what do we look like at the top?

15:27 SPEAKER_01: And really making sure that managers and leaders are looking at that. And then from a business standpoint, looking at the customer base and saying, how well are we doing in our sales and our revenue? And then and then segmenting out the revenue and the sales and saying, where is it going through? Who are we not reaching? Where do we need to make sure that we're penetrating? What markets? So, you know, a lot of times it's the uh dissecting of what we're doing and how we're measuring and how we're holding people accountable, and that will help us to drive an equitable and fair you know policies and practices and accountability.

16:10 SPEAKER_00: So, how can leaders identify barriers within workplace culture and policies?

16:18 SPEAKER_01: Well, one of the ways that you can do it is you know, you look at the policy and if it is and and ask the question, who's being left behind? Is this policy, this practice, this procedure, this strategy, this initiative, is it leaving anyone behind? Is it forgetting about groups of people? Is it actually hindering and putting obstacles in the way of certain groups of people and why? So that's the best way to be able to really look at it and and do that. So, you know, look as we said in the people processes, looking, for example, at your performance management and looking at the outcomes of that and looking at the distribution curve and saying, okay, the bulk of the people that are getting maybe the the higher expectations or higher ratings, uh do they represent the uh the the sort of the makeup of the overall population of the organization?

17:27 SPEAKER_01: And if it doesn't, you need to be asking the question, why? So there's a lot of analytics that can be done to really help to understand are we leaving anyone behind? And and those are the questions that we need to ask. And then also, too, at the inception standpoint, at the strategy development standpoint, when you're sitting around the table and you're thinking about these various different initiatives and planning them, look around the table and say, who's not here? Whose ideas are we missing?

17:59 SPEAKER_01: Who have who have relevant things to contribute? So asking that question at the beginning of when you're creating something, and then when you have the outcomes and looking back and saying, okay, was it did we get the outcomes that we wanted from whatever it is that we were creating? And that's one way to really see if it is truly an equitable practice.

18:25 SPEAKER_00: Have you ever worked with any leaders within organizations who when they had to look at who's being left behind, that they didn't care as far as what groups were being left behind?

18:43 SPEAKER_01: You know, um, you know, there they may not have cared, but they kind of were cov were were covert about it. But like I said, it it you find out in the outcomes. Right. So in their organizations, let's say you're doing an engagement survey or a culture survey, and most surveys you can look at the data you know, but by areas in the company. And so you can't hide from it. And when you have the data, and I always try to go to leaders and managers with the data because the data tells a story about what needs to be done and where the pain points are in the organization, and to complement the data and the story that the data tells us, I like to do some storytelling as well and get real life either through focus groups or interviews or or or you know, such of the like to really augment what the data is telling you by having real life examples.

19:52 SPEAKER_01: And so when I come with that sort of agenda, they can't help but realize that, okay, I I gotta fix this. Because then that's where the accountability comes in. Because the next time that, you know, let's say a year later, if we take what take the survey again and we're seeing the same results, well, that leader of that person needs to say, okay, we didn't see any any, you know, change. You didn't close the gap. We didn't see any changes in your in your scores. So I'm a proponent of having the data to tell the story, augmenting it with real life stories, and then going to the individual because you can't really argue with that.

20:38 unknown: Right.

20:39 SPEAKER_00: And all across the world, I don't care what workplace you're in, and I'm in education and the data talks.

20:49 SPEAKER_00: So that's definitely some pivotal information and as to how to look at when you're talking to leaders, and and if you have those that say it, I you know, I covertly they may say, I don't care, that certain groups are being left behind, but data's gonna tell it, they're gonna show that you know this is what's going on, and you might want to take a look at it. So let's talk about your book. So in your book, the truth about equity, what it really is, what it isn't, and why everyone wins when we get it right.

21:27 SPEAKER_00: What truth did you most want readers to understand? Oh gosh.

21:33 SPEAKER_01: I think one of the things I call them the myths about equity, that if you try to have equitable practices in an organization, that you're lowering the performance standard. And, you know, for example, in in I've been in lots of discussions where the recruiter is looking for candidates for a hiring manager and an Opening that they have. And the recruiter will usually say something like, Well, I'm going to make sure that I get you a diverse slate of candidates as well. And then the manager might say, Well, you know, I want to make sure that that they're qualified and it's quality candidates.

22:15 SPEAKER_01: And I always stop the conversation to say, Well, what did you mean by that statement? And usually I'll get this Hem and Han and all of this. And that's a myth. Because what they're saying is that if you try to bring in candidates who don't fit look like me, the manager, then you're lowering the standard and they're not going to be as qualified and have the skills and capabilities. And what I like to say is, you know, that you need to trust your staffing consultant and your recruiter because they have this, they have the job requisition.

22:52 SPEAKER_01: They know the skills that are required, the capabilities, they know the years of experience, they know the characteristics, they know what you're looking for. And by the way, all of those things can be embodied in a variety of different identities. So let them go do their job and bring you qualified candidates, regardless of what they look like.

24:01 SPEAKER_00: So, and I hear that often in conversations with other uh with other leaders in school districts and different systems. And sometimes, you know, even those that look like look like us and having those same conversations, well, we want to make sure these are quality candidates. So, what does a quality candidate look like? That's it.

24:24 SPEAKER_01: That's it, and that's what I ask them.

24:27 SPEAKER_00: You should be analyzing them based on their work and what you see on that resume or that essay that they're having to write, or um having those recommendations from their supervisors. So it would be a beautiful world if we we would stop look saying that quality candidates look like something different than how we look. So yes, absolutely. Love those conversations and love that that's that's the truth that you want readers to get from your book. Absolutely. So let's talk about uh destination STEM Incorporated.

25:05 SPEAKER_00: So that you co-founded that with your children, correct? That's correct, yes. So what inspired that mission?

25:13 SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, Destination STEM is a nonprofit that I founded with my daughter Christina and my my son Stephen five years ago. And it's a nonprofit to get students of color and students in need interested in the STEM fields. And what inspired it, I you know, working almost three decades in a pharmaceutical company, and I saw healthcare, I saw a lot of people in STEM, and the representation of people of color was not really what it should have been and what it could have could been. And then from my my children's viewpoint, they were looking at their teachers, both in high school and then also in even in college, and saying, wow, you know, how come I don't have professors and teachers of color in these science and technology and engineering and mathematics fields?

26:06 SPEAKER_01: And so we said, you know what, we need to try to do something about that. And so that's when we founded Destination STEM Inc. And really just, you know, we work with students in middle school and high school. We give out scholarships to high school students that are gonna pursue high school seniors that are gonna pursue STEM degrees. We work with college students, we do we're a volunteer organization, and we have virtual mentoring and tutoring program that college students participate in to mentor and tutor high school students and middle school students that may be struggling with their STEM courses, or just maybe struggling at all, you know, just uh in daily life.

26:48 SPEAKER_01: And you know, there are lots of other workshops, and we go into schools and conduct workshops, and it's just uh it's so fulfilling, and it's just so wonderful to be able to see students and the light bulb going off, and they see the possibilities because you know they we provide a leader speaker series where they can see professionals of color in those STEM fields, and we talk to them about their journey and everything. We also have a we use our scholarship recipients and we have a panel and we get them to talk about like all the ups and downs of making that college decision, going beyond what your guidance counselor would tell you, but their emotional and how you know how they chose their their degree and where they were gonna go and what what what were some of the factors that they were looking at.

27:42 SPEAKER_01: And then, you know, we just like to prepare, we like to also go into the schools and their career fairs and their career expos and talk to the kids. And it's just it's just wonderful. And to get them really interested so they can see the possibilities, see professionals who look like them in STEM, and see college students who look like them that are in these degrees and these minors and majors.

28:07 SPEAKER_00: And it's so it's very important for our black and brown uh students to see those who look like um and look like us. And you know, I can remember going to school and I could count on uh on one hand the number of teachers who look like me at even even in college. And so, you know, it it mattered to see more and not to take away from the impact of those who who were not black or brown, because they were definitely impactful in in my life. But it made it made a difference to be able to see others who they they look like us and they could identify with some of our our habits and customs and just be able to relate to us.

28:59 SPEAKER_00: So this is definitely important. So I I've got to applaud you and your children for for having this nonprofit because I I know that you are definitely making a difference across the United States and and dare to say, maybe even globally, right?

29:14 SPEAKER_01: Thank you. Yes, because a lot of our uh most of our programs are virtual on our virtual learning center on our site and on our YouTube channel. And you know, sometimes they need encouragement because they're told by either a teacher or a guidance counselor, or sometimes even a family member of, well, you know, you're not you ain't good in math, or you're not good in science, and you're not this and you're not that. And we need to encourage them to say, yes, you can. You can be good in math, you can be good in science.

29:46 SPEAKER_01: And and then also make sure that as parents that we're paying attention to what these teachers and the guidance counselors are telling our kids. I can I laughed when my kids are in high school. After my my son is my youngest, when he graduated in high school, he graduated in 2021, and the guidance counselor retired after that. And I laughed because I was looking for her that next year. I forgot what it was. I was I oh, we were trying to uh make sure that the school knew about our scholarships. And so I was I was looking her up and trying to call her, and it was coming back, you know, the email.

30:28 SPEAKER_01: You know how it says when the email when you're not there anymore. And so I got in my car and I drove to the school and I said, you know, where's Miss So-and-so? And they said, Well, she retired. And I I sat there and thought to myself, Lord have mercy, I was in that woman's office so much about like about Christina and Stephen, that she retired after Stephen left. But she was a great guidance counselor. She was she was somebody who she was a partner to me and my husband to really make sure that they were both student athletes.

31:00 SPEAKER_01: But so making sure that they were taking the right courses to prepare for college, that as we got closer, each year we were looking at the courses that they were taking. And every once in a while, my son might try to sneak something in or sneak something off. We're like, no, no, no, no. You need to take this course and that course. But uh, because he knew you know he wasn't gonna get away with anything. And just to make sure that they were prepared to go into the rigor of academics in the in the college environment.

31:30 SPEAKER_00: Right. And and those conversations are very important. So, parents, I know I have parents that are listeners as well. We've had conversations over the past few months about how important your role is and making sure that just because your babies, they go from elementary to middle to high, they still need you and they still need to hear from you, and you need to be a part of those conversations. Our school counselors do so much and beyond um meeting with students and helping them with their college, their college or their careers and what they're wanting to do after high school, you know, that that testing, uh, that dreaded word testing gets involved, and sometimes they are not able to make as many connections with students as they want.

32:16 SPEAKER_00: But school counselors, I have my hat off to them. Some of my best friends are school counselors, and so I I definitely applaud the work that they do in speaking into the life of our students. Absolutely. There's not enough of them in the schools. And just had that conversation with another guest a few weeks ago. There really truly are not enough, and they really don't have the um more time to work. It's like their their contracts end. And when their contracts end, there's so much more that needs to be done over the summer.

32:56 SPEAKER_00: But we find where principals are having to bargain and um use their budget in order to add on days so that they can do more and further the work. But that's a whole nother episode. I'll probably have a round table discussion with some school counselors. As I said, I have most of my close friends are school counselors, and and I've had um one on on the show this year. That's a great subject. Oh, yes. So as we as someone who's deeply invested in leadership and education, what gives you hope about the future?

33:35 SPEAKER_01: You know, when I talk to college students, when I talk to high school students, and I see the the the hope. I see they're so much more mature than when I was in high school. When you know, every every d generation, they seem to be mature, they seem to be, you know, know what's going on, they seem to have a bigger connection with the outside world and with the globe because of technology, social media, and they have opinions. And and they're not waiting until they're in their 30s or 40s or whatever to be leaders.

34:23 SPEAKER_01: They're stepping up and they're doing it now because they they they have beliefs and ideals and perspectives that you know I certainly didn't have when I was their age. And so I am so very, very I'm just excited about their futures. And they're gonna be some tremendous leaders, tremendous leaders. And we all we got to do is just get them prepared and let them loose.

34:52 SPEAKER_00: Preparation. Yes, definitely. So, how do you protect your peace and maintain balance when while you're leading meaningful work as you do in all the things that you're doing? How do you maintain your peace and maintain balance?

35:10 SPEAKER_01: Well, the first thing I do when I get up each morning before I even get up is uh prayer, prayer meditation. Just just that keeps me grounded for whatever may be coming my way through the day. And then the second thing is family. My kids, they are both now in Philadelphia. Steven is in grad school at St. Joe's, and Christina's in vet school at Penn. And so that they actually room together now. And you know, they're about 45 minutes away. So every once in a while we get to hang out with them and and you know, go to dinner or something, or or we're you know, we work together with Destination STEM and attend different events.

35:51 SPEAKER_01: So my family keeps me keeps me grounded and strong. And and then I love to just roll up with a big blanket and watch TV. I love murder mysteries and I love reading mysteries as well. So that's sort of my thing. And even when I'm on the treadmill walking, I or the elliptical, I have my mystery that I'm reading or listening to. So that's what kind of sort of just diffuses me and helps me.

36:20 SPEAKER_00: Those are some great ways to to that to just have your have your peace and to get back into balance. Those are definitely some good ways. Now you can keep the elliptical because I cannot stand that machine.

36:35 SPEAKER_00: I will do treadmill, I will do the recumbent bike, I will do anything else but that elliptical. I don't know. But I'm glad it works for you. Yeah. So this is our last question, and then you're gonna have an opportunity to share what you would like the audience to know, what you're working on, and some and to talk about some of the the things that you have done. And again, we want to resate your book and let you know, let others know about it. But what is the biggest message that you hope listeners take away from this conversation today?

37:12 SPEAKER_01: I would hope that everyone understands that we all have a role to play in being what I call diversity and inclusion ambassadors. And then also we have a role to play to creating a fair and equitable environment wherever we work, wherever we play throughout society, we each have a role in creating that culture that we want to see. And it's not somebody else's job solely, but we have to also have to say, I'm responsible for helping to contribute to the culture that I'd like to see. And I that's what I'd like for people to understand.

37:52 SPEAKER_00: Awesome, awesome, awesome. So, Celeste, share with our listeners uh how how they can find you and what you're um working on that you may be excited about right now.

38:04 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so you can find me at www.crwdiversity.com. And on the on the website, it has uh information. You can subscribe to our newsletter, and I promise you it's not every month and every week, it's just every three or four months, so it's not a lot, just to say what was going, what's going on, what we're doing. And one of the things that both of my books are there as well that you can purchase, click to purchase. And then also, I just released it's a set of mini modules, training modules, virtual modules.

38:42 SPEAKER_01: They're each about 15 minutes long, and it's called Equity in Action Model for Managers. And they're not real expensive, and just go online and it helps you to really take equity from intention to action. And and so I just launched that towards the it was this year, and so I'm really, really happy about that to get that out so people can participate in it. They can go and and and and take the module, and I'd really like to hear, just get some feedback as well and how what they think about it. So please, please go to the website crwdiversity.com and really take a look at it, engage with it, send me an email and and and and say, I want to be a part of your family, Celeste, and and I will send you information and then also places where I'm gonna be to, where I'll be speaking.

39:39 SPEAKER_01: We just got back from DC. My son and I, destination STEM, participated in the HBCU Career Fair and Conference in DC. And I I opened up the day with a keynote, and we had a ball talking to all of those bright, bright minds that we saw there at the conference, alumni and also students. So, you know, uh we're just really, really happy. Oh, and the destination stem website is very easy, destinationstem.org. Go there and you can take a look at what we do. We have an annual fundraiser coming up in June.

40:19 SPEAKER_01: And if you're not in the Pennsylvania area, you can please donate. We need the funding for our scholarships. And we're we plan on doubling the amount of scholarships that we gave out from what we gave out last year, and we're really, really happy about that. We have a virtual learning center, so you can go in there and I encourage you to go on our learning center, get your kids to look go on it. We have workshops, we have virtual college tours, and then we have understanding different careers as well.

40:50 SPEAKER_01: So please, please go on the website and engage with us again. We'll get on our mailing list. We do a newsletter for Destination SEM 2 three times a year and to say kind of what we're doing and also we spotlight one of our scholarship recipients too, eat in each of the newsletters.

41:09 SPEAKER_00: Very good, nice. So a lot of things that you have going on, and I will um plug all of the links that you have shared with me, Celeste. I will plug that into the to the podcast episode itself. And you, the listeners, they will also have a chance to see this on all of my social media platforms. I will make sure to put those out there as well. So thank you so much, Celeste, for being a part of this conversation today. Again, I knew it was gonna be an awesome conversation just from talking with you beforehand and and just getting to know you a little bit.

41:46 SPEAKER_00: So this has definitely been insightful. And I'm gonna say I'm I want to invite you back on for another day, and we can talk about that later on. So if you great, I love it. So these are these are definitely great conversations to have with uh business leaders, with educators, with those who are trying to make a difference in uh the workplace and in our schools and school systems. So again, thank you so much, Celeste, in being a part of this conversation. Thank you for the invitation. Yes, ma'am.

42:21 SPEAKER_00: Today's conversation reminds us that equity is not about checking boxes, it's about creating systems where every person has a real opportunity to thrive. I want to thank you again, Celeste, for challenging us to think deeper, to lead better, and to build environments where inclusion becomes a lived reality rather than just a corporate phrase. Thank you again, and I will see you all next time. Bye bye.