mentoring

Growing up in North Carolina and then attending Howard University, Simone Lawrence spent a lot of time in spaces where people looked like her. The first time she came to Utah, as an intern for the IMPACT program at the David Eccles School of Business, she experienced more than a little bit of culture shock.

Suddenly on her own in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar culture, Lawrence had to build a new network and a new life. Now, as program manager of IMPACT, she uses those experiences to help the students coming through the program do the same thing.

“You have to reach outside your circle if you want to elevate and grow," Lawrence said, "but somebody has to show you that you can do it. I don't mind making myself uncomfortable to make someone else comfortable. I am happy to do it. If I need to be the only Black woman in a space to show other people they can do it, too, I love to do that.”

IMPACT started as a partnership between the University of Utah and Howard University to bring students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to Utah for internships and a unique opportunity to expand their horizons and experiences.

Lawrence first heard about the program as a student at Howard and, intrigued by the promise of a “new place, new world,” she applied and was placed in an internship working with the CEO of Utah-based tech company Pluralsight. Then COVID hit and the program went virtual.

Though she wasn’t able to come to Utah, the company worked hard to make her feel like she was a part of what was going on. They even had a pizza delivered to her back on the East Coast so she could participate with everyone else in a virtual pizza night.

But, more importantly, Pluralsight created a space where Lawrence felt comfortable sharing her own experiences and insights and playing to her strengths. For example, after the murder of George Floyd, Lawrence facilitated workshops and small groups for other Pluralsight employees to talk about the social unrest that was unfolding and to get feedback from employees about how they wanted the company to respond and engage.

“That was my first experience of someone seeing something in me and giving me a chance to say, ‘What can I do here?’” Lawrence said. “I didn’t think I would be able to make a difference but there I was, making a difference.”

Now in her second year leading IMPACT, Lawrence is committed to giving students new experience that will preare them to make their own difference. In fact, the name of the program embodies everything she hopes it will accomplish: Internship, Mentorship, Professional Development, Academic Achievement, Community Engagement, and Tourism.

“It’s really unique for these students to come here,” Lawrence said. “And it takes a special kind of person to say, ‘I’m going to move across the country for 12 weeks and experience a different kind of life.’”

That life includes more than just work. Students in the program take a trip to Moab, ride ATVs, and go paddleboarding. They live in Lassonde Studios and participate in events on campus. Lawrence also put together an advisory board comprised of Black professionals who help students prepare for and navigate things they might experience in the workplace, such as microaggressions.

“It can be jarring to come here from an HBCU where you see someone like yourself all the time, to a place like here where you don’t see yourself represented,” Lawrence said. “It can be uncomfortable and you might feel like you can’t show up authentically as yourself because it’s difficult to navigate that system.”

It can be hard, but that is all the more reason to do it, Lawrence said. It is a benefit to companies that need the right people and experiences at the table to make meaningful changes in equity, diversity, and inclusion. And it is a benefit to the students who learn to succeed in a new environment and see first-hand the real-world impact they can have.

“I’ve gotten great feedback from our companies. They are always surprised about how much our students bring to the table,” Lawrence said. “They say, ‘There are so many things we didn’t think about, and now we can do something to make our company better.’”

What Lawrence hopes most of all, though, is that the IMPACT experience makes students’ lives better – the way it did for her. She still doesn’t understand Utah’s soda culture (“Sometimes I get adventurous and order a Dr. Pepper with lime and cherry,” she said) but other parts of the state’s culture, like camping and rock climbing, have become new hobbies. And, most significantly, she has a much wider and richer perspective – both about what is available out in the world, and about what she can do to impact the world around her, wherever she is.

“I had such a great experience, and I want everyone to experience what I had. And I want to make it better,” Lawrence said. “If you don’t see people like you doing things in other spaces, you don’t know you can do it. I want people to know what they can do.” ■