Zoë Olivia Barnswell ’16

Lifting up the next generation

established STEM careers discussed their professional experiences. She has also mentored multiple students and alumnae, sharing with them anecdotes about her career journey and offering insights on navigating the technology job market.

“I love to be able to make that personal connection, to really get to know them and help them through the different challenges they’re facing and also to see them succeed,” Barnswell says.

Barnswell says the confidence she gained at Porter’s also emerged through her role as a co-head of the Black Latina Alliance (now the Black & Latine Alliance), for which she helped organize movie nights, cultural meals and other events to foster community among Black and Latine students. She says creating an “inclusive and brave space” on campus for diverse students was vital to her personal growth and sense of agency.

That desire to lift up others like her informed her work at JP Morgan Chase, where she volunteered for diversity initiatives. She has also sought to advance such efforts at Porter’s; last year, she made a donation to the school’s equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.

“I was thinking about the legacy I want to leave at Porter’s and how I want to make that community stronger and better for students of color coming after me,” she says. “I do feel very strongly about supporting women and supporting people of color in different spaces who don’t necessarily always feel like [those spaces] were built for them. So [if there’s] any way that I can help uplift students and help empower the school to do that, I’m happy to continue donating my resources.”