Launched in January 2018, the 24 members of the Elliott School’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion are composed of students, faculty, and staff. The council’s purpose is to advise the school’s leadership on specific activities and initiatives to implement related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We recently caught up with Gillian Villarroel, a first-year student pursuing a major in International Affairs. As the council’s youngest member, we asked what inspired her to get involved.
Q. How did you hear about the diversity and inclusion council at the Elliott School?
In high school, knowing that GW is a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), my equity and excellence counselor advised me to seek opportunities where I could connect with the multicultural community in college. As an Elliott School student, I signed up for the Diversity and Inclusion Newsletter. I received the newsletter promoting the council and applied!
Q. What made you want to be a part of it?
I wanted to be a member of the council because I have a lot of passion and drive for the goals of the diversity action plan. I wanted to bring my values of hard work, confidence, and ambition to my school community. I grew up living in two worlds and learned how to embrace my Bolivian heritage within my American lifestyle. I felt my background could help to inform discussions and programming. I was very excited when I received my acceptance email!
Q. Have you had previous experiences either negative or positive that make the issue of diversity and inclusion important to you?
Growing up my life was surrounded by the realities of diversity and inclusion. Often, I felt like an outsider in school trying to find a community where I could feel a true sense of belonging. As a minority student, it seemed like a negative thing at first, but as I grew, I learned to love my culture. I was able to perceive things through the lens of my heritage that perhaps my peers weren’t able to.
In my experience as an intern in my county’s school and community relations office, I did a lot of event planning. I gained experience with voicing my opinions. I have participated in different advocacy days and programs, both in Washington D.C. and Virginia, and I have found a true passion for advocacy.
Q. What are your personal priorities to accomplish as part of the council?
Sometimes, finding opportunities can be a struggle because I don’t see myself reflected in the programs I wish to participate in. A personal priority of mine is to continue to support the diversity and inclusion initiatives at Elliott by providing outreach to underrepresented students who feel the same way. Being in the U.S. capital, there is so much opportunity, but as minorities, it can be a struggle to feel you are capable enough to participate. I want to be able to provide minority students with confidence. I envision in doing this, that Elliott not only becomes more diverse, but our entire community benefits.
Q. What, if anything, has the council done thus far that makes you feel it is making a difference at GW?
The council has truly been such a blessing, I look forward to going to every meeting. I feel that I am able to voice my opinion in an open space where I can be heard. The council currently has many working groups meeting in order to achieve goals and initiatives that are needed in the community. I am fortunate enough to be a student co-lead for the working group on student retention and recruitment. Good things take time, but I will feel that the council’s work has made a difference at GW.
More about Gillian Villarroel
Gillian is the first-year class representative for the Elliott School Council on Diversity and Inclusion as well as a Student Co-lead for the student recruitment and retainment working group. Gillian is a part of multiple student organizations on campus, including the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS) where she is a freshman representative, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) where she is a marketing director, and IGNITE where she serves as a freshman representative. She is a member of the Dean’s Council for Multicultural Recruitment, a part-time barista at a coffee shop, and serves as an AmeriCorp member for Jumpstart. Gillian enjoys advocating for those in her community, reading, traveling, and a good cup of coffee!