Student-Led Institutional Change for Diversity and Inclusion: Insights From the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Ambassador Program
Article
Secules, S, Kumar, N, Bond-Trittipo, B et al. (2024). Student-Led Institutional Change for Diversity and Inclusion: Insights From the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Ambassador Program
. JOURNAL OF DIVERSITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION, 10.1037/dhe0000618
Secules, S, Kumar, N, Bond-Trittipo, B et al. (2024). Student-Led Institutional Change for Diversity and Inclusion: Insights From the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Ambassador Program
. JOURNAL OF DIVERSITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION, 10.1037/dhe0000618
This practice brief describes a model for pursuing student-led institutional change focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. While the literature emphasizes the importance of student agency, most diversity and educational initiatives still tend to happen to or for students rather than in partnership with them. Meanwhile, student organizations and student activism are legitimately helping improve the university but amount to uncompensated labor. We highlight the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Ambassador program, which engages undergraduate engineering students in efforts of student-led institutional change focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher engineering education. Informed by Youth Participatory Action Research, we discuss the challenges and insights associated with five main aspects of the program: (1) monetary support, (2) student selection, (3) training, (4) mentored project work, and (5) impact and communication with the community. Finally, we provide implications from the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Ambassador program for higher education and engineering education diversity support programs.
