iii DEI Fellows
A Note from our DEI Team Lead
"Through collaboration & input from all levels of our Integrated Innovation Institute community, our iii Equity in Action committee strives to combat the barriers of inequity that exist in higher education. Each person's contributions are not only a testament of dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion -- they are also a commitment to doing truly meaningful work with an impact that spans beyond our day-to-day duties. I am excited to be a part of a team that is committed to working together to create an environment of respect and to ultimately contribute to a future that is better for all."
Leia Delabahan, Senior Academic & Student Services Advisor
"Through collaboration & input from all levels of our Integrated Innovation Institute community, our iii Equity in Action committee strives to combat the barriers of inequity that exist in higher education. Each person's contributions are not only a testament of dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion -- they are also a commitment to doing truly meaningful work with an impact that spans beyond our day-to-day duties. I am excited to be a part of a team that is committed to working together to create an environment of respect and to ultimately contribute to a future that is better for all."
Leia Delabahan, Senior Academic & Student Services AdvisorDEI Fellows & Overview
2023 - 2024 Fellows
Nitya Mathur
MIIPS '24
Nitya completed her undergraduate degree in computer science engineering from New Delhi, India. Innovations that have the potential to change the world intrigue her, and she is committed to take on the challenge of playing an influential role in state-of-the-art technologies, especially in the field of Natural Language Processing, while welcoming the flexibility of her future career path.
Vulnerability is power, hence Nitya strives to be unapologetically herself while asking the right questions to encourage others to share their perspectives. She is an ardent advocate for mental health and loves going to therapy. To rejuvenate, she reads, swims and watches Formula 1.
Neha Suresh Kumar
MSSM '24
Neha Suresh is an MSSM student from Chennai, India. She has over 5 years of software engineering experience in a SaaS company and was part of a small NGO, called Mritsa, which promoted clean and green living in the local neighborhood.
She actively looks for ways to broaden her horizon, and understand different cultures and ways of living. She can fluently speak 4 languages and is currently learning one more. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, gardening and doing yoga. She also enjoys front-end development and like building small games.
She firmly goes by this quote, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”
Fellowships are awarded for three semesters, with specific responsibilities assigned to fellows each semester:
2023 - 2024 Fellowship Overview
Fall
- Begin iii Equity in Action Subcommittee work
- Establish bi-weekly coffee chats
- Participate in Bystander Intervention Training
- Fall iii community event
Spring
- Continue iii Equity in Action subcommittee work & bi-weekly coffeee chats
- Plan & facilitate International Student Panel (admitted students)
- Spring iii community event
Summer
- Summer Project in Collaboration with Peer Mentors
- Onboarding incoming DEI Fellow
(2024 - 2025 year)
Interested in becoming a DEI fellow? Applications for the Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley DEI fellow positions begin the summer before the start of your respective program. For more information, contact Leia Delahaban.
Past DEI Fellows
María Beatriz Manrique Ardila
Fall 2022 - Summer 2023
MIIPS, Pittsburgh
Maria's favorite part of being a DEI fellow was that she organized a potluck dinner for the MIIPS students. Students were each encouraged to bring a dish from their cultural heritage and everyone enjoyed trying each other’s dishes. Maria also hosted the bi-weekly coffee chats that provided a space for diverse perspectives to be shared. The coffee chats focused on a diverse range of topics such as mental health, bystander intervention, and disability awareness.
Seemran Mishra
Fall 2022 - Summer 2023
MSSM, Silicon Valley
Fall 2022 - Summer 2023
MSSM, Silicon Valley
Seemran organized and hosted large cultural events, including Diwali and Lunar New Year celebrations, which not only brought the community together, but also fostered a sense of inclusivity and appreciation for diverse traditions. Seemran also organized an event called "DEI Insights in Tech", which provided a platform to explore the intersection of AI and diversity.
Somya Mittal
Spring 2022 - Fall 2022
MSSM, Silicon Valley
Somya assisted with the creation of the CMU-SV Diversity Career Guide, which serves as a resource for DEI-related considerations for students navigating their internship & full-time job search. She also collaborated with the iii Marketing Team to compile a bi-weekly round-up of DEI-related news & opportunities for the iii newsletter and Slack. In addition, she helped to co-facilitate the first ever International Student Perspectives session for prospective students.
Virgil Looney
Fall 2020 - Spring 2022
MIIPS, Pittsburgh
Virgil co-facilitated a Get to Know iii DEI Session with the iii student community. In addition, he also collaborated with iii Admissions to launch the first iteration of the DEI Funding & Scholarship resource for incoming iii students. He also served as the department's representative for the CIT Student Advisory Committee and helped to co-facilitate the first ever International Student Perspectives session for prospective students.
Alex Cusell
Fall 2020
MSTV, Silicon Valley
Alex co-facilitated a Get to Know iii DEI Session with students, emphasizing the importance of diversity, equity, & inclusion within the department & collecting feedback on the student experience. She also collaborated with iii Marketing to provide DEI-related content for the bi-weekly iii newsletter, promoting DEI programming & initiatives to the iii community.
