When business administration sophomore Avery Phillips attended the Matter Belong Persist Conference on April 18, she walked away with a stronger sense of confidence in embracing authenticity in both her personal and professional life. She said she found the speakers to be eye-opening.
“It’s valuable to hear from a lot of different speakers because they all have different experiences,” Phillips said. “Especially since they are Cal Poly graduates, you can see yourself in them.”
Hosted by the Multicultural Business Program, the annual Matter Belong Persist (MBP) conference welcomed four speakers who shared insights on the theme of promoting authenticity in the workplace to a crowd of 200 students.
According to Arely Villa-Gutierrez, MBP intern and a business administration sophomore, the conference aimed to prepare all Cal Poly students — especially those from underrepresented and traditionally marginalized backgrounds — to navigate workplace situations with authenticity.
“I like the intimacy of the event and how the speakers have made it very conversational and easy for us to ask questions and just have a conversation with them,” business administration sophomore Ellie DeNinno said.
The first speaker, Nina Singhal, who works in HR at LinkedIn, spoke about personal authenticity and her five strategies for maintaining it.
“I really liked the first speaker and how she talked about knowing your values and how that is of the utmost importance,” DeNinno said. “I think that is really important because if you don’t stay true to those values, then you won’t be your most authentic self in the workplace.”
Following Singhal, Quang Do, a partner at RevEng Consulting, discussed maintaining authenticity in leadership. Phillips appreciated the lighthearted tone of his speech.
“I feel like both of the leaders really emphasized sticking true to yourself and not putting on a false image,” Phillips said.
Sam Huang, an economics senior and MBP lead committee member, reflected on the insights shared by Samantha Sim, Avionics Operations Supervisor at SpaceX. Sim, the third speaker of the event, described real experiences where she learned to ask difficult questions authentically, especially when feeling uncertain or overwhelmed by others’ expertise.
Delivering the keynote speech, Sunaina Lobo emphasized defining what it means to be an authentic leader. Students were encouraged to engage with their peers, reflect on their values and recognize their own strengths that they carry.
According to MBP coordinator Yesenia Marquez-Beas, this event took the team seven months to prepare.
“I was looking forward to seeing the students bring their energy and attention to the speakers [and] seeing them come to the conference very prepared to network,” Huang said.
Villa-Gutierrez said the conference exemplified the purpose of the program — holding strong values, embracing inclusivity and diversity, and uplifting the community.