TJ Bowie G’19 is channeling his enthusiasm to assistance some others by guaranteeing folks have possibilities to prosper at Elon and further than.
TJ Bowie G’19 accepted his initially position in the Workplace of Human Means about a calendar year back, but he’s been in the company of serving to persons a good deal lengthier.
As Elon’s inaugural equal chance and human resources compliance supervisor, he’s primarily responsible for all growth and training around equitable work protocols, which includes examining recruiting and using the services of practices. “We want to do our greatest to address bias and create as significantly of an inclusive and equitable method as probable,” claims Bowie, including that viewing people today realize success who weren’t presented a probability at initially thanks to bias keeps him likely.
It’s one thing that has motivated him through his experienced daily life. When he labored in home lifestyle, building staff and students from a social justice viewpoint was his concentration. “The prevalent concept all over my experienced trajectory is building people today and the lifestyle they do the job in,” he claims.
Bowie moved frequently as a kid but lived in Colorado for most of his upbringing. He used time dwelling in a non-White the vast majority local community in high faculty, an expertise that authorized him to see inequities in motion. “I’m not sure we had any discussions about the inequities I discovered,” he suggests, “and it was not right up until I mirrored on it a lot more as an adult that I could unpack it in my head.”
Ahead of finishing two master’s degrees, he attended a Jesuit institution in Denver. “That’s actually where I confronted my whiteness, White privilege and electricity that I have as a White gentleman,” TJ suggests. “Since then, it is been a journey of employing that to be a voice and handle programs of inequity.”
As an undergraduate, Bowie went to El Salvador as portion of a analyze overseas opportunity, an practical experience that opened his eyes to even bigger disparities. “This was my very first time viewing people today live in determined situations,” he recollects.
That solidified his need to aid customers of his local community. “It is what sparked that enthusiasm in me,” he states. “I selected to build and acquire other folks.”
Though performing as an assistant director of auxiliary companies at Elon, he resolved to go after an MBA at the Enjoy School of Business enterprise. Just after finishing that system, Bowie begun hunting for opportunities to merge his wish and passion for encouraging people with a placement at the establishment. He related with Randy Williams, vice president and affiliate provost for inclusive excellence, and Kelli Shuman, associate vice president of human methods, and realized about the newly established equal chance and human means manager position, which he now retains.
Bowie is energized to proceed his personal and professional progress journey. Before this calendar year, he was chosen to take part in a selective leadership system presented by the College or university and University Skilled Affiliation for Human Assets. As element of the 12-month application, Bowie will have the chance to develop his expert competencies by customized understanding encounters including mentorship, studying occasions and programs.
“It is continual self-growth,” he states. “I cannot correctly evaluate our techniques and protocol with out being aware of who I am, how my identity exhibits up in a expert placing, and addressing the biases that I have.”
He thinks in the institution’s commitment to generating a a lot more inclusive and equitable community. The creation of positions committed to support more equitable procedures, like his have role, are proof of that determination, he suggests. “If we can recruit more fairness-centered people today, the more inclusive we can be as a neighborhood.”
Bowie hopes to improve the encounter of other people by encouraging and furnishing opportunities for people to prosper. “I say this usually, people helping folks is what I do,” he says.
TJ Bowie is element of “Huemanity of Individuals,” a collection by the Division of Inclusive Excellence that celebrates the variety of Elon’s local community to uplift the values of inclusion and equity.
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