On March 20, Her Campus at Carleton and the Charlatan hosted an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) panel held in the Reader’s Digest Resource Centre in Richcraft Hall. This event aimed to engage students in the fields of journalism, communications, and media in a critical conversation about EDI. I was fortunate enough to host this wonderful event with the EDI Director of The Charlatan, Simone Brown. Simone moderated the panel event, asking each panelist a series of questions.
The three featured panelists were:
Nickie Shobeiry is a journalist (Globe & Mail, Shondaland) covering business, culture and social impact, an award-winning documentary filmmaker (Bell, CBC), public speaker and communications consultant. As a second-gen Iranian, Nickie uses storytelling excellence for good, creating media that celebrates the joy of her culture.
Izzy Poirier, better known as Izzy, is a design entrepreneur blending traditional design with new digital tools, with art and strategy shaping every project. Through her practice, she works with community-focused businesses to create bold, impactful branding that brings people together. She’s also the founder of the Ottawa Design Club, a speaker event series and zine platform dedicated to building creative communities. As an Adobe Live content creator, she shares insights on design, branding, and creative exploration with a global audience.
Ashley Ighorewo – “My name is Ashley Ighorewo, and I’m a local media professional who lives for community and the culture. I’m a journalist, writer, host, event curator (lol I wear many hats), and also the founder of Freegxrl Media; a platform dedicated to empowering and inspiring black women and women of colour through written and video content. I’ve always felt the need to create representation and shift narratives through that; A freegxrl is a changemaker who hones limitless self-definition. You can’t box us in.”
For those who could not make the event, I wanted to highlight key moments that stood out to me and advice from each panelist that may be beneficial in your own journey and career.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EVENT
The questions asked throughout the EDI Panel event were curated towards EDI practices throughout the panellists’ work, experience in the work field, and strategies to overcome challenges. To wrap up the panel, we ended with a Q&A session from our audience.
A continuous theme with each panelist is that their passion for creativity and storytelling impacted their journey into the positions they are in today. With Izzy being her own boss, Nickie utilizing storytelling within her films and Ashley creating her own brand, each journey is different yet inspiring.
Here is a brief summary, notes taken by Kaitlin Gruehl, that highlights the discussion regarding creating safe spaces:
Simone: How did you get into your field?
Nickie: She got into her field as she always loved storytelling, and did a lot of freelancing, reaching out to different publications. She was led into the filmmaking space as journalism evolved, and she loves what she does.
Izzy: She got into her field by accident. She studied visual arts initially and thought she would be a teacher, but after a field trip with her VA teacher’s mom, she hated it and switched to design. After many different careers, she made herself her own boss.
Ashley: She moved to Ottawa in 2015 and came to study journalism. Met a friend online who worked at CBC as a film critic. He invited Ashley onto her segment and said he would put in a good word at Shifter magazine for Ashley.
—
Simone: Follow up. Why is it important to get the people who know the community and content?
Ashley: “A lot of the time we enter these rooms and we are second-guessed automatically.”
Throughout this journey, it’s crucial to realize that not all women fit into the same box. There are women doing tons of different amazing things, and Ashley sees that there is still a gap she wants to bridge.
—
Simone: Izzy, with Ottawa Design Club, your speakers share their personal stories. How do you go about creating a safe space to allow them to do that?
Izzy: Myself and my co-founder are both white straight women. We told ourselves this would never be a political thing. We include everyone because we are genuinely curious and seeking unique stories. We are all just here to nerd out about the craft that we do. A lot of people have no idea who we are and their guard is up. It’s a lot about asking the right questions, and moderating the conversation, ensuring they feel heard. Asking a follow-up that proves you understand them helps a lot.
You have to be loud, you have to be bold, and link with people who actually relate.
Ashley Ighorewo
Simone: Nickie, when you are interviewing, how do you go about making your interviewee safe and comfortable?
Nickie: A lot of the reporting that she does is in the business space, so they don’t often expect her to get too deep.
A lot of the culture reporting is more so emotional. If the editor allows, offering an extra nervous source a draft of the story is sometimes a good idea. Overall, allowing a person space is important. Allowing herself to stay still and have a professional line while still articulating that she is here to hear their story, and is not aiming to exploit their pain.
REFLECTION
A lot of great advice was offered and shared throughout this discussion, such as creating safe spaces and working in the communications and journalism field as a woman of colour. One topic that stood out to me was about identity.
As an upcoming student in the world of journalism and media, it can be difficult to find your passion, your footing and your specific goals. It will be a challenging journey; however, it is important to remember who you are. A specific quote by Nickie Shobeiry was, “Ask for what you’re worth, and advocate for yourself.” There will be people in this world who will want to bring you down, but you can’t let that dim your light. Sometimes you will not have the best experience, whether that is in a workplace or in the classroom, or you won’t be the most successful, but that does not mean you give up on who you are and what you stand for. As Ashley Ighorewo states, you have to stand your ground!
To reiterate this message, within the panel, Ashley and Izzy stated a personal experience regarding an experience that led to growth:
Stated in the Notetaking by Kaitlin Gruel:
Ashley: After months of article writing for a company, she was still not paid. She reached out, and the first person on the call asked why she wanted to get paid. She responded with the fact that she was told that, and she is working hard. This person, whom she looked up to, responded that it took him 10 years to get where he was. She felt looked down on, doubted, and fearful. Six years later, someone else brought this up again, saying that this person was STILL talking about her.
Izzy: She felt let down as she had made promises to her team and her staff. She told him, “If your goals have changed, that should have been communicated to us.” She repeated this over and over until he calmed down. He asks her finally what number she wants, and they agree on 5K. After he stormed out of the room, she went over to him, shook his hand, and said, “pleasure doing business with you.” The event ended up being a success, and this year, they are much more financially stable with a secured grant. Izzy says to own your power and own your why because that will give you strength in that moment.
Nickie stated more personal advice in this realm: She agrees that knowing your why and knowing your intention is crucial. On a practical level, asking for the money that you are worth is important, although it is difficult to ask for certain rates at times with imposter syndrome. Doing it regardless of the voices in your head. Remember that when you are coming up against someone who is making you feel small, you are a sane, clever and proper human being. The thoughts you are having were likely had by others which makes things easier to manage. A sense of purpose also allows for a lot of advocating – not being afraid to advocate for yourself.
“Ask for what you’re worth, and advocate for yourself”
Nickie Shobeiry
There was also a lot of advice on where to start, what to do in the meantime when looking for jobs, or how to get inspiration back when facing writer’s block. Advice consisted of thinking about the mark you want to leave on the world and to keep going. Post your craft on social media, and create a list of what you want to achieve.
Our audience at this event consisted of students who were about to graduate or thinking about their life after university. As students learning about the world, our life is just beginning. I wanted to highlight advice that each panelist gave about if they could talk to their younger self:
Reflection from the EDI Panel:
Simone: What would you tell yourself when you were 18, 19, 20 when you were just starting off?
Izzy: Don’t underestimate yourself because you don’t really know what you can’t do!
Nickie: Stop worrying so much, you’re going to be fine. Life is long and it gets better! Also – start building your network now.
Ashley: Don’t dim your light for anybody. Stay true to what you want to bring into this world.
This question led me to think about the recent Her Campus Article the exec team recently wrote. Click the link here to read!
Don’t underestimate yourself because you don’t really know what you can’t do!
Izzy Poirier
SHORT FORM ADVICE FROM OUR PANELISTS
- Izzy: It is okay to do one thing, and change your mind. Allowing yourself to stay curious and wanting to explore things is important.
- Ashley: Belief is very important. Believe in your vision and yourself. The little things you do all add up until you get to where you want to be.
- Nickie: You have to remember this is your own journey. Rather than resenting someone, ask what bits of them you can take into your own life that become habitual.
- Ashley: Say yes to as much as you can.
- Nickie: Stop worrying so much, you’re going to be fine. Life is long and it gets better! Also – start building your network now.
- Izzy: Dream big. Write your own obituary, and think how you want the world to remember you.
- Ashley: “Hold onto your story, hold onto your why, remember why you started, and surround yourself with people who remind you that you are that girl.”
- Nickie: “Ask for what you’re worth, and advocate for yourself.”
- Izzy: Flip the script. Say you want to be as good as that person and fuel yourself. Someone above you should not be stopping you, it should be fueling you. You can apply your own mindset to the work you do. Your thoughts about yourself become your truth. Book recommendation: How to Chase Change.