The Innovators Club - U of T Computer Science Supplemental Question

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1. Describe a situation you witnessed, or were involved in, where someone was treated unfairly or discriminated against. As you describe the situation, please outline how you responded, and would you do anything differently if that situation occurred again? If you have never encountered a situation like this before, please outline what you would do if this happened to you or to a third party. 120 words max

As president of the Innovators Club for three years, I recurrently noticed a lack of diversity in our executive team, mainly due to unintentionally designed questions that discouraged marginalised students from applying. This insight led us to adopt an inclusive approach by redesigning our recruitment process to incorporate equitable questions that welcomed varied perspectives rather than repetitive superficial responses. Anticipating similar challenges in preparing teams for the JA Central Pitch Competition, we proactively screened all teams for systemic barriers, focusing on their access to resources and support. Instead of prioritising achieving outstanding results, we provided one-on-one mentorship meetings tailored to students' strengths to highlight their individual development. This inclusivity-focused approach redefined the club's purpose, inspiring 150 members from diverse backgrounds.

You cannot use a group setting for this response because the prompt is asking you to respond on an individual basis. You cannot use a blanket reference for discrimination either. You have to be very specific with your response. Who was involved? What was the discrimination you witnessed? What was the result? How would you have changed things? I know that using the organization actions sounds more important and shows you fully participating in problem resolution but that is not what the prompt is asking you to discuss. This is an individual response statement. The reviewer wants to know if you are a racist, or if you have any discrimination that could affect your participation in the student community in a negative manner. So you have to be personal about your response by discussing something personal in relation to the prompt. This about you/I, there is no "we" in this presentation.