Diana Buxton - September 30, 2020 - 488 views

My name is Diana Buxton, and I am a breast cancer survivor.   Although one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, I never thought it would be me. I’ve had a fortunate life. But cancer doesn’t discriminate – it does what it wants and to whom. In June 2019, I discovered a […]

Irene Sandler - September 22, 2020 - 801 views

On a cold and cloudy January day in Portland, Oregon, I gave birth at home to my first child, a boy. He was perfect, and perfectly healthy, with all fingers and all toes, just as we had wished. We named him Isaac, which means, “he laughs.” And so did the universe. By six months, it […]

Meganne Franks - September 14, 2020 - 530 views

There’s a reason racial gaslighting is so widely talked about: It’s everywhere, especially the workplace. Gaslighting is a covert form of undermining others so that they doubt what they experience, see or feel. Racial gaslighting spurs self-doubt about racist experiences. It often subtly shifts the dialog from the topic at hand to the speaker and […]

Noe A. Gutierrez - September 10, 2020 - 371 views

Diversity has always mattered to me. But back in 2014, I was one of very few Hispanics working at Cognizant. As a friend and I brainstormed about ways for more diverse talent to find their way to the company, he suggested I join the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC), a professional association for senior business […]

Lance Moncrieffe - August 13, 2020 - 702 views

I’m convinced that the boundaries between us are not our cultural differences at all. What really divides us are the walls of misunderstanding about our differences – and the actions we take based on those misunderstandings.  I can recall with unfortunate clarity the close of my first full year in the workforce: Disbelief. Frustration. Fear. […]

Fred Bachhuber - July 7, 2020 - 262 views

July marks the end of Pride festivities, and for too many people, a return to the closet. But the camaraderie and sense of belonging that go along with Pride don’t have to be fleeting. Pride is loved by many for its hoopla. Last year in New York City, five million revelers filled the streets to […]

Shameka Young - June 18, 2020 - 361 views

I let out a whoop of excitement when I heard Cognizant would observe Juneteenth as a company holiday for U.S. associates.  Hailing from Texas, where the historic June 19 announcement of slavery’s end occurred in 1865, I’ve celebrated Juneteenth annually since I was a child. Honoring it today as a company holiday feels like part […]

Shelley Tiltman - June 8, 2020 - 738 views

You don’t come out just once – each time you change projects or teams, or start a new job, you come out all over again. And each time can feel just as scary as the one before. I’ve been out since I was 18. Yet when a client or someone outside of my team asks […]

Jennifer Green Godette - June 4, 2020 - 1934 views

As a diversity and inclusion (D&I) leader at Cognizant, I’m always planning for the next big D&I event. June, for instance, is filled with many Pride celebrations, virtual and otherwise. But instead of seeing coverage of upcoming LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations, I’m watching news coverage and having conversations with friends and family members about the senseless deaths of […]

Stephanie Bauer - June 2, 2020 - 373 views

As a woman who has spent much of her career in male-dominated industries, I’ve often received feedback that compares me with the men around me. All too often, this feedback has been geared toward molding me into the predecessor for my role, rather than angling me toward where my potential lies. Some may recognize this […]