MY CAREER
PATH
DIVERSITY CHAMPION Jennifer Rivera ’11 designs. learning programs that. develop the diverse strengths. of her colleagues at Aon.
I’ve always been interested in diversity and inclusion. My parents came to the United States from Mexico when they were very young and raised me in the mostly white and wealthy suburbs, so I always felt a bit of an outsider. When I got to Elmhurst, I took a study abroad trip to South Africa that was a real eye-opener. I assisted teachers in a primary school in Langa, a township near Cape Town. Working there helped me understand that in helping others, you also allow them to help you. It confirmed for me that my place in the business world should be helping others as much as I could.
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I started at Aon’s office in Chicago, but I knew from the beginning that I wanted to work abroad. I was very persistent about making that happen. I’ve been in London for more than three years now, and there is no better place to encounter the diversity of the world. It’s incredible how many different cultures there are here. As global learning experience manager at Aon, I design what we call learning journeys. They’re not one-time programs you attend, but an ongoing growth process. I own our leadership development program, called
Accelerate, and I am designing our people-leader curricula for managers, in partnership with FranklinCovey. This year, with so much of the world focused on the Black Lives Matter protests, there has been a lot of excitement around diversity and inclusion. These have always been values at Aon, but now more doors are opening to dialogue. People who have felt excluded have more of a voice. When people feel they are being heard and valued, everyone in the organization benefits.