HONORING IDENTITY

by Erica Hulse

“Taking this role, especially moving here, has exposed me to a lot of other different organizations on campus,” shared Sophonie Bazile, Coordinator of Online Student Support & Community for the College of Business. Passionate about issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion, Bazile explained, “Whenever I get to a place…I [say], ‘What can I join that aligns with my interests?’”

Organizations such as the Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA), LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Association (LGBTQ+FSA), and the Commission on the Status of Women (COSW) have not only provided an opportunity for Bazile to get involved and make a difference at the University of Louisville—her efforts are changing the way some campus DEI organizations communicate with one another and the greater UofL community. Due to her proven dedication toward furthering awareness of women’s issues at UofL, she was selected as the 2023 Commissioner of the Year for COSW.

Born in Haiti, Bazile moved to the United States as a young girl. Upon earning her bachelor’s degree in international studies from Bethune-Cookman University, she found herself focused on a greater purpose —better understanding issues impacting women. Bazile decided to continue her education, completing her graduate degree in women’s studies from the University of Cincinnati, before beginning doctoral work at the University of Kentucky, concentrating on human geography.

Not one to stay idle, once Bazile was hired at the UofL College of Business, she quickly found herself not only serving online graduate students but serving UofL in a variety of capacities, most specifically organizations she connected with on a personal level. “I think now a lot of the DEI work that I do has been more towards the different aspects of my own identity; I’m black…a woman…then LGBTQ+, I’m part of that community; I stick with the organizations that represent some aspect of my identity.”

Providing communication strategies and producing communication deliverables is how Bazile supports the DEI organizations she serves at UofL, most notably as chair of the communications committee for COSW. “With the BFSA, I do a lot of what you could call communications; I put out a newsletter each week for them, so I said, ‘I can do something similar in COSW.’” Also noting the importance of providing communication accessibility to COSW, she explained that “we ended up setting up a service account recently, which I hope we will begin to use to set up meetings and communicate with people.”

Learning of her recognition as 2023

Commissioner of the Year for COSW, Bazile noted, “I was just really surprised. I do the work; I don’t expect people to pay attention to it, and I don’t do it to get an award. I just get in and do it.”

Bazile encourages others wanting to get involved in DEI initiatives to take active steps to become an engaged volunteer. “When you find those [organizations] that interest you, get involved. Get on those executive boards and committees because it is hard to get people to volunteer their time.”