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A West Texas A&M University student recently joined forces with others from across the country in an effort to combat misconceptions about his generational peers.
Drew Helterbran, a senior digital communication and media major from Amarillo, represented the Texas Panhandle as part of the National Millennial and Gen Z Community visit to Charlotte, North Carolina.
“The trip was nothing short of phenomenal. The biggest thing that I learned from this experience is that connections are invaluable in the world we live in,” Helterbran said. "This trip has given me an expanded worldview on networking and leadership roles, and I believe that this knowledge will greatly benefit me going forward."
The National Millennial and Gen Z Community is a volunteer organization that engages the voices of younger generations via roundtable discussions, video conferences and think-tank conversations with key business, government and community leaders around the country.
“To have the broadest level of diversity possible, I wanted to include young adults from smaller towns and rural communities,” said Bill Imada, the founder of the National Millennial and Gen Z Community and chief connectivity officer of IW Group in Los Angeles. “I also felt a student from WT would provide unique perspectives on what it means to have a diverse, equitable and inclusive society.”
Helterbran, a student in WT’s Department of Communication, and the rest of the NMGZ group traveled to Charlotte from June 26 to 29 for an all-expense-paid experience that included meetings with leaders at several companies in Charlotte, including Wells Fargo, CGI Consulting, Camp North End, RLF Communications, Luquire and the Junior Achievement.
Helterbran and the other participants discussed a variety of topics with the business leaders, including diversity initiatives and why the group valued DEI.
“I could not believe in the slightest that I was supposed to represent the university in something like this,” Helterbran said. “However, this was something that I could never pass up.”
“We ate dinner with some influential folks, such as Fields Jackson, founder of online magazine Racing Toward Diversity, and Sue Ann Hong, CEO of the Center for Asian Pacific American Women,” Helterbran continued. “It was amazing to speak to all these people and learn from their insight.”
The group members also participated in bonding activities like whitewater rafting and ziplining that assisted in the students building relationships with each other outside of the meeting room.
Imada said he hopes the trip has a lasting impact on its participants.
“I want young adults to experience the value of working together and to be respectful of diverse viewpoints by listening to understand rather than listening to react,” Imada said. “I hope every student who traveled to Charlotte will walk away with a fresh perspective on civil discourse and why it is so needed in our country.”
-West Texas A&M University