Introducing Taryana Gilbeau

My name is Taryana Gilbeau and I am excited to join the Glass Ladder Group (GLG) as the first ever Program Assistant! I am honored to work in an environment where cross-cultural dialogue is at the center of everything that we do.

I have worked in many organizations that simply looked at diversity as placing people who did not look alike in the same room. Unfortunately, they did not cultivate a space where dialogue and understanding were at the forefront. I attended a university where the intention was to create a campus where people from all walks of life felt comfortable, yet the dining hall tables remained separate and tension among different groups of people was still prevalent. There were still times when pro-Palestine students were kicked out of the Jewish Hillel house taking away the opportunity for two groups to engage in meaningful dialogue and the police were called on Black students for breaking and entering when they were walking into their own dorm rooms.

This needs to change. Intercultural communication training fulfills this need to encourage greater dialogue and create a more mutually understanding society. That is why I look forward to working in a space where we push past who is in the room and look to see how the people in the room are interacting and understanding each other.

As I enter into this role, I am challenging myself to see where I can make improvements. Whether that means checking my cultural biases or making the effort to engage in healthy dialogue with those who do not share the same background as me when I enter into new spaces. As I close out my first week at GLG it is my mission to be a reflection of the mission and goals of this company in both my personal and professional life. I am passionate about cultural exchange between people all across the world and look forward to embarking on this journey with GLG.

Checkout my bio on the Glass Ladder Group website and make sure to follow along as I share my perspectives on hot intercultural topics such as race, gender, socio-economics and generational gaps on our blog.