PR Senior Attends AfroTech Conference on a DEI Scholarship
By: Nolan Kirkwood
For over a year public relations honors senior, Fanta Kaba, had her sights set on attending the AfroTech Conference, an annual event hosting people of color to connect them with major global tech companies. With initiative, strategy and university support, her vision was realized in fall 2023.
Studying for a minor in business, Kaba is also the vice president of Black and Broad, a student-led organization with the purpose of creating a community for marginalized people in the business school. Kaba was able to travel to the conference with a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion scholarship from MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences. When she first showed interest in the conference, she says she was unsure if MSU would give out a scholarship for the event. Luckily, Kaba reached out to one of her public relations professors, who Kaba said was able to make those necessary connections within a day.
Kaba says this conference is especially impactful because of the way it connects young people of color and helps them explore different fields and positions in tech that they may have never envisioned themselves assuming.
“For the first time it’s putting people that look like me at the forefront of things instead of in the back,” said Kaba.
Through her internship at Ubisoft, Kaba is involved with the gaming industry. She says she went to the conference with a strategic plan of who she wanted to meet, including representatives from companies like Roblox, Microsoft and more. Kaba says she aspires to one day work in the tech industry. In addition to being catered to industry professionals, the conference also gives opportunities for students like Kaba to make connections with executives at key tech companies.
She says that seeing women that look like herself in powerful positions is not something she is used to. Following the conference, Kaba noticed that her network has grown immensely. She says the connections she made at AfroTech have better prepared her for her job search after graduation.