I’m a Latina Veteran Who Works at Amazon. Diversity Isn’t About Checking a Box
It’s vital to design products that work for everyone — and for ensuring businesses’ survival
By Laura Evans
Demonstrations around the country have drawn attention recently to the need for more women and people of color in the professional world. Everyone from Apple to the NFL has pledged to diversify their hiring practices. Last month, Adidas announced that 30% of new U.S. positions would be filled by those from the Black or Latinx communities.
While these changes are important, they will take time and will require trailblazers — talented people of color who can step into these roles even if they’re the only one in the room — to lead the way. But companies should not view these positions as simply checking a diversity box. Instead, they should be understood as crucial to businesses’ survival.
I’m used to being the only woman in the room. I spent 13 years in the Army, where only 15% of service members are women. This summer, I started a job as a software development engineer apprentice at Amazon, where I’m gaining experience helping design and implement new features on Amazon’s systems through its career transition program for the military. Now that I’ve transitioned to tech…
