This Summer, we will be highlighting five empowered interns who are choosing to Seek MORE with us this semester. Get to know them by reading their stories and learning what seeking MORE means to them.
My name is Claudia Gil Matias, a rising junior at the Lacy School of Business at Butler University. Currently, I am double majoring in Marketing and Applied Business Technology.
I was born in Mexico but raised in the U.S. since I was 2 years old. Growing up, there were moments in my life when I felt ostracized by my community because, to them, I wasn’t Mexican enough, which led them to label me as “white-washed,” a phrase that would follow me throughout my journey. I wasn’t aware of how much weight those two words carried until I attended a Summer program in 2019 for high school students who identified as Hispanic/Latinx. At that moment, I realized I wasn’t the only one fighting to break the cycle of generational trauma that was holding me back from becoming myself. After that summer, I decided that I would be the best version of myself and that no one would define my worth except for me. Of course, it is easier said than done, but I am continuing to grow as a person every day and embrace my culture as what it is, which has profoundly shaped my identity.
Throughout my first and second years, I applied to be a first-year chair for the Latinx Student Union, which later I would become Vice President of Communications, which, I must say, was one of the greatest decisions of my life. I connected with the Hispanic/Latinx community on my campus. I was mesmerized by how the community has grown since and how similar our experiences were to each other. I became quite familiar with the Efroymson Diversity Center, which opened in 2006, a home committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is where I felt safe to be me. I have never felt understood as much as I did in this space, which helped me embrace my identity even more.
My second year of college has ended, and I have joined MORE this summer. MORE was one of the first organizations that truly understood what diversity and inclusivity meant, as shown throughout their impact on the community. When I received the news that I was to join MORE as an intern, I immediately felt ecstatic to work with such amazing women and a company that was Making Opportunities Reachable for Everyone. For me, “Seeking MORE” is more than a phrase. It is a lifestyle where you choose to come out of your comfort zone and go beyond the limits that you and society have imposed on you because, in the end, you’re the one writing your life story.
Claudia will be part of the Seek MORE internship program for Summer 2023. Learn more about how you and your company can support the program, and connect with Claudia on LinkedIn. Our Seek MORE Internship Program has been proudly championed by Long-Sharp Gallery.
