"Change: It"
Change: It
My favorite quote is from Susan Sontag: “The likelihood that your acts of resistance cannot stop injustice does not exempt you from acting in what you hold to be the best interests of your community.” It also happens that in Spanish, my family name, Riesgo, literally means “Risk.” So, the phrase “Change: Risk it” resonates for me, because my name has been a constant reminder to be at the forefront of change, risking it into existence.
To risk change is to challenge the status quo and make something better. When Covid hit, my volunteer committee went virtual. I realized many mentors were struggling with this remote structure, so as committee co-chair, I took a risk and constructed a “buddy system” to provide extra peer support, focusing on mindfulness. After George Floyd’s death in 2020, I immediately helped form a Diversity and Inclusion committee at Microsoft; together, my colleagues and I are driving more hiring-inclusivity initiatives and organized diversity awareness events, most recently, a streaming podcast event for Indigenous People’s Day.
Sometimes risking change is helping someone else speak their truth. Before my brother Diego came out as a trans man, I made sure he knew I supported him 100%. When he had that difficult conversation with our mom, I was at the table, holding his hand.
At Stern, I will continue to embody the “Risk Change” tagline, both in the pursuit of my own career vision and as a contributor to the growth of my peers’ visions as well. I would love to be part of the “Stern Speaks” forum in Stern’s Change Curriculum, sharing my story and bolstering the stories of others to help us all risk change together. However uncomfortable change may be, with the perspective I gain from NYU Stern, I will never look back.