Diversity Statement

Belén Saldías, October 2024

“Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” (Bill Nye) – I strive to create spaces where we respectfully listen to and engage with one another. I believe everyone can learn and contribute through their unique experiences, and I embrace this diversity.

“We see the world not as it is, but as we are.” (attributed to many) – As a woman from a rural southern region of Latin America with a strong accent in both my native language and English, and as a first-generation university graduate, I come from an underrepresented community in Computer Science and Engineering, both in my country and in the U.S. Despite being questioned and overlooked, underrepresented communities’ experiences offer unique strengths equal to those of our peers. My family’s journey—from my mother pursuing college at 38 and being the only one in my extended family to hold a college degree to my sister pursuing her degree while recovering from addiction—has taught me that discrimination often runs invisible to those unaffected by it. I strive to understand how my students experience diversity and the challenges they face.

I believe that our backgrounds are sources of pride, not limitations. I encourage my students to embrace their own experiences and perspectives, recognizing that everyone has something valuable to contribute. I also lead by example, helping students understand that everyone in my classroom is qualified and deserves to be there as an equal and that biases often arise not from reality but from systemic inequities. While individual actions don’t solve those systemic issues, these actions empower us to recognize and focus on our strengths as opposed to fixating on what are unfairly perceived as weaknesses—essential for fostering self-efficacy in a learning environment. I trust that the more we embody values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in our daily actions, the more we see the world through others’ eyes and can help those issues.

Intersectionality. In academia, systemic issues disproportionately affect underrepresented groups based on but not limited to gender, race and ethnicity, age, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, and ability status. The disparity is even worse when these aspects of identity intersect to create unique experiences of privilege or disadvantage. I feel proud when I see disadvantaged students and peers succeed in academia, knowing the obstacles they've overcome. The challenges they’ve faced to get here—especially for those who lead in their fields—are often unimaginable to others.

Moving to the U.S. These challenges resonate across many countries. Moving to the U.S. brought new perspectives, particularly regarding race as a major cause of systemic discrimination, not only in classrooms but in daily life—often starting with hidden microaggressions. After spending over six years in academia in the U.S., I have had the opportunity to learn, make mistakes, and grow with a deeper commitment to addressing injustice. Through workshops and by supporting my peers, I’ve developed a stronger understanding of how discrimination plays out in academic and institutional settings, recognizing how personal biases—such as favoring those we relate to—can obscure systemic racism.

As whole individuals, both we and our students face challenges beyond the classroom. In Moving Up without Losing Your Way: The Ethical Costs of Upward Mobility, Jennifer Morton highlights how the more privileged often possess the language to communicate their needs, while first-generation students, due to inexperience, may lack this ability. Understanding those personal barriers created by unfamiliarity drives me to empower our students to advocate for themselves and recognize that they have the same rights and capacity to succeed as their peers. I look forward to continuing learning and creating welcoming spaces for our rich diversity in the U.S.

“Diversity is Being Invited to the Party: Inclusion is Being Asked to Dance.” (Vernā Myers) – During my tenure as a PhD student at MIT, I led and got involved in various initiatives that not only invited others to join spaces dominated by majorities but also provided them with structured opportunities to engage and create value by reducing entry barriers and being upfront about code of conduct and expectations. Once a term, I partnered with the MIT Program in Media Arts and Sciences to host International Students' dinners, celebrating international holidays, sharing American traditions like Thanksgiving, when most of our peers leave town to visit their families, and bringing in speakers to discuss work permits and other relevant topics.

In 2020-2021, I served as Executive Council Chair of the Halls, ensuring that MIT’s largest graduate residency was welcoming to over 600 students. I collaborated with MIT Housing and peers to organize monthly activities and was trained to resolve conflicts between roommates and neighbors. This role exposed me to new mediation techniques and encouraged me to foster open communication and compromise among residents from diverse cultures and regions of the world.

In the research ecosystem, I served on the board of Women in Machine Learning (2022-2023), overseeing the budget to provide travel opportunities for thousands of women worldwide to attend top conferences like NeurIPS and ICML. As logistics co-chair for the 2020 Women in Machine Learning workshop co-hosted with NeurIPS, I served many for whom this was their first academic conference ever, opening doors that they didn’t know how to approach before. Further, I collaborated with affinity groups such as Black in AI, LatinX in AI, and Queer in AI to host joint events and secure funding for attendees. In this role, I witnessed how women and non-binary-identifying researchers were left out of thriving opportunities due to their being from countries that are financially sanctioned by the U.S. This motivated me to create new opportunities for participation and inclusion for them, such as inviting them to online opportunities to volunteer or participate in networking events.

Academically, I strived to bring the MIT experience to students from my undergraduate university in Chile, a challenging but rewarding endeavor for which I raised $30K from sponsors. We hosted over 100 students, prioritizing parity, with 44% identifying as women or non-binary and 25% from outside Santiago, including regional travelers for whom we provided funding. Since then, many of our students have reached out, sharing that attending this program empowered them to pursue graduate studies at top universities around the world.

Moving forward. Building on my experience leading DEIB initiatives at MIT and beyond, I am committed to leading by example and inviting historically disadvantaged students to participate fully in academic spaces. I am excited to mentor underrepresented and first-generation students, through one-on-one relationships and workshops on navigating both on and beyond academia. Furthermore, the national climax with the 2023 Supreme Court ruling on college admissions brings new challenges and opportunities to address as a community. I look forward to working collaboratively to overcome challenges as they arise, joining existing DEIB efforts, and creating new programs aimed at fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.