What does belonging look like for Gen Z?
Growing up in a time of social media, smartphones, and AI, Gen Z has unlimited access to technology at their fingertips. And yet, more and more Gen Z is looking for relationships, belonging, community, and mentorship – all of which support them in navigating college, career, and life.
Moderated by Bay Area news anchor Stephanie Lin (she/her), this panel brought together college students and recent grads who are a part of our Making Waves college and career success program. They shared about their experiences building community in higher ed, in their jobs, and beyond.
“I think this is such an important topic,” shared Stephanie, a news anchor at KRON 4, who moderated the panel discussion. “I love seeing the impact that Gen Z is making on our community, whether in realm of content creation, or political activism, or making great in roads in your fields.”
Building community, online and in-person
For Richard Amaechi (he/him), graduating in 2020 from San Diego State University and entering his career in finance during the pandemic was challenging. To find belonging in his new career, he drew from his experiences building community during college.
“Belonging means a lot to me,” he shared. “Being involved with various organizations in college started that community feel for me.”
Richard also spoke to what employers and managers can do to support belonging in the workplace.
“Employers can do a lot to support Gen Zers. We have incredible potential and opportunity,” he shared.
“At Fidelity, I recently had the opportunity to attend the Association for African American Financial Advisors conference in Washington, D.C. My employer was able to sponsor my attendance.”
“You can build a relationship or community anywhere,” Richard said about his advice for college students and young professionals. “You just have to be intentional and try to find some commonalities.”
Adeline Leal (she/her) was in her first year of college at UC Berkeley when the pandemic started.
“I feel like I lost a lot of my college experience. Then coming back to in-person courses, I was struggling to make friends and was having imposter syndrome,” the first-generation college graduate shared.
“Building a community of people who relate to me really helped me to succeed,” shared Adeline, adding that her sorority in particular helped her realize she wasn’t alone.
“Keep in mind who makes you feel good and who gives you peace of mind. You want to be around people who will uplift you, who motivate you, and will be there long-term, even after college or after your job,” Adeline shared.
Ashley Ramirez (she/her) said she feels fortunate to have started college at Sacramento State University post-pandemic.
“The community at Sac State is really welcoming,” shared Ashley, who has been a part of the club soccer team on her campus and is now a peer success intern at Making Waves.
“Soccer is something I am good at, and I am a very social person, so I thought I’d try out for the team. It’s a special group. I’ve felt very welcomed in the community,” shared Ashley, who is also the team’s social media manager.
“Be outgoing even if you’re afraid,” Ashley shared as advice for fellow students. “Eventually you will find your group of people.”
If you can see it, then you can be it
The panel also discussed barriers to access to opportunities and underrepresentation in many fields. For example, in the financial services industry Black Americans make up only 5% of financial professionals.
“I think it starts in college,” shared Richard about opening access to opportunities. “I was fortunate to go to school that gave me the education I needed to break into my field.”
“I truly have this belief: if you can see it, then you can be it,” Stephanie shared, noting that similarly Asian Americans are underrepresented in media spaces.
“You are trailblazers and role models,” Stephanie said to the panelists. “That’s something to be proud of.”
Coaching and community from Making Waves
The panelists each shared what the support from Making Waves means to them.
“I get to attend college for free thanks to Making Waves,” shared Ashley. “I wouldn’t have the mental relief or be able to focus on school if I had to stress about paying for college.”
“Apart from the scholarship, which has helped me immensely, I also really appreciated the mentorship I received from Making Waves,” shared Adeline. “Meeting with [my coaches] really reminded me of how far I have come in four years of college and that Making Waves will always be there for me.”
“Having a coach on your side to check in with, I found that to be really helpful. Because of Making Waves I was able to study abroad,” shared Richard, who went to Ghana, Ethiopia, and Japan during college. “This would have been impossible without Making Waves
Meet the panelists
Stephanie Lin (moderator)
Stephanie Lin is an award-winning journalist for KRON 4 news. She anchors live, breaking news coverage for the station’s 24/7 streaming service, KRONon, the Weekend Morning newscasts, and the KRON4 weekday news at noon. Stephanie has been recognized for her work by the Associated Press, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Association. She graduated from UC Berkeley and began her news career in Taiwan at TTV, a 24-hour cable news channel. She then joined the ABC 20/20 team, where she worked on long-form, investigative stories. She also worked at the TODAY show, CNBC, Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Richard Amaechi
Richard Amaechi was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, and graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in international business Japanese. Currently, Richard is employed at Fidelity Investments in Palo Alto as a financial consultant. He is also a CFP® practitioner.
Adeline Leal
Adeline Leal was born and raised in Richmond, CA, and graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in data science in 2023. She is a member of the academic-based Latina Sorority, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc. Adeline is now seeking data analyst roles in the Bay Area.
