Tustin employees share cultures through food

Photo by Nirali Mehta, Tustin, Calif.
Smile for the camera — Rockwell Collins employees Laura Sedlar (left), Adriana Dean (middle) and Tina Vera pose for a photo during the Diversity Potluck at our facility in Tustin, Calif. Sedlar is a senior engineering project assistant, Dean is an engineering project support manager, and Vera is a senior administrative assistant.

Approximately 30 members of the Engineering Project Support Team at Rockwell Collins in Tustin, Calif., recently found a creative way to discuss diversity and demonstrate inclusion. Everyone was asked to bring a dish to their "Diversity Potluck" that had some significance to them and was part of their cultural lives.

"The idea for this potluck came from my own personal experience," said Adriana Dean, manager of Engineering Project Support for Cabin Services. "I was born and raised in Brazil and my mother, without speaking a word of English, was able to communicate and bond with my American husband through her Brazilian dishes. I realized that one way to share cultural backgrounds and discuss diversity was through food."

The 12-foot table in the conference room was covered from end-to-end with an array of cultural foods. As the members sat around the table and shared the different dishes, they also shared a bit about themselves.

"Everything was delicious, but even more important was hearing the stories behind every dish," said Nirali Mehta, an engineering project specialist for Cabin Services. "It was obvious that everyone put a lot of thought into their contributions. Whether the dish shared was Brazilian Shepherd's Pie, Korean barbeque or one of the other dishes, it made me appreciate the colorful background of each member of the team."

In addition to the potluck, team members participated in an ice breaker activity and played "Human Bingo," where each square represented something unique and diverse (e.g., can speak two languages, has green eyes, etc. …).

"Everyone was so excited to play, we didn't even have a chance to say 'Ready, begin,' " said Mehta. "I was proud to be part of something so important. I left feeling very satisfied."