Even as there is a growing recognition for the need for representation, there are still many cases where folks will find themselves as the only person in a room representing their particular demographic – and often there is pressure to perform in such contexts to prove competence not just for yourself but for everyone who is like you. The burden and the stress of being the “representer” is real, and so we wanted to create a space where folks can discuss who they go about ensuring they are effective and successful even in contexts where no one else on the team or in the room is like them.
Rebecca Faith Quinn
I was the first openly autistic student at my college back in 2012. No one else was like me, people still barely knew what autism was. I realized at one point that no matter what, I’m always going to be different, so there’s no real point in trying to conform. It made me have to think differently to get to the same spot as everyone else. Now I’m more successful than all of them. Readmore>>
Gregory Morris
Honestly being myself, not being afraid to tell it like is and can accept constructive criticism back, I never cared what people think because I always been different, the ability to make ppl laugh and laugh at myself. Being raised in the southside of Fort Worth but going to a private school over by TCU helped me to adapt and adjust to any situation, good and bad. Readmore>>
Micah Trigg
This is an amazing question. I think the first thing is perspective. Instead of pointing out that I look different and I’m the only person of my size and color, I always walk into a room adding value. Knowing that I have value to add boosts my confidence. I also know that it is important to have representation, so maybe being the only person is okay because, hopefully, I will open the doors for other people who look like me to feel more comfortable in spaces where they’re not seen. Readmore>>
Luscious T.
Learning to be effective and strive for excellence has always been an ongoing journey of growing and adapting. During the early stages of my career as a dancer in Los Angeles, my outlook was completely different. I was focused on non stop training and pushing to get into the audition rooms to book the jobs that I wanted so badly. Readmore>>
AK Boteo
In college, I immediately noticed a difference. I attended a predominantly white university with kids from entirely different backgrounds. I’m a Hispanic female of lower socioeconomic status. The room wasn’t remotely relatable. It could have been easy to become intimidated, but I quickly reminded myself that we were all in the same place for a reason. Readmore>>
Tierra Fluker
I’m startedmin corporate America at the age of 24 years of age. I started In telecommunications and was the only African American in that environment for the next 4 years. Readmore>>
Dr. Nicole Gates
I discovered my passion for helping entrepreneurs excel through a combination of personal experience and professional expertise. After facing my own challenges and setbacks as a business owner, I realized the importance of having a support system and resources to navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship. Readmore>>
Keaun Adams
I like to take advantage of the opportunity! When I am the only one in the room that looks like me, I tend to sometimes get nervous or anxious because I’ll start to think that I cannot fit in. But it is not fitting in and staying true to myself that has gotten me to the heights thus I have reached thus far. It’s important to know your value and self -worth, and that way any room you walk into you can have your head held high and see no competition. Readmore>>
Erica “Ricki” Nelson
I had an experience like this recently while in South Korea at the NextRise Seoul startup conference this past June. I was invited on stage with a select group of other honored guests and realized afterwards that I was the only femme /queer /autistic business that was honored on stage. Readmore>>
Okeefe Simmons, MD
Being one of one, or one of a handful of black students/doctors in the room is not something new. This started with advanced classes before college, then continued during pre-med undergraduate coursework and medical school. Since then, the number of people who look like me continued to dwindle as I became more specialized. Readmore>>
Alireza Teremah
I think being the only one in the room that looks like you shouldn’t be viewed as a disadvantage but instead, as a huge opportunity to stand out. It allows you to bring a unique perspective and set of experiences that others might not have. If you confidently show your individuality and leverage it to your advantage, it can be a powerful tool for success and you can even inspire others to do the same. Readmore>>
Tylre Synclair
Oh, I absolutely love this question. I used to be extremely insecure about this – growing up as a Black woman, I’ve found myself to be the only one that looks like me in a room more often than not, especially when pursuing a job in entertainment. I’ve worked jobs where I’ve quite literally watched episodes of television and filled out diversity checklists – how many women in this episode, how many POC in this episode, if the director was a person of color or a woman, etc. Readmore>>
Peter Lin
Most of the time, when I’m talking about my profession and lifestyle to strangers, I find everyone to be confused and intrigued by my situation. I think I can safely say that I am one of the only professional Taiwanese-American jazz trombonists in the New York City area. Readmore>>
Angela Johnson
I feel like my drive and success came from sheer desperation and realizing that I WAS alone and no one was going to come save or help me. I remember vividly sitting in my first nursing assistant (CNA) class, I was 18, newly pregnant, had no family to support me, but I was determined that I was going to create a better life for the child in my womb, then the life that was served to me. Readmore>>
Alyse Brown
Growing up, my parents instilled in me the importance of education, respect, and a relationship with God. They encouraged me to learn new skills and explore my talents through various activities. Our travels exposed me to diverse environments, teaching me how to relate and communicate with people from different ethnic backgrounds. Readmore>>
Sadaf Qadir
As a hijab (headscarf) wearing Muslim woman, a majority of the time I am the only person in the room who looks like me. The biggest thing I have had to learn over the years is to look through and past potential assumptions people might have of me. It’s easy to get caught into worrying about how someone else might be perceiving you, especially when you’ve experienced prejudice, discrimination, or even just well-intentioned but uninformed comments. Read more>>
Bryan Green
I personally believe that being the only person in a room that looks like you, is an advantage if used correctly. As being a person of color in the Technology Industry, I have found myself in this scenario at many points throughout my career. There was a point where I used to feel uncomfortable in these situations. Read more>>
Dr.Charryse Johnson
Since childhood, I have been the only person in the room who looks like me. While it has not always been easy, I’ve learned not to make assumptions about the room when I walk in but instead focus on why I’ve been asked to be there. Read more>>
Candace Nortey
The first time I was the only one in the room, I was in preschool. The second time, I was a Brownie in Girl Scouts. I remember being the only one at times in grade school and when I tried out for middle school cheerleading. Read more>>
Ruth Zapico
I am a queer immigrant woman who doesn’t have English as first language in a male dominated American environment such as the film industry therefore I have always had every head turn my way the minute I walked into a room. The looks of judgement used to cause a certain level of curiosity in myself. Read more>>
Danielle McCamey
There have certainly been moments where being the only one in the room felt isolating. However, I’ve come to see it as an opportunity. As I’ve grown and embraced my authentic self, this space has become a platform. It allows me to create a path for others who might follow, bringing different perspectives and experiences. Read more>>
Shaunna “Mamacita” Thomas
If I’m in the room it’s because I’ve already been effective/successful along the way to lead me there. My focus is always on why I’m present and to retain what I’m learning or to convey what I’m teaching. If the focus is on me because of my looks, that just increases my visibility and further peaks the interests of my cohorts. I then gladly share my mission and passion for my community. Read more>>
Randy Vega
As someone with a mixed race background, I was kinda scrambled from the beginning. All my life I’ve been different than everyone else, in appearance and ideas. I had different features from my peers, and consumed different media, food, music. Making me the “weird kid” at school. This made growing up very difficult. Read more>>
Khaleea Powell
When it comes to being the only one in the room who looks like me, I have learned several valuable lessons about effectiveness and success. First and foremost, I embrace my unique perspective as a strength. Being different often means bringing fresh ideas and innovative solutions to the table. I leverage my diverse background to offer insights that others might not consider, which has proven to be an asset in many situations. Read more>>
Shavvon Cintron
I have found myself in rooms that I am the only one that looks like me throughout my career. The roles that attracted me most were not the ones dominated by women, let alone hispanic women. Over time, I have found that integrity, self-esteem, and having a strategy play crucial roles in being seen. Read more>>
GIBSON KIPRUTO
I have turned my music into an opportunity for growth and success through embracing my unique perspective. I’ve come to view my uniqueness as a strength. It allows me to bring a fresh and distinctive perspective to my music and collaborations. This mindset has empowered me to contribute confidently and authentically, enhancing the richness of the collective experience. I believe this sets me apart from other violinists in Kenya. Read more>>
Paloma & Seth Tillotson
I love this question because I personally consider that an amazing thing: authenticity! Being the only one in the room that looks like me has allowed me to connect with myself, and to show it to everyone in my unique way. Everyone has different skills, talents, beliefs, and we all come from different backgrounds. All of this together is what makes us who we are, and that’s so important to apply when building a brand. Read more>>
Aani Nagaiah And Gage Samaddar
Aani: When there are not many people that look like you in your environment, you feel unheard–at least, that’s how it was like for me at my predominantly-white high school. I found myself in a place where I didn’t want to speak up. So, I began to pour more of my energy into my extracurriculars, specifically my nonprofit, Our Ode To You. Read more>>
Kristina Fitzpatrick
Success in any field isn’t guaranteed by the presence or absence of competitors, nor is there a universal key that works for everyone. In my journey as a large-scale paper flower artist, I’ve learned that perseverance and experimentation are crucial. Read more>>
Shakira Jackson
Being the only one in the room who looks like me has taught me several valuable lessons about resilience, authenticity, and the importance of representation. As a 22-year-old Black woman in a politically male-dominated field, working in both policy and the mental health sector, I’ve had to navigate unique challenges and opportunities. Read more>>
Alex Luciano
I had to learn how to read the room first. I was always surrounded by (No men). I always tried to look for the successful people in the room but had no luck. Since a young’n I always voiced my opinion, Though it was always shutdown all the time by so many individuals, I still expressed what was on my mind. Read more>>
LYNX
Most of my life, I’ve been “the only one in the room.” I was taught that I’d always be seen as an outsider, so I had to be EXTRA polite, EXTRA bright and better than anyone could ever assume me to be. Read more>>
Duwenavue Johnson
When I find myself as the only one in the room who looks or thinks like me, my first thought is that everyone is viewing me through their perspectives and values. I embrace my uniqueness and use it as a strength to tell my story. Communicating my ideas with clarity and confidence, while actively listening to others, my goal is to foster mutual respect. Read more>>
PeezyGoHard
I believe we all harness our own individual powers whether its color, age, height or weight. True power is within. Knowing this, i tend to build self confidence right on the spot in these environments. Understanding that what i have to offer no one in the room can replicate or replace, i found my ability to take control and grab the attention of others who may not look like me but may think the same. Read more>>
Louka Sakkas
What’s important to me in situations like these is that I feel comfortable in my own skin – comfortable with my appearance, a conscious effort devoted to my personal palette. are there moments where someone may think “he’s trying way too hard”? Read more>>
Brooke Kenny
Growing up in the dance world your body is your instrument. Being much taller than many of the other dancers that I have met or been on a team with has been a challenging aspect of my journey through dance. Being fully aware that I am much taller and starting later led to many different challenges as it took me much longer to learn certain tricks that come easy to others or being put in the back because of my height. Read more>>
Dr. Christina Jerger
CAN YOU MODIFY THIS QUESTION? NEW: Being the only one in the room: how have you found your purpose even when you are the only one in the room that looks like you? Love this question, let’s start! My entire life, I followed the path of getting the best education, having the best career in corporate and one day getting married and having kids. Read more>>
Dustin Brown
As much as it feels uncomfortable to say, I think being the only one in that room is a the edge one may need. It doesn’t feel that way when you’re all alone in your endeavors though. I think being outside of what others are doing and the way that they are doing it though has helped me. Being selfishly focused in that room while curating healthy honest friendships outside of it. Read more>>
Martha Boone,M.D.
When I began the field of urology, it was 98% male doctors. Thirty-five years later, it’s 94% male doctors. I was always a minority and remain so. Everything that I needed to know to succeed was taught to me before I was ten years old. My family taught me to give everyone respect. I was taught that “most people are doing the best that they can on any given day”. I was taught to “forgive everyone everything”. Read more>>
