Diversity is nothing new to Christina Trimble, senior director, marketing & business development – life, disability, and supplemental. She grew up in a bi-racial family and attended a high school with 25 different nationalities and varying socioeconomic classes. It was also where she served as a peer-to-peer conflict mediator primarily focused on cultural conflict. Christina said, “My passion for inclusion is deep-rooted; I believe this comes from my own experiences and listening to others’ stories. I can’t pretend to walk in anyone’s shoes, but I can listen, learn, and try to make the world a better place through positive communication.”
As a USAble Life inclusion council member, she hopes to be a positive change-maker, something she says was instilled in her early on. She said, “Positive change starts with small meaningful acts that begin with fundamental values: listening, humility, empathy, compassion, and integrity.”
Christina said, “My parents influenced me by the fact that they chose each other regardless of the adversities they faced as a bi-racial couple.” For Christina, hope is what truly inspires her as she believes in the good in people. She said, “As human beings, we can surprise each other. When you think someone can’t relate, there are sparks of connection and empathy.” For Christina, there’s hope that we can all make changes that positively impact the greater good.
Women’s History Month is an important reminder to celebrate what women have overcome and achieved in the pursuit of inclusion. Christina feels lucky that she was told she could do and be anything she wanted. She looks up to other women who have fought to break the mold of societal norms, like Gloria Steinem and Oprah Winfrey.
As a child with a learning disability, Christina also learned the power of communication and believes it plays a significant role in diversity and inclusion and better understanding one another. She said, “If we look around today, key communication elements are being lost, leading to misunderstanding and infusing a great divide. Words do matter; forethought of messages and their impact is critical. Communication is such a basic fundamental concept, but how we communicate our perspectives impact outcomes and understanding.”
For Christina, learning to understand one another and make positive changes begins with recognizing we are humans with diverse backgrounds, but there’s a common thread through personal stories and experiences. And learning from one another makes us stronger.
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