Saïd Business School at Oxford University has partnered with Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA) to develop a fellowship program designed to support LGBTQ+ students and candidates. The goals of the ROMBA fellowship are to help LGBTQ+ students become the leaders of tomorrow, provide a unique global network for LGBTQ+ MBA students, help other people see the world from a LGBTQ+ lens, and empower/build representation of LGBTQ+ people in decision-making places and in society.
ROMBA Fellowship Recipients
Oxford University is proud to announce this year’s recipients of the 2020–21 ROMBA fellowship: Roni Belenki and Sanoma Jean. Belenki recently graduated from Columbia University with a master’s in public policy and currently consults with Israeli parliament members about LGBTQ+ rights. With the ROMBA fellowship, Belenki is looking forward to gaining in-depth skills in sustainable business and finance. She also expresses excitement for a mentorship that is available through the program. Belenki’s hope is to use the skills she gains from the fellowship to bring about social change for the LGBTQ+ community in Israel.
Sanoma Jean, who has had technology-based roles at KPMG and Tesla, is currently in Finance Tech at Google. Her engagement with the LGBTQ+ community began when she decided to come out at work in 2018. Happily, she found her workplace was warm and accepting; and she credits the workplace’s ‘bring your whole self to work’ ethos for creating this positive environment. This fellowship caught her eye when applying to the MBA at Oxford because she wants to give back to the community that has given so much to her. Jean encourages LGBTQ+ aspiring business leaders to “be your genuine self and to seek spaces that allow you to feel safe and be true to who you are.”
The application process for the ROMBA fellowship is intertwined with a standard Oxford application. Everyone who is interested in the Reaching Out MBA fellowship can apply. Applicants must submit an essay reflecting on how they want to live their most authentic life.
The ROMBA fellowship assists individuals with earning careers they love regardless of their sexual orientation. To learn more about this fellowship and initiative, click here.
