PRIDE Month: Oxford Saïd ROMBA Fellows Discuss Acceptance, Inclusivity, and Business Education

During PRIDE month, we are delighted to celebrate our Reaching Out MBA Fellows.

Our partnership with Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA) provides Oxford MBA Fellowships for exceptional students from the LGBTQ+ community –- supporting their studies and recognising their efforts to increase equality, diversity and inclusion in their workplaces and communities.

Supported by the Saïd Business School Foundation, and now in its fourth year, the fellowships have successfully supported eight LGBTQ+ students to study their MBA at Oxford.

One of our current ROMBA Fellows is Jose Hong. He’s on a mission to conserve the environment for future generations and create greater equity for the global LGBTQ+ community. He tells us about his journey to Oxford, his experience studying here, and shares advice to anyone considering becoming a ROMBA Fellow.

Oxford: Tell us about your background, your career experience, and what you are passionate about.

Hong: “I aim to make the world happier, more prosperous, and greener for all. This has been driven through my twin beliefs in environmental sustainability and in supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

After graduating from University College London, I began as a science and environment journalist in Singapore, before joining the global nature conservation organisation IUCN, based in Switzerland. My experience there showed me the power of the private sector in achieving a greener world. I’m pursuing the Oxford MBA to gain key business skills that will help me create an environmentally sustainable future.

Throughout, I have aimed to create a more supportive world for LGBTQ+ people, such as leading the employee resource group of my workplace in Switzerland. My personal journey to self-acceptance took many years across the multiple countries in which I lived. Learning from this, I want to ensure LGBTQ+ individuals like myself feel welcomed wherever they are.”

Oxford: Describe your experience as a ROMBA fellow, what has been the highlight, and why is it important?

Hong: “It has been inspiring. The highlight has been serving as a co-chair of my MBA programme’s pride club, Pride@SBS. This is important: there is still much we all can do around the world to achieve equity for the LGBTQ+ community. And there are many people who want to support and work with the community, but who do not know how.

One of the things we did at the MBA Pride Club was organise an event on being an effective ally in the workplace and knowing what it means to come out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Seeing the beautiful support of the 150 classmates and friends who came out in force on a weekday night was deeply moving – and made me proud to be a student of Oxford Saïd.”

Oxford: What advice would you give LGBTQ+ people considering applying for a ROMBA Fellowship?

Hong: “Think about your track record in LGBTQ+ leadership, think about your beliefs and what you will do to live up to the spirit of the ROMBA scholarship, speak with current students, alumni, as well as staff, and think of the best ways to present all the ideas you gain from the above process.

Most important of all, be your authentic and genuine self.”

Oxford: What does Pride mean to you, is it as important today as it was when it first started, and how will you be celebrating?

Hong: “Pride is a celebration of the self-acceptance, confidence, and love I gained over the years. It is a clear signal from society that it is wrong to discriminate, and that we should all respect each other.

It is still as important today as it was when it first started, because LGBTQ+ communities still face discrimination around the world. Pride has the power to be a global movement where we can support each other across borders.

The Oxford Pride parade already happened, and many in our MBA Pride Club joined the march – braving the rain! Later this summer, I will celebrate Pride by going to London with my friends for the parade.”

Oxford: What are you plans following graduation?

Hong: “I eventually aim to work in a global food company – actively managing their supply chains to make them more efficient, profitable, environmentally sustainable, and socially impactful. At the same time, I will work through my company and in my personal life to ensure that LGBTQ+ people – as well as other minority communities – live in a workplace and society that is supportive, respectful, and equal.”

Another one of our incoming ROMBA Fellows is Anthony Hernandez. He’s a software engineer who grew up on a cattle ranch in Texas and is passionate about creating greater equity for marginalised communities, through technology and data. He tells us about his journey to Oxford, his bold ambitions, and shares advice to LGBTQ+ people who feel afraid.

Oxford: Tell us about your background, your career experience, and what you are passionate about.

Hernandez: “I was born and raised in Texas for most of my childhood. There, my family had a small ranch with some cattle and a horse named Spree. I then began my undergrad at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, I developed a passion for computer science, excited by the puzzle-solving nature of coding and the flexibility of what computers can do.

After earning my undergraduate degree, I interned with Google remotely in the summer of 2020 – in the height of the COVID pandemic, working on one of the Google ads teams. Upon graduating, I returned to Google full-time in Los Angeles remaining with the same team. I was active in Pride@Google, organizing and participating in office and community events. I’m passionate about using technology and data to improve equity and access, especially for marginalized communities, and I believe inclusive design and diverse leadership are essential for growth and innovation.”

Oxford: What are your reflections on being awarded a ROMBA scholarship and how important is LGBTQ+ representation in the classroom, and in business?

Hernandez: “Being awarded the ROMBA Fellowship is a powerful affirmation of my identity and work. I had experienced significant financial need for my own undergraduate studies, both the financial support and the increased visibility, that organizations like ROMBA provide have outsized impacts in the future of these industries and in the lives of the students they touch.

In the classroom, representation fosters confidence and collaboration, it gives students the freedom to show up fully, without needing to hide parts of themselves; it enables greater breadth in expression and in ideation, which is the bread-and-butter of academic discourse. In business, diversity is not just about optics; it drives better decision-making and a deeper understanding of a global customer base. I’m incredibly grateful to be part of a network that uplifts LGBTQ+ professionals and ensures we’re not just present but empowered to lead and to effect change in our industries and communities.”

Oxford: What does Pride mean to you, do you think it is as important today as it was when it first started, and how will you be celebrating Pride?

Hernandez: “To me, Pride is a tradition of resistance and joy. It honours the legacy of those who fought for equal and fair treatment, people who were often diminished, silenced, and erased, while reminding us that the fight isn’t over. While significant progress has been made in my (admittedly short) lifetime, recent backlash and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the world has shown why Pride remains urgent today. It’s still a space for protest, solidarity, and celebration. At the same time, Pride is an expression of the joy shared by queer people, people with wildly different experiences in life, yet a common thread connecting them all.

This year, I’m celebrating Pride at a festival and street fair hosted by the city of Los Angeles Pride chapter, and another hosted by the gay village of West Hollywood. Events like these are opportunities to connect with friends, community organizations, and fundraising opportunities for pride organizations and charities, among many other things benefitting the LGBTQ+ community.”

Oxford: What advice would you give young LGBTQ+ people who might feel marginalised in their communities and afraid to be themselves?

Hernandez: “It might sound cliched at times, but you are not broken and you’re not alone – even if it feels that way right now. I know what it’s like to grow up in a place where being queer feels invisible or unsafe, where it feels like you are the only queer person you know. It’s a deeply isolating experience. Your identity is not a limitation; it’s a source of strength and depth. In some ways we are blessed to be in an online world where queer affirming communities exist through the internet, and perhaps even closer than you might realize. When you do find them, you’ll realize how powerful it is to live authentically. The world needs your voice, exactly as it is.”

Oxford: What are you most excited about in coming to Oxford, and what are your plans once you’ve completed your MBA?

Hernandez: “I’m excited to immerse myself in a global, highly-driven community at Oxford. I look forward to engaging with peers from global backgrounds and contributing to LGBTQ+ life on campus. I had a brief stint at Oxford, while I was an undergraduate as part of a visiting students programme. I do recall a personal wondrous feeling living and studying in the city, so perhaps I am excited most of all to rekindle a feeling of adventure having been working for a while now. After the MBA, I hope to return to the tech sector in a leadership role better equipped to shape strategy in an impactful way.”

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This story was originally published by the University of Oxford on June 18.

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