References
“Estefania has been collaborating with Eawag for the past 2.5 years. Estefania’s work has centred on fostering an institutional culture that is sensitive to diversity and actively works to prevent and mitigate discrimination. She worked with various groups in English and German, including early career researchers, administrative staff, IT and technical personnel, as well as senior leadership.
Her workshops, conducted both online and in person at our two locations in Switzerland, have been instrumental in raising awareness of key issues and initiating meaningful discussions. Estefania's engagement extended to specific initiatives, such as the creation of a proposal that outlines steps for furthering diversity and inclusion at Eawag. This proposal lays the foundation for a strategy plan that will integrate these endeavours into our long-term institutional framework.
Following this collaboration, she facilitated a workshop with our Directorate. I was very impressed with how Estefania moderated these senior leadership workshops to meet our specific needs. I particularly appreciated the clarity of her explanations and the atmosphere she created. It allowed us to freely raise questions, address specific concerns, and seek concrete advice for leadership challenges.
Estefania has also provided individual coaching and consulting, particularly in our recruitment processes. She recently advised us on how to formulate questions to learn what the needs of our prospect colleagues are regarding leadership that takes accountability for diversity and belonging. Her constructive feedback and recommendations throughout the process were highly appreciated. She has further served as an external contact for feedback on candidates' experiences in the recruitment process.
Her work at Eawag is definitely bearing fruit. I thank Estefania again for her inspiration, expertise, and for the eye- and heart-opening moments she has brought to our organisation.”
— Prof. Dr. Martin Ackermann, Director of Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
“In a question and answer session with over 100 participants, Ms Cuero succeeded in picking up ETH members from various groups and different areas (employees, students and professors). That was very impressive. Her answers and explanations are clearly and comprehensibly formulated. She has concrete tips to open up the topics of diversity and anti-racism. She takes multiple discrimination into account and uses comprehensible examples. We received very positive feedback from many participants, including that the hour with Estefania Cuero was far too short.”
— Daniela Hansen, Equal Opportunities Officer, ETH Zürich
“I took part in a reflection group where we read the book Me and White Supremacy and had discussions about the book throughout our reading. After the reading, we had a meeting with Estefania to review questions that we had at the beginning of the process. She really helped facilitate a deep discussion around what we had learned, why we have certain feelings and biases and how we can move forward knowing what we know now. She was totally honest and she shared some of her feelings and experiences with us, and also made space for us to share ours.
I would absolutely work with Estefania again. In fact, I think every company/organization/personal group should hire her to moderate or lead workshops on the topic of racism and anti-racism because she is most professional and the topic should be discussed and learned by everyone. Thank you so much Estefania.”
— Amanda Weilenmann, Workshop Participant
“Estefania Cuero's expertise and clear and reflective approach helped us to take a comprehensive and holistic view of the development of a diversity strategy. Her critical but insightful contributions have helped to get an outside perspective on our initiative and to continuously question and improve our approach. The collaboration was very enriching - professionally and personally.”
— Pia Ammann, Head of Equal Opportunities Office, University of Lucerne
“Nia provided us with enriching and motivating answers and didn’t hesitate to advise us on individual situations. We wholeheartedly recommend her as an expert to anyone who wants to (make a) change.”
— Johanna Seeliger, Founder and Managing Director, Diversify GmbH
“Estefania Cuero provided our team with valuable insights on addressing racism and discrimination in our work with volunteers and refugees. Various situations and case studies from our daily work were closely examined, and strategies for action were developed. Ms Cuero skillfully combined theoretical knowledge with specific case studies, offering us thought-provoking ideas and recommendations for their application. She conveyed these concepts through relatable and practical examples.
We are taking many new inputs from the workshop into our work and extend our heartfelt thanks for the engaging and well-delivered training.”
- Linda Falcetta, Head of the Coordination Office for Volunteers Working with Refugees, Red Cross Basel
“Estefania Cuero supported Amnesty Switzerland in the development of an inclusive language guide and glossary. We have benefited from her great expertise in the topic of diversity and especially on the topic of racism. Anti-racist language needs a lot of sensitivity, language knowledge and background knowledge about the history of discrimination. Estefania Cuero has all this. We have learned a lot through her input.”
— Alexandra Karle, Managing Director Amnesty Switzerland
“Estefania Cuero took part in a round table on "Racism today" organised by the Canton of Fribourg's Integration and Racism Prevention Unit as part of its 10th Week against Racism on 23 March 2021. Their expertise, networked thinking, critical sense and diverse experiences contributed to highly exciting discussions. One aspect I would like to highlight in particular is Ms. Cuero's inspiring analysis on the term "empowerment".
At this point, a big thank you to you, Nia! Your thoughts and our cooperation will accompany and strengthen me in my everyday professional life!”
— Giuseppina Greco, Delegate for Integration and Prevention of Racism of the Canton of Fribourg
“We had a reflection workshop with Nia at Impact Hub Zurich on the topic of racism. The collaboration with Nia is excellent. She drives reflection processes forward by repeatedly inviting us to broaden our perspectives and following a comprehensible line that is both goal-oriented and open. We were picked up and at the same time took the step out of our own comfort zone, which is necessary. We look forward to further collaborations!”
— Anne Stammwitz, D&I Consultant, Diversify GmbH
“Estefania Cuero was for me the discovery of the panel "Young activists: Old Power Issues, New Struggle with New Minds" as part of the 13th Aarau Democracy Days on the topic of "Women and Politics". Her contributions on the role of international social movements such as #metoo, #BlackLivesMatter and #FridaysforFuture were simply perfect in all respects. As an expert, she addresses challenging topics in an accessible way and simply has an extremely good presence.”
— Renat Künzi, Journalist, SWI swissinfo.ch/SRG
“We had invited Estefania and her colleague Ify Odenigbo to guide us in a critical reflection on intersectionality. After a short but still nuanced introduction to the topic, we had a rich and inspiring exchange among our members under their guidance. We highly appreciate how Estefania enabled the participants to bring in their own experiences while providing clarifications and alternative perspectives whenever necessary. She created an atmosphere that allowed the participants to share but also challenge their personal views. We are very much looking forward to continuing our engagement with the topic of intersectionality under her guidance!”