When I was still a banker, I attended a the 80th anniversary weekend for Highlander, a social justice community education center, located in the Tennessee appalachians, supporting grassroots activism and social movements in the south. Highlander has trained such luminaries as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King.

Over the course of the weekend, I participated in many different hour long workshops regarding topics ranging from immigrant experiences to history of social justice movements. Frequently, during the workshops or mingling between them, we would gather in small groups and exchange our stories about our background.

At first I was very hesitant to share my background as an investment banker, so I’d make vague references to something along the lines of supporting business lending. I didn’t think other attendees would be very receptive to hearing what I did. After beating around the bush with several different groups, I gradually began to introduce myself as an investment banker, which received a variety of different responses everything from bewilderment to intrigue to hostility.

At times, I would certainly say that following such an introduction, I was regarded with skepticism and not as readily asked for input or participation. I felt like I was not able to honestly share my story without receiving backlash from my audience.

I’m not going to presume to tell other people how to act when they feel stereotype, since there are so many different circumstances in which it happened, but I can certainly reflect on my experience. Admitting what I did was uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as trying to ignore it. I felt I got a lot more out of the experience about being open and honest about my background than trying to conceal it. At the end of the day I had a great time at Highlander for the weekend. I had a few uncomfortable experiences, but learned from it as a result.