Su Joun

This interactive session invites participants to move beyond cultural competence — the idea that we can master a checklist of facts about different groups — toward cultural humility: an ongoing, reflective practice of staying curious, checking our assumptions, and centering the lived experiences of the people we serve and work alongside.

Participants will examine what it means to approach every client, customer, and coworker as the expert on their own identity and experience. Through reflection, small-group dialogue, and real-world scenarios, we'll practice the habits of mind and communication that build genuine trust across lines of difference — including race, ethnicity, language, ability, age, gender, religion, socioeconomic background, and more.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Distinguish cultural humility from cultural competence and explain why the distinction matters
• Identify personal assumptions and biases that shape professional interactions
• Use reflective listening and open-ended questions to invite others' perspectives
• Recognize power dynamics in professional relationships and respond with accountability
• Commit to an ongoing personal practice of learning and self-correction