“There's freedom of speech, right? Whether, what some people want to say, whether I wanna hear it, whether others wanna hear it. I think that our country's built on the freedom to say, even very stupid things.”Words from Dr. Lori Sundberg, the president at Kirkwood Community College, nationally renowned community college in Iowa.Dr. Sunberg, who is a first-generation college graduate, holds a Doctorate of Business Administration Management from St. Mary's University. During our conversation we focus on the importance of freedom of speech, hate speech, and how diversity can impact us.Dr. Sunberg shares her experience as a female in a leadership role and how she values her privilege, which she uses to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. She grew up in poverty with parents who did not graduate high school, and she credits higher education with changing her life and her family's life.We touch on why Kirkwood is sponsoring this podcast, to which Dr. Sunburg responds that she believes in breaking barriers and the impact that it will have people.Dr. Sunberg shares how higher education has the power to change lives and break barriers, leading to a different life. She acknowledges the cost of higher education, both financially and otherwise, and how it affects women in particular.Despite the difficulties, she believes that the power of higher education is worth it in the end.If you're looking for affordable, flexible, and close-to-home options to reinvent yourself for a brand new career or to upgrade your skills, Kirkwood Community College could be the answer. Tune in to this episode to learn more about the importance of diversity and higher education, and how you can break barriers to achieve your dreams.Want to connect:Lori’s Linkedin- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-sundberg-196b333/Send your DEI&B questions to [email protected], To learn more about Top RANK please visit topranktalentsolutions.com or follow us on social media. Linkedin bit.ly/TR_linkedinFacebook bit.ly/TR_face_bookInstagram bit.ly/TRC_Instagram