By Haley Cummings, VISTA Communications Liaison
Diversity, equity, and inclusion. What do these three words really mean and why are they so important for creating a high functioning work environment? First, let's start with the basics of understanding each of these words individually.

What is diversity, equity, and inclusion?
Diversity:
As defined in an article by Independent Sector, diversity is “all the ways in which people differ, encompassing the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another.” People can differ in many ways such as race, age, ethnicity, education, socioeconomic state as well as many more.