Interestingly enough, the main diversity-related obstacle I’ve faced in my life has been the categorization of diversity itself and the notion of being “enough” in these categories. I’m a person of color, and I’m a person of mixed race. My late father was English, and my mother is African American. It was always awkward growing up without my father, because I was a drastically different skin color from my mom as a very pale and white child. People often asked my mother ignorant questions like, “Is she yours? Are you watching her for someone else?” Within my own family on my mom’s side, many members straight up refused to acknowledge me as a relative because of my skin color being so light. Meanwhile my mixed race cousins, who were darker skinned, found much more acceptance within our family, they were “black enough”. They were black enough and I wasn’t. This sort of thinking followed me as I grew up, and I always felt like I couldn’t connect with anyone aside from my cousins, they were just like me and accepted me regardless of how “white” I seemed. I’ve seen this binary mindset applied beyond race. I’ve witnessed those who identify as bisexual being rejected because “Bisexuality doesn’t exist”, this notion of either …show more content…
They’re two of the best examples I have, from personal experience, of companies with a strong understanding of what diversity and inclusivity are. Code.org is working to make computer science available to everyone who doesn’t have access to it, period. Everyone is involved, there’s no “right” type of underprivileged person they’re looking to serve. The same goes for Girls Who Code. Transgender, transexual, and agendered females are all allowed to participate in the Summer Immersion Program; and the Girls Who Code clubs, a little known fact, are co-ed. I want to bring more open mindedness like this into the tech industry, because everyone belongs in
This paper is going to cover my personal reflection of what diversity means to me. I will discuss the messages I learned as a child about various minorities and majorities, and how my views have changed since then. I will also describe a situation in which diversity directly influenced my life. This paper will also include reflections of the common read novel The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. I will detail how the main characters experienced diversity. I will give examples of how diversity changed their lives and which person I personally related to the most.
When America was founded, it was established on freedom and equality for all people. At first it was just religious freedom, but eventually freedom of speech, press, petition, and more. In time, America began to be known as a “melting pot” of cultures as more and more people came because they wanted this freedom; the more people who came though, the more problems America had. There were too many cultural discrepancies between people, and ultimately America, the country based on freedom and equality, faced challenges concerning diversity.
I was very excited when I saw this essay prompt because diversity is actually one of the main criteria that drew me into NC State. All throughout my schooling life, for as long as I can remember, I never attended any schools that were diverse. There was always one extremely predominant race or gender, and it’s something that truly disturbed me. I am excited to attend a college that is so diverse in many aspects, that I will be able to benefit from in multiple different ways. I will be able to learn and understand new perspectives which will help me gain an open mind and heart to be able to accept different kinds of people. I will be able to familiarize myself with different backgrounds and cultures, because I am so accustomed to my own, I
Does our common reader assigned to the class this semester adhere to the accustomed material when it comes to examining cultural diversity in the class? My conclusion is that our common reader The Trouble with Diversity by Walter Benn Michaels touches upon the social, socio-economic, health, and educational aspect of diversity. Observing how an individual’s status and race makes an impact on how they do in society as well as how they’re treated.
As an occupational therapist, healthcare worker, and an immigrant, I am a part of diverse communities. Living and working in diverse communities have not only helped me to become culturally competent but also grow personally and professionally.
I moved to California around one year and a half ago with my family. My parents decided to move here to give their daughters a better education and better opportunities. My parents are my biggest influence because they have helped me understand how important it is to work hard to achieve my goals. I learned that if I work for what I want, I can be very successful. My parents left their own house, land, jobs, and family just to give their daughters a chance to be successful in life. I think that seeing them give everything away just so that my sister and I can study and get our degrees is incredible. They have not only shown me to be independent and a hard working person, but they have taught me how to be considerate and selfless. I lived in
I believe that the perspective I have to offer this medical school is unique. From my Black uncles to my Arab aunts, I feel lucky to be able to call so many cultures my own. Furthermore, my experiences during college have been vital to my understanding of diversity. Veterans, the LGBTQ community, the disabled, and variation across the spectrum of political opinion or in body shape are but a sample of the diversity that I have witnessed. Diversity goes beyond race or religion and this has been made evident to me during my undergraduate career. Thus, I wish to bring my culturally competent outlook to the student body and look forward to gaining from the viewpoints of my peers as well. Exposure to a wide breadth of the human experience has helped
Dr. John B. Ervin not only served as a pioneer during his historic years at Washington University but also served his community through encouraging engagement and diverse interactions. During my time in Highschool, I have strived to do the same by supporting inclusion and diversity through the clubs, sports, and organizations that I take part in. Acting as a leader in clubs such as Gay-Straight Alliance and Students Promoting Justice and Equality has allowed me to support cooperation within different ethnicities, religions, and sexual preferences, while being captain of the Northville Highschool Figure Skating Club has allowed me to ensure representation and inclusion for all students. Since serving on the board of Students Promoting Justice and Equality, I have been involved in promoting understanding between a diverse group of students. Like John B. Ervin, I believe that in order to have unity and understanding, one must sit down with others to discuss divisions and conflicts surrounding their community.
As I reflect over my life, I appreciate the many diverse experiences I’ve came to encounter. My experience with diversity dates back to birth. I am from a small rural town, Moss Point, MS. and notably the last state to abolish slavery. The town currently has a population of 13,704 people and consists of 73% Blacks or African Americans, 23% Caucasian, 1% Hispanic or Latino and 1% bi-racial.
According to my family and cultural values, I have learnt to respect and understand other cultures and their beliefs. I always try to increase my awareness of the various dimensions of diversity. I always try to examine my own cultural identity and how that identity affects my relationships with others. In my opinion it is really important to become more aware of my own attitudes, perceptions, and feelings about various aspects of diversity. As an educator I think it is really important to make a commitment to increase an understanding of diversity.
Throughout my life I have been exposed to little diversity. I grew up in what is considered to be “the whitest city in America”, in schools that were even less diverse. In fact, I went to the third richest public high school per capita in the country with a student body that was 98% white. It may seem like I am flaunting myself, however, it is the opposite. Growing up in a city neighborhood where I was rarely exposed to outside affliction, I never truly grasped the true meaning of “freedom”. Of course, like in most schools, my professors would discuss it in class, but it is impossible to comprehend a concept without experiencing, witnessing or reading about it in depth. Throughout high school, freedom to me was refusing a curfew and staying up late with friends, aware, but rarely caring about went on outside my bubble. Despite not accepting it at the time, I was what most upper-middle class white kids are. Ignorant.
Personal Statement on Sexuality and Diversity The identities that I have that are defined as norms have some doors for me such as being of the middle class, being slim and fit, being Christian, and being highly literate. These norms have allowed me to work in certain places, work towards my degree and do things that I may have otherwise not been able to do if I did not identify the way I do. The identities such as being African American, female, and being a single parent have made my life harder in some ways. I am judged before people even get to know me because of these attributes.
As I slowly fell asleep with tears in my eyes, my concurrent dreams, the worry for humiliation silenced.
When I hear the word diversity, I imagine the different colors of the rainbow each one representing the different skin colors, personalities, hair styles, food and a bunch of other things. Any combination of those makes us who we are and how we view the world. My philosophy is that you should be receptive and understanding to other people lifestyles and choices; you do not have to like everyone, but we need to be cordial and respectful. Diversity can be a challenge for some people. It is hard to accept the fact there are people different from you. My job involves dealing with people who are homeless, due to a mental illness, substance abuse or just terrible choices. 85% of the people we serve are African American. Luckily, I have never been
We live in a society where people come from different countries, they belong to different cultural, religion, ethnic groups, and races. All these factors come together and contributes to differences that make us unique from each other. Hence, a multicultural country with huge diversity. This reflection journal will cover what “human race” is and what role it plays in ones’ personal life and in a nursing profession. Moreover, what bias, assumptions and judgements are, and how to avoid them. Lastly, what caring is and what role does it play in nursing.