Personal Statement: I Am All About Diversity

I am very interested in participating in the SIUE Diversity Summer camp because I am very passionate about healthcare and I also want to become a pediatrician when I am older. I am currently in medical terminology, chemistry I, and health occupations. In these classes, I do very well in, and it makes me more interested in becoming a nurse. I also am on the board for Health Occupations Student of America (HOSA). I am leading a committee called the thirst project where you raise money for people to get clean water in third world countries. In HOSA I have designed the school shirt and helped represent the club at events. I am also apart of three other clubs in which I am thoroughly active in and while maintaining all A's in school. Being

While researching for possible topics for my policy speech, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite popped up on my Facebook newsfeed, and I knew from that moment that I had to address this topic my presentation. This was truly a topic I felt like needed to be addressed because I honestly felt that the Academy does not appropriately commemorate the people of color in Hollywood for their cinematic achievements. After finding all of my credible sources, I compiled all of my information on the recent Oscars diversity conflict to formulate my own solution to the lack of diversity in Hollywood. After giving my speech on April 15th, I reflected on what I could have improved on in my speech in terms of my presentation and my outline in general. After receiving

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

I always marveled at how Joshua’s Yakama managed to stay on. Sweat dripping and curls bouncing with each exercise, Joshua listened for my instruction. I had to be very articulate and an extremely good demonstrator when correcting Joshua with his exercises. A practicing Hasidic Jew, Joshua was not allowed to touch or be touched by a female.

I am an avid volunteer and my experiences beyond school have enhanced my expertise as an educator. My ability to be bilingual and my experiences in teaching in more than one country have proven to be an asset both in the classroom and on campus. I have a deeper understanding of what diversity means through my travels and have been able to build positive and indispensable relationships with diverse students and

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

Diversity is a topic that people don't want to talk about. There are many attitudes involved and many of them are just differing perspectives. After speaking with my interviewee I found out diversity is defined very different based on the part of the world you grew up in. People who grew up with a similar type of people could see the United States as very diverse, but others who lived in here their whole life could see it differently. This is the type of response I got from the interview that I did not think of until reflection.

Our district’s mission and focus is to educate students to be well rounded members of society. To that end, we must embrace and prepare them for the large scale global economy they will need to compete in. Daily our world becomes more connected. Social media and convenient travel increases our exposure to cultures and classes that we may never have been introduced to. Therefore, to fully educate the students of our district, it necessary for us to create and implement strategies to help them understand and embrace the diversity of our world.

All throughout my life I have been in the minority and I have always been an average or below average student. I had to work twice as hard just to keep up. However, having the right resources, opportunities that were presented to me by my mentor and teachers helped me succeeded both academically and as a person in society. And even though I lacked interaction with other black students I was still able to have a good understanding of who I was before going to college. My philosophy is to have an academic atmosphere for students that can be in a fun learning environment that pushes the student to excel to the best of their ability, have a great personal connection with their teachers, have curriculum that interests the student while also teaching them real-world skills, the opportunity to gain mentors, and lastly, an environment that is diverse so that it would make the student population more well-rounded.

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

Another goal of mine is to be able to practice cultural humility, a term I learned in a multiculturalism course in my undergrad. I plan to work with as many populations as I can throughout my career. I have my biases and generalizations of people and I want to be able to address them in a diverse classroom environment before going into the work field. I am most interested in working with and learning about Children, Youth and Women during my advanced year of study. Specifically with adolescents because of my plans to work in the CSEC field.

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.

Being raised in California I have been exposed to diversity in all aspects of my life, ranging from race to religion to disabilities. Growing up with severe visual impairment -- having strabismus and no depth perception -- has provided me with a unique understanding for people who grew up with additional challenges in regards to education. Due to this empathy, I was inspired to help people who endure these challenges in my community. This community outreach, in turn, greatly impacted me, shaping me and my outlook on communication.

My entire existence is a fusion of culture—and that’s the way I see it. As a first generation American, the Mexican culture, traditions, and values instilled in me by my parents infused with the experience and opportunity given to me by my birth country have transformed me into an agent of diversity. I see diversity as not only the color of one’s skin or the background from which a person comes from. Diversity is also a person’s various talents, interests, and opinions. It is where a person has been, where they are now, and where they wish to go. My existence isn't a clash between two opposing forces fighting for dominance, instead it is a blend of who I am and who I wish to become.

A writer named Jacqueline Woodson once said that; “Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.” This means that diversity is all about differences, because no two people are exactly the same. This includes, races, ethnicities, gender, religions, beliefs, favorites, opinions, style, learning style and anything else that makes someone who they are as a person. This definition of diversity coincides almost identically with inclusive ideas in regards to disabilities. The question I have, however, is whether or not Inclusive Theories can be used when there are no children with disabilities present in the classroom. In an attempt to come up with an answer I interviewed a second grade teacher, Ms. Smith* at a Quaker school.