Reflection About Diversity

This summer I was challenged to take on a volunteer opportunity at a facility with children to learn about and experience encounters on diversity. I started volunteering with Mrs. Rodriguez at her home daycare center “Severina Rodriguez Family Home Day Care” on May 2, 2015. This institution’s mission is “Where your Child is our Priority.” I originally picked this daycare center because when I was a toddler I was a part of this institution. I wanted to give back to those who took care of me when my parents could not. This home daycare is located in Hialeah, a primarily Hispanic portion of Miami. Since the majority of the inhabitants of Hialeah are Hispanic the demographics of the home daycare was primarily Hispanic. Other races that were represented

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.

What does diversity mean to you? It’s often hard to identify diversity and what it means to us. We see diversity and its impact on the world, but we don’t always see the issues right before us. What about intolerance right here, right now? What about stereotypes and judgments made about someone based upon his or her sexual orientation, race, or economic status? We see it every single day in the news, on college campuses, etc. People sometimes become uneasy when we talk about the concept of diversity. Sometimes, we are

Diversity is defined as “the condition of having or being composed of differencing elements” (Webster Dictionary). Through my clinical experiences I have seen a lot of diversity whether it be different ethnicity, the family culture/make-up or students living with disabilities in the classrooms. Specifically, in my urban clinicals I saw more ethnicity and culture diversity differences between student to student and student to teacher relationships. However, in my suburban school clinical experiences I also saw diversity, but in a different way. Here I saw much more diversity in family make-up.

What first comes to mind when thinking about diversity? For me, I see it as visible proof of positive fairness through different backgrounds. Now, I am quite positive that you have read stories about how a person is affected by diversity. However, my experience comes with a little twist. I have experienced two completely different societies. One where there is diversity in almost every corner, and in another where there is none.

For my leadership rubric I choose diversity. Understanding the diversity of a group is essential to creating a productive organization. Each person brings a history, culture, and a set of beliefs that shaped them into who they are now. These differences should be celebrated, because differences are what help organizations accomplish positive change.

Issues of diversity are crucial to a large urban district in Texas. All communications are sent in both English and Spanish, this includes phone messages, website post, and written communications. A parent liaison is employed at each secondary campus to facilitate communication between non Spanish speaking teachers and parents. Culturally inclusive celebrations are held several times a year. Professional development designed to help teachers learn Spanish are also available each

Growing up I always had the opportunity to interact with diverse groups. My father is a retired master sergeant of the United States Army. He is African-American and was born and raised Baptist in Kentucky. He married my mother who is South Korean and Buddhist. I spent the first three years of my life living in South Korea where my father was stationed. We

I completely agree with the intro, that diversity is no longer black/white, male/female, old/young issue. One of my previous work experiences, with Aids Community Services, who provided full spectrum healthcare and assistance to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. I was exposed to the real side of that life-style and was educated to realities over stigmatisms. Such as, aids being a “gay” disease, there were various people who contracted it from their heterosexual relationship with a trusted mate, male and female. I was also recently exposed, at the same time, to two transgender individuals, one being female transgending to male and the other a male, transgending to female. Having to be in close contact with the transgending

I have realized over the years that a diverse student population as well as diversity within the faculty is a critical element in preparing students for the California workforce. Providing an environment that promotes tolerance for and understanding of difference is indeed a gift. Providing training for faculty to help them understand students in poverty as well as cultural differences that may manifest misunderstandings is an important first step. One of the greatest moments I experienced over the years was when a group of heterosexual students brought to my attention the difficulties one of our new students was having. The student in question was an outstanding IT student who was always willing to help others. He was transsexual and was not

The term diversity refers to elements or qualities per se, it is the condition to be unique and the point of being different. The Latin root, “diversus”, suggests that historically this notion had a neutral, or even negative, connotation. Synonyms are different, unlike, opposed, or hostile (Merriam-Webster’s 2017). I believe that each person is a complex individual shaped by their socioeconomic situation, education, family status, health, early life experiences, genetic composition, to name a few. Thus, this recognition of complexity has led me to fewer harmful assumptions about my co-workers, and family-members; but also has and will give me an opportunity to broaden my own understanding of a diversified life.

Diversity represents the “multitude of individual differences and similarities that exist among people” (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2013). It pertains to the host of individual differences that make all of us unique and different from one another. Diversity in an organization continues beyond hiring employees of numerous backgrounds, but involves embracing and empowering all minorities. Thankfully, globalization and strategic alliances have transformed business economies drastically to set up complex business environments. These environments include inter-cultural, inter-departmental, cross functional, and inter-disciplinary people working together, as a part of a large team, towards a common goal. The importance of these workgroups can be understood by the strategic role they play in determining organizational effectiveness. Workgroup diversity as a concept has caught the scholarly attention of researchers and academicians as many companies have expanded their businesses to new foreign territories. For the success of these new business ventures they seek greater local participation in their workforce, with respect to the people who are well-acquainted with the culture, ethic, local languages, tastes, preferences and other features unique to these new markets. This has eventually led to the establishment of people from different communities, ethno-socio-economic-politico backgrounds, and cultures to take part equally at a common platform.

When reflecting on a Human Diversity course, I think that it is easy to say that being racist, sexist, or generally being against someone’s culture or upbringing, is wrong. That is not what I took away from this course. I took much more away. My idea of these concepts has broadened. I understand that we all have our biases, but I think that it is essential we do not let them affect the way we teach, or treat our students.

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.

When I started this semester I came into the classroom with a few preconceived assumptions. I assumed that I would be learn little more as I thought that I was already well versed in what diversity meant. This idea was not because I had taken formal classes on it as I am a Biology major and as a result only took a couple of classes concerning sociology or any other classes that would approach the material taught in a class titled ‘The Role of Cultural Diversity in Schooling’. Rather this assumption was based on my own identity as part of a minority. My family is Mexican. I am Mexican, having been born in Mexico. I’d seen and experienced first hand what it meant to be part of the minority. I knew, before I stepped into the classroom, I’d likely be the only Latino in the classroom, something that I predicted based on the demographics I had seen in EDUC 350 and EDUC 422. However my assumption was incorrect.