Three Things I Have In Common With Diversity

Diversity can be found anywhere and can always teach you something if you keep an open mind. I grew up relatively unaware of how different the world could be from my own life, but when I went to high school it was a wake up call for me. Diverse viewpoints and backgrounds can lead to the most amazing achievements and working together is the only way to get there.

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.

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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?”

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

I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas; to be more specific, the lowest income suburb of Dallas, Texas. The elementary school that I went to was the school for the lower income families and we were so equally diversified, that there was no such thing as a minority. Price Elementary was the name and the teachers were wonderful. They could have chosen to work in a school in a nicer neighborhood but they wanted to be there for children that really needed them. Although the school was great, the neighborhood was a rough place to raise a family. My parents worked very hard to move our family to Colorado Springs and to give their children a better opportunity. Their hard work has paid off. My brothers and I are all on great paths to success.

I was raised in a very non-diverse small all white town about 2 hours from a large city in north Texas. My parents and grandparents prepared me well on how America had grown into a diverse population of culture and ethnicities, from around world. When turned 18 in the early 80’s I went to work and live in the city that opened my eyes to diversity. Overtime I developed great friendships with people that were African American, Hispanic and Asian that were neighbors and co-workers that I spent a lot of time with regularly. One black friend I had was openly gay and shared insight to us about him and his partner’s life. This opened my eyes and thinking of how little I truly know about others cultural environments.

Diversity is a potent factor teenagers and families look at when choosing the right college. In the twenty-first century, many universities are defined my race or religious.

The diversity I have experienced during my childhood has best prepared me for life in the real world. I have attended an expensive private school with the children of senators, CEOs, and millionaires. I have lived in a two-bedroom condo with my single mother, two siblings and dog. I have worked jobs for as long as I was legally able to. I currently attend a public high school with people from all walks of life and different socioeconomic levels. I was raised to believe that your background does not define you – your character does.

I can contribute to diversity at The San Francisco Bay School by sharing my perspective, experience, and background with other students. Diversity is not only about race and culture, but also how people perceive the world. I am a visual learner, someone who prefers to learn by seeing examples. Even though I am a visual learner, that does not mean I do not understand different learning styles. I believe you must change your perspective and be open to new ideas. My perspective on learning is that there is always another way to solve a problem. Another way I can contribute to diversity at Bay is through experience. When collaborating with others for group projects, I can use my knowledge to do research and do my part to get the job done. For example,

Diversity is an important aspect because it allows human beings to recognize the difference of each other and be able to combine ideas and form new and improved ideas . Personally diversity is important to me because it gives every race and sex the same benefits and opportunities . At the school I attend now, I am aware that the diversity is staggering . Whenever someone is new at the school I help them feel comfortable and introduce them to as many people as I can. At the club I attended , known as Black Culture Club, the aim is to inform everyone about the culture of African Americans and how it relates to other culture in ways people may now be aware of . Diversity allows the world to take narrow ideas and expand them with the inclusion

Definition wise diversity means an assortment of people of many different backgrounds such as race, religion, origin, sexual orientation, and social class. However, to me it is much more than that. Diversity entails all of the qualities that make each of us who we are. Every person in this world has different thoughts and views on different things every day. Where we come from and how we grow up commonly lead us toward these views and understandings of the world. A big part of diversity is accepting all of these differences and learning how to be unified. Growing up in a smaller town and school I definitely have a different outlook on diversity than other people who experience many different cultures and personalities on a daily basis. However,

My ideas, morals and education are an accumulation of qualities that I have obtained through my interactions with diverse people. Like picking ripe fruit on display in the supermarket, I have benefitted from the ripe perspectives of a these individuals. Differences have changed my perspectives, thoughts and decisions. Because I value the differences of others, I will enrich the diverse learning environment at the UA COM-Phoenix.

Undoubtedly a person's environment and family will affect their outlook on the world. Lucky for me I grew up in a very loving and stable home. I feel as if my views on life are how I see others are positive, and this I can say was up to how my parents raised me.

      Unity and diversity are both qualities to be desired within society. Both, when balanced with one another, provide for the strongest form of society in which all are unified under some ideas, but differences are tolerated and accepted. One of the strongest factors of determining the present status of unity and diversity is the current state of affairs within a community. The current state of affairs can be altered by a number of issues, some planned and recurring, such as elections years, and some unexpected altogether, such as natural disasters. Within the global community, the current state of a variety of affairs greatly affects the balance of unity and diversity amongst the global