I'm a firm believer in learning about other cultures. I believe it makes us question our own world view and makes us better people. Which is why I'm a huge fan of diversity.
Prior to coming to Carolina, I thought of diversity on more of a world scale--I thought of "diversity" in terms of countries--Japanese people, Chinese people, Hispanic people...it wasn't really I saw in my own backyard. Since coming here, I see it more and more in my everyday life--people can be diverse in terms of their talents and interests, not just the color of their skin or what holidays they celebrate.
Take, for instance, the girls in my sorority. Outwardly, I suppose, we look similar. However, once you get to know everyone, you know that we're all different--some of us like Twilight, others like to read case studies. Some are pre-med, some are pre-law, and some are fashion. Some people are better leaders and some are better followers. Some eat only salad and others eat like 15-year old boys. Some are athletic, some are artsy.
I see it in terms of the other students here on campus, too--there are Greeks, non-Greeks, those who are involved and those who are not, the introverts and the extroverts, the northerners and southerners, the haves and have-nots.
I haven't really been at Hand Middle long enough to see how diverse the school really is, but these are my observations so far: my mentee, let's call her Alice, is hispanic. She's certainly not the only Hispanic child there--there are white children and African-American children as well. It's a very well-balanced school in terms of ethnicity. In addition, Alice has a talent for the arts, not so much for math and science (very similar to me). Other kids at the school are more athletic, while some are more academically-oriented.
Basically, diversity is not just about the color of your skin--it's about who you are and the way you live. Where do you see diversity in your life?
Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura
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