After going through the college admission process, I thought if I heard the word “diversity” one more time I was going to get up and walk out of the information session for whatever school I was visiting that day. To be quite frank, it meant nothing to me. My high school prided itself on its diversity. My high school was also in a neighborhood that was 94.1% white and being diverse meant that you were Methodist instead of Presbyterian. Diversity seemed like a loosely backed phrase that schools used to try to add value, but was actually an empty promise. So when Vanderbilt prided itself on being diverse, I expected more of the same. I always thought of diversity as something just pertaining to race. White, black, green, purple—whatever color you were defined who you were and made you a statistic. After just one semester at Vanderbilt I have learned that I could not have been more wrong.
Missouri in general is 84% white. I grew up in the same neighborhood my high school was in, and I had one African American neighbor. It was not that people were openly racist, but things that were said at school and at home would not be accepted if said here. Seeing Confederate Flags was an everyday occurrence, the few minorities that were at my high school mainly stuck together, and the use of racial slurs in everyday conversation was not something anyone thought twice about. In Ta-Nehisi Coates’s article “In Defense of a Loaded Word” he argues that the n-word is something black people should be allowed to say. Everyone where I am from would absolutely agree, they would just also agree that it was something white people were allowed to say too.
Nashville is by far the most diverse city I have ever lived in. According to the census data from 2010, Nashville is only 60.5% white. Vanderbilt, which has the majority of people I am surrounded with every day, is only 70.4% white. I am fully aware that to many people that is not a diverse community, but to me it was a complete culture shock. I suddenly found myself having to watch and actually filter what I said. Do not get me wrong, I never saw the symbols or saying with racial connotations or as something malicious, they were just a part of my lifestyle enclave. But now within each of my classes at Vanderbilt, I meet people everyday that are from Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, even California, which is someplace I’ve never been. I recently shared a study table with a girl from Malaysia; I sit next to a girl from Belize in my General Logic class, and my best friend is Latino, and I plan on being roommates with a girl who is African American next year—all of these opportunities have been afforded to me through the diversity of Nashville and Vanderbilt.
But I’ve also learned that diversity does not just pertain to skin color. People with different hopes, goals, dreams, and thoughts all bring unique perspectives to an environment. Someone who comes from a different socio-economic background than me can offer a story about a walk of life that I have never taken. Someone who practices a different faith can share values about how to live life that I have never even thought of. My mind is very politically driven, and I would definitely not describe myself as someone who is moderate. But here, I have been able to talk with people who view how the country should be run and that within itself is diversity I have never encountered. The diversity at Vanderbilt has opened doors I never knew existed.
It seems like everyday I meet someone new that has a background that I can learn something from. I have learned that here, diversity is not just a catch phrase used to increase application numbers, but something that is actually valued. Diversity is viewed as something that gives someone like me the opportunity to encounter people and increase my knowledge of the world. Here, I have learned the importance of meeting people who are different than you, because you never know what you could learn.
Works Cited
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. “In Defense of a Loaded Word.” Sunday Review: The Opinion Pages. New York Times, 23 November 2013. Web. 9 February 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/coates-in-defense-of-a-loaded-word.html?_r=0
“State and County QuickFacts.” United States Census Bureau. US Department of Congress. Web. 9 November 2013. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/4752006.html
Darby, I thought your essay was great!! I thought it was great how you were very open and honest and were able to detach yourself from your previous lifestyle to really reflect on what diversity has given to your life, and I think that makes your essay especially great. I really found your essay relatable, because I went to a high school that was majority White and found the comment about diversity between Methodist or Presbyterian really funny. I agree with what Ben said about the Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article, because I did think you were going to bring in that article but you did not.
The combination of your personal experience and the statistics was really effective in supporting your thesis. Your sentence structure and word choice also made the essay very clear, straightforward, and easy to read. I especially like the last few paragraphs where you talk about what you have learned about diversity from your experiences, they were a great ending to your essay! I think it would be helpfulf if you somehow made the transition between the second and third paragraphs a bit smoother, or made them more related in some way.
Overall this is an effective and strong essay. Your voice and personal experience really shine through in this essay. Your paper was generally fluid and easy to read. The only suggestion I have is that your second paragraph is a little distracting because it seems like you are going to write a response to Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article.