Diversity Statement- HELP! Forum

[Anonymous User]

I would welcome any comments anyone has on my diversity statement draft (below). Just need to make sure I'm on the right track, and I figure this is probably the best audience to ask. Happy to take a look at yours too-- if you PM me, I can give you my email address.

I was seven, swimming laps in our neighborhood pool to escape the heat, when suddenly, as I turned into the deep end, something heavy landed on my shoulders and back. I sank down hard. Wet fingers wrapped themselves around my neck. Instinctively, I thrashed, struggling to throw the weight off, until I realized that it was my younger brother, Max. Autistic and unable to swim, he had fallen into the pool and was clinging to me for dear life. My heart seized. I let myself sink to the bottom and kicked off hard, pulling us towards the pool's edge with all my strength as we surfaced.

In some ways, the weight I felt carrying Max on my shoulders that day never lifted. Since childhood, I have watched my brother struggle with issues that are difficult for others to imagine, and I have done everything in my power to advocate for him. In first grade, when his speech was too impaired for even our dad to understand, I stood by Max's side and translated. In third grade, when Max had a meltdown, I showed his teacher how to calm him down. On the playground and at the lunch table, I stood up to bullies who made fun of him for being different, and at home, I tied his shoes. Since our single mother worked long hours to support us, my brother depended on me to be the leader. I had no choice but to become an adult.

As a child and teenager, I was ashamed, conscious that my family situation made me different from my peers. Today, I know that I was right—I am different—but I also see that my experiences have granted me maturity beyond my 24 years. A childhood spent caring for a disabled sibling has left me with a strong sense of empathy, and a hesitation to judge those who are different or difficult to understand. Years of operating under pressure have taught me to improvise and solve problems creatively in impossible situations. The lessons I've learned have made me a better leader, and more importantly, a better person. Rather than shame, I feel gratitude. I wouldn't change my life, or my brother, for the world.