Urgent, please help with diversity statement
Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:19 pm
Unjust Behavior from a Lack of Diversity
As an eight year old girl, I thought my family was rich. My parents owned the first African-American travel agency in Mississippi and were doing modestly well until they decided to get a divorce. Then, life became emotionally and financially challenging. Although money was limited, my parents made sure to continue to expose us different things. When I left private school and transitioned to a predominately African-American elementary school, I was told that I “talked like a white girl” and “thought I was better than everyone else”. As an adult, I realized that my peers’ lack of exposure to different experiences and people caused my not being accepted, and I endured being bullied until my sophomore year of high school. It was then that I was accepted to an Academic and Performing Arts program-a school that had multiple ethnicities, with African-American and Caucasian students being the majority. I no longer experienced the rejection from my peers. Instead, I was treated unfairly by some of my superiors.
I had been a cheerleader since I was in the seventh grade. Although my new school’s population contained different ethnicities, the cheerleading squad was completely Caucasian. When I attempted to audition for the squad at my new school, I was prohibited due to bad character reference forms. My parents immediately investigated this claim because I had congenial relationships with my teachers. After several months of my father meeting with my teachers and the principal, it was determined that my teachers did not give me unfavorable marks on my character forms. The principal wrote me a letter apologizing for these unfair actions and stated that I could audition for the squad the next year. The following year, I auditioned but was not surprised when I did not make the squad.
As demonstrated in these two situations, a lack of diversity hinders social growth and impartiality. Mississippi’s culture is lawfully integrated, but my beloved state is still socially segregated. When I moved to New York and California, I discovered the beauty of a melting pot of cultures. Everyone seemed driven and accepting of each other. It was in these environments that I started my own entertainment company, earned my Master of Art’s degree in Education, and obtained a real estate certification. There was no glass ceiling, and I could accomplish anything.
As an eight year old girl, I thought my family was rich. My parents owned the first African-American travel agency in Mississippi and were doing modestly well until they decided to get a divorce. Then, life became emotionally and financially challenging. Although money was limited, my parents made sure to continue to expose us different things. When I left private school and transitioned to a predominately African-American elementary school, I was told that I “talked like a white girl” and “thought I was better than everyone else”. As an adult, I realized that my peers’ lack of exposure to different experiences and people caused my not being accepted, and I endured being bullied until my sophomore year of high school. It was then that I was accepted to an Academic and Performing Arts program-a school that had multiple ethnicities, with African-American and Caucasian students being the majority. I no longer experienced the rejection from my peers. Instead, I was treated unfairly by some of my superiors.
I had been a cheerleader since I was in the seventh grade. Although my new school’s population contained different ethnicities, the cheerleading squad was completely Caucasian. When I attempted to audition for the squad at my new school, I was prohibited due to bad character reference forms. My parents immediately investigated this claim because I had congenial relationships with my teachers. After several months of my father meeting with my teachers and the principal, it was determined that my teachers did not give me unfavorable marks on my character forms. The principal wrote me a letter apologizing for these unfair actions and stated that I could audition for the squad the next year. The following year, I auditioned but was not surprised when I did not make the squad.
As demonstrated in these two situations, a lack of diversity hinders social growth and impartiality. Mississippi’s culture is lawfully integrated, but my beloved state is still socially segregated. When I moved to New York and California, I discovered the beauty of a melting pot of cultures. Everyone seemed driven and accepting of each other. It was in these environments that I started my own entertainment company, earned my Master of Art’s degree in Education, and obtained a real estate certification. There was no glass ceiling, and I could accomplish anything.