Working with DIVERSITY

Diversity is one of the most interesting but most difficult issues to talk about. It forces people to confront various differences that point out the very aspects of who we are as humans. Some of these differences are race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, and religion. I admit that sometimes it is easier to avoid people who are different than me. By interacting with those people who are similar to me, I can be more relaxed because I do not have to worry about what I say or do. The challenge about being with people of diverse backgrounds is figuring out how to be the most appropriate and not to offend someone. Although being around someone from a similar background may be easier, I think that it closes a lot of doors in terms of learning. I believe that the only way to reinforce my values and beliefs is to learn about the perspectives of others and reflect upon the differences. Therefore, rather than closing myself to what I already know and am comfortable with, I try to partake in various clubs and activities.

THE WARTBURG EFFECT

I have tried to be active in terms of learning about various types of diversity. I have been so lucky to be able to learn more about diversity through my many experiences at Wartburg. I participate in activities such as: International Club, Spanish Club, Sigma Delta Pi, the Global Connections Program, the Orange Corps Service Trip Program, and ESL Tutoring. These are a few of many clubs and organizations across campus that address diversity. Wartburg does try to promote diversity through these various programs and through educational panels. Wartburg also has a diversity & inclusion statement that encourages diversity throughout the campus:

The Wartburg College community is committed to creating and maintaining a mutually respectful environment that recognizes and celebrates diversity among all students, faculty, and staff. Wartburg values human differences as an asset, works to sustain a culture that reflects the interests, contributions, and perspectives of members of diverse groups; and delivers educational programming to meet the needs of diverse audiences. We also seek to instill those values, understandings and skills to encourage leadership and service in a global multicultural society.

Wartburg College does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, genetics, sex, creed, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability in employment, programs, or benefits.*

This is a great statement to encourage people in Wartburg to get to know one another. It highlights that everyone has something to offer to the school and that it is important to learn about these qualities through educational programming. However, I do not believe that it is upheld by the students. Personally, I think that many students at Wartburg are too nervous or ignorant to learn about the diversity that we have on campus. My fellow students say that the reason that they do not interact with other people is that they are from "small town Iowa" and they are not used to having diversity around them. Even though there may be a lack of cultural diversity in Iowa, there are still socioeconomic differences, sexual orientation differences, religious differences, etc. The lack of diversity is an excuse that people give themselves to keep on acting the way that they are but instead should be a reason to learn about other cultures. Otherwise, they might not have another opportunity until a problem arises such as cultural miscommunication. I must admit that when I first came to Wartburg I, too, had little interaction with diversity. Although I grew up in a large city, people in my community were predominantly white and well-off. My motivation to learn more about other people was from mission and service trips that I did with my church though. However, after people hearda bout my previous experiences and how much I enjoy learning about others, I was encouraged to be intentional and get involved at Wartburg through various activities. As I was, people need to be motivated to get to know others. As a leader, I should be a person to try and integrate different people together.

The example of Wartburg and the challenge of learning about diversity on a large scale is reflective of society as a whole. While being in a small town in Iowa does mean that people from around here are less likely to come across certain types of diversity, the uneasiness of working with others is something that people in institutions and organizations across the nation have to deal with. Many people may recognize that there is diversity within a certain context, but they might not be so sure what to do with it. Instead, people remain within their own "bubble." However, it is imperative that people learn about diversity so that they can be culturally competent and can communicate with others outside of their community or "safe zone." As always, change is not going to take place if there is not someone there to take charge and initiate the change.

ACCEPTING DIVERSITY

The "US" Bollywood Girls

 As a leader I accept the challenge of learning about diversity. The first step is simplygetting involved. Sometimes this can be a little nerve-wracking though doing it alone. I started becoming involved when I received an opportunity on my birthday to be a part of the Bollywood Dance Group for the Culture Week Performances happening in March. I was always interested in participating in cultural events, but I was too nervous to do anything on my own. My friends from work were the ones who who arranged the opportunity for me because they were in the groups as well. The dance was taught by a girl from South Africa who family was from India and the other students were a mix of people from the United States and abroad. As we practiced weekly we learned about the Indian culture through the movements of the dance and the themes of the song After that experience, I was more willing to try out other cultural experiences on my own.


Letty Cottin Pogrebin would classify my initial step of getting involved as part a step of acceptance called, "Explaining to Yourself." In this step, a person does interact with someone who is culturally different from them. However, during the initiation of the interaction, the person has to ask themselves what they want out of the relationship. This person not only has to be willing to be seen with someone of a different race, class, gender, sexuality, etc., but they have to be willing to have an open mind to build the relationship. I do not plan on staying in Iowa when I graduate. Rather than keeping to myself, I will need to go out and learn about my new surroundings and understand the lifestyles of the people around me in order to interact better with others.

The next step is to share the stories of the experiences with others. There are many ways that this can happen. Probably one of the most popular (and easiest) ways is to talk directly to friends and family about everything. Sharing experiences can show others that working with diversity is not as scary as it seems. A person can share various issues, values, and revelations that they learned about. Then when another opportunity arises, hopefully more people can get involved because they have heard what the experience is like from someone else. I have been very active in promoting study abroad after living in Cordoba, Argentina for six months. Since I have returned in December of 2012, I have talked about the experience of being in another country and being a minority. I also addressed how rewarding learning about a new culture was,about the relationships I made, and how I adjusted to all the new changes in my environment. Subsequently, a number of Wartburg students have asked me more questions about my time abroad because they are considering going abroad as well. Each time my intention is to be honest with them about some of the hardships but to emphasize how it was so worth it in the end.

Letty Cottin Pogrebin talks about the importance of sharing stories in. terms of "Explaining to Your Community of Origin." She talks about how certain friends and family might not be OK with interactions with people from different backgrounds. She talks about how some people have to choose which relationship is more important - i.e. someone from my community or not. Personally, I probably would try to exaplain my reasoning to the other person and if that did not work, I would start to distance myself from them a bit. In terms of entering the workforce, I will promote equal treatment of others. If there is a situation of victimization, I should help mediate the cultural miscommunication because not everybody has worked with diversity.

The final step is actually spending time in someone else's shoes. This is probably the most overwhelming step because it involves a willingness to give up a "normal" life and experience something new. Although it might be uncomfortable at first, an opportunity to be immersed in another culture is a way to focus more on the similarities that people have rather than the differences. Then through these experiences, people can learn how to relate to other people who may be different. When I was abroad in Argentina, even though there were some customs that were out of the ordinary for me, I learned that by trying my best to follow some of the customs made people feel more comfortable around me because they understood that I was trying to learn more about their culture and be a part of it (even if I didn't always do everything the right way). Those actions then tore down the barrier between me and the Argentineans and I was then able to ask them about their culture as they asked about mine. From there, I acted as a friend to many of them - just as I would to someone in the United States. Although at first I was nervous, everything worked out for the best.

RELEVANCE FOR THE FUTURE

I have previously mentioned the importance of diversity can be of use when it comes to the workplace. In a workplace, more likely than not there are going to be people from various backgrounds that I will have to work with. Rather than being ignorant and saying that only my values and beliefs are important because they are "right," I can be open-minded to hear what other people have to say because of what they have experienced. More importantly for me, I want to be able to travel with my job if possible. I could not go to another country and expect that the people from that country would follow my customs. If I were to be under that impression, I could possibly offend some of the people within that company or institution. As a leader in terms of diversity, I want to make sure that I can make people who come to the United States more comfortable and share with them what some of the customs are that they should follow. Also, I want to continue to make sure that people learn about various issues; whether they involve culture, sexuality, socioeconomic class, etc. People need to appreciate their own life and can do so by learning about the lives of others. As much as people say that there might be a lack of diversity, diversity is everywhere. We, as humans, need to recognize that there are differences, and try to work with those differences through the similarities  that people possess. By doing that, I can continue to learn about ways to be more culturally competent and how to work with others who are different than me.

*"Diversity & Inclusion Statement." Wartburg College. 29 September 2013. Retrieved from http://www.wartburg.edu/about/diversity/aspx

**Pogrebin, Letty Cottin. "The Same and Different: Crossing Boundaries of Color, Culture, Sexual Preference, Disability, and Age." Bridges Not Walls: A Book about Interpersonal Communication. Ed. John Stewart. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 502-519. Print. 

Being an individual while being a team player

Hello readers! The topic for this week is something innevitable in life that really frustrates people. No, I'm not talking about taxes, but rather group work. Although many students may be haunted by past experiences of working in groups, the ability to work as a team is a valuable lesson that is not only applicable to school, but the "real" world.

My personality in terms of groups and leadership

Now before I go on and talk about my involvement in group work, I would first like to talk about who I am and how I function in organizational and leadership contexts.

"Hi, my name is Kjerstin and I am an INTJ."

No, I did not just make a spelling mistake or throw random letters together. For those of you who are not familiar, there are various types of personality tests. One of the more prominent tests used throughout the United States is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (also known as the MBTI). This indicator identifies sixteen various personality types. The four letters in my personality type signify the following: introvert, inuition, thinking, and judging. More specifically, I possess introverted intuition with extroverted thinking (the latter meaning that I am not afraid to say what I am thinking - isn't it obvious?). In short, this MBTI result is described as the following:

"Independent, individualistic, and visionary. INTJs work well when they can develop strategies, use foresight, implements their ideas, and create intellectual structures to meet goals. Unafraid of difficulty, they objectively analyze varied factors and global isses to meet complex challenges they can forsee in the future" (Hirsh 36)*. 

 In terms of my leadership experiences, this discription holds to be true. I am a goal-setter who likes to challenge myself and always looks for the next adventure. Because of my enthusiasm for challenges, I take leadership roles so I can encourage those who may be a little skeptical to change or are not sure how to accomplish the goal. While I am heading up the leadership role, I am always taking in so much information, analyzing ir, and utilizing it. People have told me that they come to me when they have questions about a number of topics because they know that I am full of random facts and knowledge over various disciplines. When in groups, my personality transforms me into a leader that is always thinking about taking a project to the next step, thinking about what the effects of a project will be like in the future, and thinking about how all of the criteria can be addressed in the most efficient manner. I am the one to make sure that everyone follows through with deadlines and that we are realistic with the goals that we are setting. However, some of my setbacks as a leader are that I do not praise people as much for their contributions or not being as flexible when it comes to changing the plan that was already developed. For me, since I am more of a thinker rather than a feeler, I need to be reminded of the importance of praising others for their work because I enjoy being recognized for my work. In terms of being more flexible, I need to remember the goal that my group set and the fact that a slight change does not mean that the goal will not be achieved. I think my recognition of my weaknesses signifies that I am willing to work on my weaknesses to strengthen myself as a leader and in my ability to work with others in a group.
For more information on what an INTJ such as myself is, go ahead and check the following website for more information: INTJ description.

Being heard as an individual in a group

Now, instead of focusing on myself on how my personality affects my involvement and leadership in a group, it is time to look at the dynamics of the group. One of the most prominent challenges in functioning as a group is trying to work with others who hold different values and perspectives. I recognize that it is important and innevitable to work with people who are different from me. Rather than being burdened by the tought of working with someone who might have conflicting views though, I embrace the challenge. One reason for there being such stark differences is due to people's backgrounds. Coming to Iowa, I was in complete in a stage of culture shock. To start, I knew nothing about farming. I was also used to being in a bigger city where there was more of everything! There were more people, more access to necessities, more visible class differences, more diversity (but that doesn't mean that we were necessarily exposed to diversity), and just more that was going on.

How does all of this relate to functioning in a group you may ask? For starters, people are going to come from various backgrounds and have a number of experiences that affect who they are. Those experiences shape people's values and how they make decisions. Not everybody is going to agree in a group. When someone holds an opposing view on a subject me, many times rather than feeling heard I feel like I am getting ignored. In those situations, I feel like the person is saying, "it's my way or the highway." As an INTJ though, in order for me to be effective, I need to feel heard. In some instances, I will try to fight for my position and try to be heard. However, sometimes it's just not worth the effort to fight over that in the long run might be so irrelevent. In groups, I am usually the one to take charge and mediate ideas. As I hear ideas though, I am very quick to judge (which is why I am an INTJ). Once I hear an idea that is good enough, I try to influence the group to go with it. Sometimes, the rest of the group goes along and we start working on the project which happens in the most ideal situations. I recognize how important it is to have other members give their input as well because they might have a great idea but are just too shy to share it. To work collectively though, I have learned that as long as the group hears everyone out and decides together which way is best, people feel like they are heard and have a part within the group decisionmaking.

Of course, there is always the chance of conflict within the dynamics of the group. Nobody likes to deal with confrontation, but it is essential that groups address problems and move on to make progress. Susan M. Campbell addresses a way to try and lessen the hostility when arguing within personal relationships - whether those relationships be romantic, friendly, or professional. Her solution? The phrase, "I hear you and I have a different perspective." Campbell says that with this phrase, not only does the person acknowledge the other person's opinion and perspective in a respectful way, but then the person shares how they feel. Then, rather sounding accusative, the people can talk more in a respecting manner. 

How I came to recognize the importance of listening to others was from being ignored in a group presentation. During my sophomore year at Wartburg, my Spanish class had to make up commercials about a specific product in Spanish in small groups. When my group started working together, one of my classmates already had an idea of what she wanted us to do and what steps we needed to do to finish it. When I brought up an idea to include in our commercial, the "leader" was skeptical about my idea and told me to bring more information about it to the next meeting so we could try to include a part of it if it fit. However, when I came back the next meeting, she had said that she had talked to the rest of the group on her own and said my part to the project was "not needed." Not only did I feel  like I was ignored, but I felt that the leader had gone behind my back and tried to guarantee her way. I do not want to be someone who makes my teammates feel like that. Each teammate should be heard with their own perspectives. It is a type of respect that one group member should give to another.

While giving people the opportunity to share their ideas does not mean that they will take it. Sometimes people are too scared or shy to share while other times people are more comfortable with letting people take charge rather than handle the challenge themselves. I want to be the type of person that gets those people out of their boxes and interacting more within a group. This can be very important when it comes to managerial positions. For instance, right now while I work in Pathways, I try to conduct meetings where people can be open with their thoughts and concerns about the workings of the office. Since we are students and liberal learners, we are always trying to share knowledge between disciplines. First, I have to make sure that people feel like they can be open enough to share their thoughts. I encourage the people to get involved through having the returners share their thoughts and insights. When the returners saw how well we respond to their thoughts, we start to see some of openness with the new members of Pathways.

Reflecting on the future

In terms of my future, making sure to listen to fellow members will be essential to my career path (whichever direction it takes me). I cannot get anyone to follow my ideas if I consistently ignore theirs. Additionally, as much as I try, it is not possible to do accomplish something big all on my own. I need supporters and teammates and without giving them the respect that they have given me to be a leader, nothing will get accomplished.

Honestly, trying to figure out how to interact in a group is social functionalism at it's best. As a sociology major, I analyze groups and what types of patterns are consistent from group to group. However, not every group can be generalized because of the types of people that create them. I can use my knowledge of how groups work to remind myself of how I should act.

* Hirsh, Elizabeth, Katherine Hirsh, and Sandra Krebs Hirsh. Introduction to Type and Teams 2nd Edition. Mountain View, CA: CPP, Inc., 2003. Print.
 ** Campbell, Susan M. "I Hear You, and I Have a Different Perspective." Bridges Not Walls. Ed. John Steward. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 474-78. Print.

How Can I Be at your Service?

I am a service-oriented person. For years I have taken the time to serve through various experiential opportunities such as mission and service trips, volunteering, participating in leadership camps, as well other random activities. My time spent serving others has made me realize more about what causes I am passionate about and the importance of sharing them with others. Through the years, these causes have ranged from homeless to education to immigration. Each experience that I have had has opened my eyes to the needs of many and continuously reminds me the importance of giving back to others. Although at times it seems like the impact that I make on community may be small, the lessons that the community gives me in return is so big. I feel that as time passes these experiences have had more of an affect on me. No matter what though, I am a servant leader and will continue to be one.

“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.”

- Robert Greenleaf from his book, The Servant as Leader

An important aspect of being a servant leader is to believe. A leader needs to believe in themselves and what they are capable of doing. They need to have the confidence that they can get people together to act in unity. However, a servant leader needs to believe in the cause that they are working towards. This concept of belief was something I struggled with first coming into Wartburg. Since I was younger, I felt that my opinions did not really matter. I thought that the upperclassmen would be the ones who would share a wealth of knowledge with me and that when my time came, I would be the one to do the same. Sitting and waiting to be inspired did nothing though. After going on a service trip my freshman year, I decided to take the challenge and try to lead a trip on my own. Even though I was nervous about being an underclassman and taking a leadership position, I was able to gain the confidence to believe in myself. I realized that rather than focusing on all of the things that I might be not able to do, I had to focus on the skills that I did possess. Some of my qualities I had were determination and organization. After reassessing who I was then, I came to the realization that I was capable of leading others in service.

INSPIRING OTHERS

I believe that the ability to uplift individuals to serve is essential to building communities through service. The challenge of getting others involved is a task that I thoroughly enjoy. A common drawback would be how easy it is for people to sit back and do nothing for others. However, the results of becoming involved can be so rewarding. A program that I have participated in for a number of years is the High School Leadership Institute (HSLI). During this program, 15-25 high school students come to Wartburg for a week to learn about leadership and then develop a service-learning project to implement in their own communities during their senior year of high school. This was my first interaction with Wartburg as a high school student and I loved the program so much that I continued to participate as a college mentor once my journey at Wartburg started. In the HSLI, one of the lessons that the students learn each year is the importance to encourage others to serve. Based on Kouzes and Posner's chapter "Inspire a Shared Vision" in their book, The Student Leadership Challenge, the students learn the importance to keep in mind people's emotions during service. The chapter highlights the importance of always envisioning the potential of the future. While participants may become frustrated and not feel like their work is of any contribution, the servant leader is the one who remains positive about the work that people are doing and reminds people of the bigger goal that is trying to be reached. 

An example of having to inspire a shared vision was not in a service-based activity but rather while helping create a fundraiser for the Wartburg Ultimate Frisbee Club. The club was in the need of some funds to help us travel to various tournaments around the Midwest for the next year. Suddenly, I was sparked with the idea of hosting a second tournament at Wartburg at the beginning of the fall. It would not only be a way for us to raise money, but then we could give the freshmen an opportunity to learn what tournaments are like without making a huge commitment, allow the returners an opportunity to play for the first time for the season, and we could create an ultimate community with others in the area. A couple of the captains were a little hesitant at my idea. They thought that it would be too hard to get enough people together and that it would be too much effort to try and arrange. Rather than taking "no" as an answer, I made project proposals and talked to all of the contacts that we would need in order to host the tournament. After committing myself to the project and showing that hosting a tournament would not be impossible, the captains finally accepted my want to host a tournament. They then helped with recruitment and some logistics that I delegated to them. I practiced what I preach to the high school students coming to HSLI - to inspire a shared vision. This example is proof to me that I have the ability to bring people together for one cause. This ability can be so helpful in leadership across all the line - in service, in sports, in the workplace, etc.   

BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN 

When it comes to trying to make a change, there are different levels of commitment that people give to certain causes. With the Orange Corps, the Wartburg Service Trip group, we use The Active Citizen Continuum from Breakaway: The Alternative Break Connection. It shares four various stages that a person might be in when it comes to participation in service: member, volunteer, conscientious citizen, and active citizen. While a member knows there is a problem but chooses to do nothing about it, a volunteer will take their time every once in a while to help provide a temporary solution. There have been many times where I have just been a volunteer by giving my time at places such as Habitat for Humanity of the Northeast Iowa Foodbank. The conscientious citizen takes everything a step further by volunteering in certain situations, but analyzing the situation and trying to find out what the root causes are. Participating in service trips is reflective of being a conscientious citizen. For instance, when I went down to Waterloo and my group worked with the Hospitality House that houses homeless people in the daytime, we not only got to know the people who used the services, but we analyzed the governmental and societal structures that force them to stay in their current situation. In terms of homelessness, we talked about selfishness, the large gaps between classes, the lack of availability of transportation, and the difficulty to make a living on minimum wage. Taking an opportunity to be on a service trip and analyze each situation really encourages students to take a step further and become an active citizen. An active citizen tries to fight for justice for the community. They not only give their time to volunteer and learn about the root causes, but they are the ones sharing information about the issue and trying to get others to be passionate as well. 

Courtesy of Breakaway: The Alternative Break Connection
http://alternativebreaks.org/active_citizen_continuum.asp

The stage of being an active citizen is where I would like to be. Unfortunately, as the case is with many people, the lack of time can really be a burden. However, I want to be an active citizen in my future that fights for what they believe in and doesn't give up even when faced with adversity. Fortunately, in sociology, the equivalent of an active citizen is a public sociologist. These people work in a specific community and focus on the issues within that community. Their work usually is not as well known as professional sociologists who spend their time researching and writing papers. Public sociologists are more focused on the needs of their people being served first. I hope that in my future I can help work with immigrants as a type of public sociologist. I would love to work with the immigrant communities and educate people on the adversities that immigrant families have to go through - whether they are legal or not. I was inspired when I took a service trip to Corpus Christi, Texas where we worked at Bokenkamp Children Shelter that houses unaccompanied minors who crossed the US border. Listening to their stories about the separation of their family and how they would do anything to be reunited again warmed my heart and made me hopeful that in the future, I can try and help immigrants get better treatment. At this point, I can only keep on reading about some of the issues and continue trying to volunteer. Someday though I am sure that I can cross the line from being a conscientious citizen and figure out how my passion can make a difference.

FINAL CALL FOR LAST THOUGHTS

Sometimes I feel like I am behind - that there are so many people doing good things and that I am not doing enough. No, I haven't made my own not-for-profit organization and I have not raised thousands of dollars for a specific cause. As my teachers are constantly reminding me though, it's not quantity that matters, it's quality. By taking the time to share what I am passionate about with others is enough. Plus, help does not have to come in big gestures but in small steps. An example of a small step I took is what I decided to do upon turning twenty-one. Rather than asking for gifts for my birthday, I wanted people to give gifts for my birthday. Specifically, what I wanted is for people to donate to certain causes that I chose rather than getting gifts. I didn't want anything and I knew that there were plenty people out in the world who needed something more than I did. I signed myself up for an account with www.charitybirthday.com and chose three great organizations for people to donate to: Donors Choose, FEED, and Charity:Water. Then, I was not only sharing the word about certain causes, but people were willing to give to them because of my passion to help certain organizations. It was a simple step that helped make a change!

Being a servant leader is taking the strength to say that others needs are more important than your own. Whether it's volunteering at a homeless shelter, doing a service trip, or fundraising money, being a servant leader is standing up to the world and helping others face reality. Ultimately, thanks to my experiences at Wartburg, being a servant leader is part of me and always will be.

So. How can I be at your service?

Introductions, please

Hello blogger world! I am back for another new adventure. Here are the basics that every student always has to share on the first day of school. My name is Kjerstin and I am a Spanish and Community Sociology double major with a minor in Leadership. I am finishing my last semester of college where I am constantly reminded to reflect on my experiences at school. More specifically, I am in a "Leadership Portfolio Seminar" class where my fellow classmates and I analyze how we have grown in leadership at Wartburg. Questions that we are asked to reflect upon are:

What did you learn through your time at Wartburg?

What were specific leadership experiences that you had?

How will these experiences aid you in the future? How will you use the leadershiup lessons that you learned?

Rather than having a professor tell us what we did right or wrong in leadership, we, the students, are the ones who are called upon to measure leadership growth.

Additionally, rather than just writing a four to five page paper, I find that expressing myself in a blog lets me be a little more free with my thoughts and my experiences. As the assignments roll in, I will make sure to keep you, the readers, up-to-date with what has made me who I am.

Ready for the ride?

And so it begins.