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.