"If you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito."

As a 5’1 little white girl from a middle class Catholic family, I would venture to say that being diverse was not always something I would describe myself as.  As a matter of fact, I am not sure I knew what diversity was even about.  From pre-K through twelfth grade, I went to a predominantly white Catholic school.  While there were students of different races in my class, they came from much wealthier families and shared the same religious background as I did.  Growing up, I always heard my grandfather refer to African Americans as a "clan."  I remember getting mad at him and always yelling back saying there were just people like us.  One particular day, my father actually told me that I needed to respect my grandfather, even if I didn't agree with him.  As I got older, I realized that while my grandpa may have been racist, it was in large part due to the time and way in which he was raised.  

At the age of 26, I began working at the College of Wooster, a liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio.  Prior to working there, I understood a bit more about diversity than in previous years, although I still had a lot to learn.  With the help of Grant Cornwell, the new President, I was able to gain a much greater perspective on diversity, and how I could become more globally aware.  Over the last five years, I have begun recycling, served as a host mom to two international students and become friends with a Muslim.  Additionally, in less than a year I will be the first member of my immediate family to earn a Masters Degree.  

What I have come to understand is that diversity is a product of the environment in which you were raised.  Often times, people are quick to judge others who are different from them.  While it frustrates me to see this happening, I truly believe that those who judge may simply not know any different.  As an educator, it is my responsibility to teach those around me the importance of racial acceptance and global diversity.  "We must be the change we want to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi