Hn101 Diversity Paper

Sarah Weidenhofer

HN 101: Freshman Experience

Steve Hageman

1 December 2017

Diversity

        While reading about diversity from the Washburn perspective, it showed that diversity is more than just being diverse by race or by gender. It is also how people grew up, which while affected by race and gender is also affected by so much. It is affected by where people were born, the economic class in which they belonged, their ability to gain an education, religion, etc. I know when the average person thinks of diversity the first thing that comes to mind is race. Washburn should and does value diversity because it allows people to grow. People grow on such a different level when they are not constantly surrounded by people who are carbon copies of themselves. You grow into a better person as you branch out and meet different types of people. I do support the Washburn Diversity Statement.

        I met with Andrea Craig, while her name may sound like a classic white girl name, she is not. First off, she is married so this is her married last name. Palao-Carbajal is her maiden name. She grew up in Peru, and then moved to the United States when she was fifteen. This is a large portion of the reason that I chose to met with her. Another reason is that she is twenty-eight. We are at a fairly good size age gap yet at similar parts in our life: both of us are in school. Her stories about growing up in Peru are rather different than the experiences I had growing up in the Midwest portion of the United States.

        When asked Andrea defined diversity as a different culture. She later explained this as how culture affects everything about you. It affects how you think, speak, and react to every situation.  While some of these overlap with different cultures, they can vary vastly. An example of this is here in the United States, the average person would think that eating guinea pig or cuy is quite disgusting.  However in Peru, it is a traditional dish. She said that she considers Washburn to be diverse because there are many countries represented at Washburn. Along with the different countries being represented, Washburn has many different cultures within each of these countries that it is represented. When I asked her how being an international has affected her life, she responded with how she has become Americanized. For example in Peru, you cannot move out of your parents house until you are married. However when she moved to the US, it is different here. She followed the American culture, which was a huge culture shock to her parents. Lastly I asked her what the biggest difference between Kansas and Peru, she responded that buildings in Peru are built a whole lot more closely together in Peru. Also, they have a volcano called El Misti. Overall, I agree with the statements about the United States.