I know many people have their own different ways of defining diversity. To me, diversity means accepting people who are different from you because of their race, religion, nationality, beliefs, or sexuality. I define diversity as another human looking at someone else as an equal regardless of where they come from, their nationality, religion, beliefs, gender, and the most important in my opinion, race.

In the words of Maya Angelou, "We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." Some people are too blind today to see the true meaning of what it means to be diverse. To be diverse doesn't just mean to be around minorities. It means to accept them, to learn from them, to share with them, to teach them. Diversity is being able to talk about issues without bias. True diversity is coming together on a compromise based on logic or reasoning without fear and anxiety.

A positive result of true diversity is a young black law-abiding male not fearing interaction with the police, young white females to not be scared of young black males playing basketball on her way to work, handicapped children being able to participate in play with able-bodied kids, and me being able to know I have the same opportunity as everyone in America to fulfill my dream without compromising my integrity, my history, my dignity, and my self-worth.

I will contribute to society with the knowledge of not just American history but black history. I plan to bring to the table the lessons that my parents and forefathers have taught me, my determination to always strive for excellence, my problem-solving abilities and quick wits, and my ideas and plans for the future. I also plan to be highly involved in many extracurricular activities while attending Miami University, such as being apart of the university's newspaper, The Miami Student, and the television and radio team.

Finally, I plan to give my all to not only do myself proud, most importantly to do my parents proud, my future classmates proud, and Miami University proud. In the end, I want to have society be grateful for the upbringing, morals, values, and education I have received.