Christopher Newport University is a public liberal arts university in Newport News, Virginia. From Forbes list of America's Top Colleges, CNU ranked #360 in the nation, #104 in public colleges, and #72 in the south for the year of 2016. Now, these statistics are wonderful considering CNU is a relatively small university, with a population of approximately 5,100 undergraduate students. The dilemma arises when you look at the demographics of the university, and that is where I come in.

CNU is a PWI or a predominately white institution. The white population on campus, from enrollment numbers from the 2015-2016 school year, was 75.3%. The African American population on campus was 8.1%, the Latino population was 4.9%, and the Asian population was 2.5%. I am in the 4.9% of the Latino population on campus. In 2015, the US Census reported 77% of the country being white, 13.3% African-American, 17.6% Latino and 5.6% Asian. So, not only are we minorities in our country, but we are pretty much super minorities at our university. Of course, I know I could have chosen to go to another university that was more diverse, but I chose to go to CNU and I do not regret it at all. Not only is CNU's academic's renowned nationwide, but I have learned to love the small classroom sizes, recognizing faces everywhere you go, and the familiarity of it all. It is where I will spend the next 2 years, but it is not the easiest place to call yourself a minority.

Being a minority at CNU, or at any other PWI, it is almost a miracle if you walk into class and see someone that looks like you. Coming from a high school where the school was equally diverse, this came as a huge shock to me. Not only do you stand out from everyone else, but it is easy to feel like the professor singles you out just because you're the only one who looks different in the class. This can lead to lower participation from students who don't want to single themselves out any more than they already are. I have had friends who have told me about times when the professor singled them out to speak on immigration, simply because they were the only person in the class of Latino descent. I have also had friends who have been chosen to speak on slavery, and the injustices in the African-American community, simply because they are the only African-American in the classroom. This can lead to people feeling embarrassed, and can even cause feelings of rage. I know that I, have walked into a numerous amount of classes and found myself being the only minority in the room. I refuse to let it stop me from achieving my academic goals, but what if it really impacts someone else's ability to learn ?

Another aspect of being a minority at CNU is the vast differences in Greek Life. Many people choose not to go into Greek Life because they feel there is not enough diversity among them. In all, there are 18 recognized fraternities and sororities on campus. 2 sororities and 1 fraternity, out of these 18, are a part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council which is an organization of nine historically African-American sororities and fraternities, and the rest are a part of Panhellenic council and IFC. 3 out of 18, or 16.7%. With these numbers, it is clear to see why many people choose not to participate in Greek Life, the diversity is just not there.

Those were just two big diversity differences you see at CNU, but on a daily basis, there are little things that happen that easily show the dividend of races. As a "super" minority, you don't feel respected on campus. You feel as if everyone's always looking at you, because, you do look different than everyone else and let's be honest, some people still don't like the fact that your skin color is different from theirs. Some students act like they're better than you, and I've even had friends who have seen students act obviously scared around them, for no reason but because of their skin color. 2017, and people are still acting differently around others because of their skin color, sad isn't it? Of course, these are just individual experiences from different people, but it is still shocking to hear and read.

My experience of being a "super" minority at CNU is a bit different from being a minority outside of campus. When I arrived at CNU, I was luckily roomed with someone who was similar to me in many ways, and that made a world of a difference. She was one of my only friends, but with her, I wasn't singled out. I hadn't met anyone of Latino descent who I felt like I could really connect with and this was disappointing but during the second semester of my Freshmen year, I finally found the Latino Student Association, which consists of about 15 people of latino descent, and things became a tad bit easier for me because I finally met people who spoke Spanish like I did, and shared a lot of the same values as I did. Of course, I still feel the stares walking across campus, and you can note the differences in how you're being treated compared to someone else, but I've learned to use being a minority as an advantage instead of a disadvantage, and to brush off anything else negative that comes from being a "super" minority on this campus.

To any minority who is reading this and is attending a PWI, or planning to, I am not telling you all of this to steer you away from going to a PWI or to make you think of the school differently, but instead, to spread awareness about being on a campus that lacks diversity from a minority's point of view. You'll experience racism first hand, maybe even for the first time in your life, you'll be singled out, and it will be easy to see that you're different from everyone else, but these are all things that have helped me grow tremendously as a person, and I know others who feel the same as well. Use being a minority as a voice to raise problems on campus about diversity that may not be questioned otherwise, and if you feel uncomfortable about something, let it be known. You never know how many other people feel the same as you, and you may be able to help someone else. I have already grown so much from my experiences here at CNU, and I'm only in my second semester of sophomore year. Who knows what else I'll learn and see in my last 2 years here?