Today, as I stood in front of a few hundred incoming freshmen, as a panelist for our Diversity Panel, I was asked to answer questions that I wasn’t really expecting and they seriously got me thinking. The first question was a simple one, really. It asked me to explain my first year in college and what the most exciting parts about it and the most challenging parts were. That one was easy enough. It’s the next two questions that really made me take a step back and think.
I never realized how blessed I was to grow up in an area and attend schools that are so diverse. And I don’t necessarily mean just racially diverse; each school I attended introduced me to new cultures and new walks of life. The second question of today’s panel was “How has or did attending UL help you with diversity-related challenges?” Now, like I mentioned, I attended a high school that was quite diverse in many aspects, so making the transition to UL wasn’t that big of a culture shock for me. This made the question particularly difficult to answer.
To me, diversity is probably one of the most important elements of any successful organization. The definition of organization is: an organized body of people with a particular purpose, especially a business, society, association, etc. One uber-important thing about diversity is that it allows for different people to come together with equally different ideas. The reason people meet together is so that everyone’s different ideas can mesh together and ultimately create something beautiful and wonderful.
As one of my favorite authors and poets Maya Angelou once said, “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” For so many years (and even 'til this day) there are people fighting for equality in our society. It doesn’t necessarily always come in the form of racism, sexism, or sexual orientation. It could present itself in the littlest and most unnoticeable things. Our country has grown into this widely diverse country and I couldn’t be more proud of the barriers that have been torn down and broken apart to get here.
As I look around my beautiful campus, I am humbled to be a part of a university that takes such pride in the diversity we have. We welcome different cultures and different religions with open arms. We welcome each and every individual that steps onto this campus with open arms. UL has become a family to not only me, but many other students on this campus. When I look around and see familiar faces, I don’t smile because it’s the nice thing to do; I smile because when I see someone I know, it gives me this sense of love and support. When I decided to come to UL, it was because I knew the campus, they had the major that I wanted, and it was a bonus that it was so close to home. However, that it not the reason I stayed. Yes, I did find everything I expected, but it didn’t stop there. I got so much more. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is a family. And no matter what, you accept your family. No matter what, I am PROUD to say that I am a Ragin’ Cajun.
Geaux Cajuns!
