Application Essay: The Importance Of Diversity In Education

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What is diversity? Most people define diversity as being part of an underrepresented minority group such as Hispanic, African-American, Native American, etc. But diversity encompasses many other aspects such as gender, gender-identity and expression, socio-economic status and nationality. I am a first- generation American born to Nigerian immigrants. My parents came to the United States with nothing but a couple dollars and several keepsakes. I was born in the city of Staten Island, but raised in a rural part of southern Rhode Island where the closest medical facility was half an hour away. All my life I have lived in a predominately white neighborhood and also went to predominately white schools. As a young girl, I felt uncomfortable and out of place in my academic setting and in the various activities I participated in. …show more content…
Whenever my parents took me to the doctor’s office, they would have a lot of trouble communicating with the doctors because of their limited ability to speak English. I would translate Igbo, my parent’s tribal language, to English or simply speak to the doctor myself. When I got into high school, I felt that it was my time to advocate for more diversity in my community and other communities. I became a part of a student diversity group in high school and attended a student diversity leadership conference in Washington D.C. my senior year to extensively discuss the need for diversity in communities and how to promote this. I believe that there is a major lack of diversity in the health care sector especially in the inner city and this problem needs to be addressed and solved. It is essential for patients to feel comfortable with those that are in control of their health and to expand health care access for the

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