My Personal Growth

Progress and Conclusion on my Personal Growth The four diversity related topics I’ll be focusing on are: oppression & power, ethnic identity development, ableism and ageism. With the topic of oppression and power, as well as some the exercises we did, sort of made me realized how rough my bringing up and how easy some of the white students had it, regardless of their situation. It also made apparent who had more privilege than others and who was a bit more wary of the power they held with their racial identity. However, those people aren’t me and I would never put myself in their shoes. Growing up as a low-income minority may have been difficult, but it made me humble and benevolent towards my friends and family. Along the lines of marginalization, …show more content…
I’d like to think of myself as a pretty inclusive person, but I am not perfect by any means, so it’s good that I’m still learning. I’ve made friends with a first year student who is a wheelchair user and I also try to assist her in anyway I can. Even if it’s the little things, like helping her get a fruit cup, or yelling at my friends to get out of the way because she’s trying to exit the room. I’m also informing my friends to use less ableist language in order to make them more inclusive to any people they may meet in the future who have disabilities. Our campus is accessible, but there is always more we can do for our students with disabilities. Fixed sidewalks for those who are wheelchair users, differently more crosswalks and pedestrian lights that announce when to pass safely for those who are blind, and even more awareness that the student wellness center has therapy and group sessions for those who are dealing with mental …show more content…
I just thought that old folks always had been authoritative figures, but that’s tied more towards my specific culture. I was unaware that there were stereotypes for the elder population of our country. The grandmotherly and elderly statesmen are kind of double-edged swords in terms of how people see their elders, but also how the elders feel about being treated this way. My elders are still functioning but they aren’t in their eighties and nineties. I’ve also noticed in the past couple of years that a lot of elderly abuse stories have been appearing in the news and social media. Which although it’s a horrible situation and experience I presume, I’m glad that there is now an awareness for those who choose to put their older family members in the nursing home. On the opposing spectrum of age, there are plenty of middle-aged adults who accuse younger folks of not being “responsible enough” or “being too young to know what that is” It’s extremely rude and hurtful to invalidate someone’s experiences and knowledge simply because of their age. There’s also the part of culture working against older folks and younger teens/adults. The younger the population is, the more likely they will begin to see the older population as burdens and in a more negative way. We have to work on unlearning societal negatives and move forward with a more positive outlook on both