Diversity Panel: Ingenious but Misinterpreted
Sameer Kini
Staff Writer
During one of the advisory blocks during December, sophomores and freshmen attended a diversity panel to discuss the diversity of the students here at WA. Students on the panel came from many different backgrounds, such as disabilities, sexual orientation, race, and religion. These students talked about how these differences were reflected at WA.
While some may think that this panel may have emphasized how these people are different, those should consider how that may have been the underlying purpose of this whole discussion. Some thought that this was an activity to show how similar we all are, and these people felt that by putting all these students who are “different” on the panel only accentuated further that they are not the same as everyone else.
However, I strongly believe that the diversity panel’s purpose was to put everyone’s differences on display, no matter what they are. Instead of trying to make us all seem like we are the same, the panel was making the student body confront our differences. By showing how different we all are, this panel was attempting to make us respect what makes us all unique. It is important that we embrace these diverse characteristics, as they can only enhance life at WA since students will get a chance to see the world from many different perspectives.
I think that these contrasting views can provide WA with a more global scope, which will enhance students’ outlook on life as well as provide a strong foundation for life after school. The world has many different types of people who come from many places and have many different experiences, and being able to have a basis of understanding of these should prove to be a great asset when it comes to life after WA. For example, when joining the work force, no matter what business one goes into, there is need to be able to interact with and understand different people. One could be in the service industry and have to cater to someone who is of a different race, religion or other reasons that make them seem foreign, but the ability to understand these unique qualities will allow the person to handle the situation much more successfully. For this reason, I think that this panel succeeded in the fact that they were able to convey many viewpoints that will hopefully make people respect our uniqueness further.
While some may argue that assimilation would be ideal, I think that this would only be counter-productive. Since we were young, we have always been taught that our uniqueness was what made the world such a diverse and interesting place. By eliminating what makes us different, only ignorance can be fostered. I believe it is essential to keep an open mind at all times regarding differences, and thus, the diversity panel did a great thing by bringing these differences up.