The University of Diversity: Multicultural students offer richer learning experience

Have you ever been discriminated against because you have different tendencies than that of another, or purely been judged to be a certain way solely because of the color of your skin? Perhaps you are a minority in a college that has little to no diversity, or you are the only one of your ethnicity to walk the halls of your chosen university. Racism, discrimination, and stereotypes run rampant, that much is certain, but there are opportunities to grow from ethnocentrism.

Brigham Young University Hawaii boasts the most diverse student population in the United States. With students coming from over 70+ countries, it is nearly impossible to meet someone on campus without them being from half-way across the globe. Ethnocentrism becomes a barrier because most people don’t have a background with many cultures, but when you place many individuals with different backgrounds into a melting pot of sorts, like a university for example, the learning experience becomes a lot richer.

In the classrooms there may be chances for awkward moments because of communication barriers due to accents or unfamiliar slang. Although those interactions happen, there is an opportunity to learn a different language not just from your professors but those who grew up with the language and the culture. Just sitting and listening to a person who has come from a different background than yours can be both a compelling and great learning experience. Our own rearing only supplies a limited point of view. When we take the time to listen to another’s upbringing, our perspectives are broadened.

Campus life itself is also enhanced a great deal. As you first start off in college, your roommate often becomes your closest friend in college. Most pre-college tips for boarding suggests that you have a roommate that you don’t know, so that when you make your own circle of friends, your roommate’s circle of friends become and extension of your own group. This essential tool of networking becomes a great asset in the future, especially in the business world. It isn’t how many people you know, it’s how you know them. By doing this our networking is expanded.

College life is one of the best experiences one can have. It shouldn’t be spoiled because we lack commonalities with another, or we cannot find someone with enough in common with our own preferences. Get out of your comfort zone. As former President, Jimmy Carter once said, “We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” Allowing for each individual to teach each other their beliefs, convictions, and goals can only help reanalyze ourselves constantly to work toward improvement. Perspectives are broadened, networking expanded, and understanding becomes more deep.