Diversity Statement

Diversity means that we are all different. We have all had different experiences in our lives, have different genetic profiles, and come from different familial backgrounds. Socioeconomic status, gender, gender preference, ethnicity, race, and cognitive or intellectual skill level can and should be varied in the learning environment. It is my belief that great minds do not think alike, they think differently. The great innovations of tomorrow will come not from a group of like-minded individuals, but from a diverse team of people able to look at the same problem from different viewpoints. I have had the amazing opportunity to work with students from underserved areas, students with learning differences, and students who needed extra academic support due to a disruption in their education. It is important that both I as an instructor and the learning community that I am working with know that no matter what background a person comes from, they are welcome and their voice matters.

When I choose organizations to work for or volunteer with, it is important to me that I work for an organization that is open and inclusive of people with different backgrounds. I spent approximately five years volunteering at a free clinic that helped provide health services to uninsured or underinsured individuals. My current place of employment has the motto, “All are welcome here.”

In my work I have learned that negative biases both from the outside word and internalized biases can prevent people from reaching their potential. I do my best to mitigate as much of the internalized biases I have (which is always a work in progress) and encourage my students to do so as well. It is also important that my students know that they can safely talk to me about things they are struggling with, personal information, or anxieties and know that the conversation stays between us unless I believe they are in urgent harm. Building the next generation of confident, successful, and kind people takes support from many different parts of a social network. I want to be a person that can be part of that supportive network.

I have always had access to education because I come from a family of educators. However, I was raised in a single parent household and began working in high school. When I was in college, I had to work full time and go to school. I valued educators who could understand the situation I was in. I try to bring my experience into my own work by understanding that students often have other priorities in addition to their schoolwork. I have an open-door policy with students and implement a quality over quantity perspective for out of class activities. In addition, because we are all so different, I work to create a varied range of activities and assessments that emphasize various skill types in the classroom.