Diversity to me Gilmore Morfaw Achenjang

In a classroom occupied by thirty students, I am the only one of African descent. In a locker room of varsity basketball athletes, I am the only one under six feet tall, and during a first priority assembly hosted by a peer, I am the only one of Catholic faith. Events such as the ones just shared are not rare to me and have occurred routinely throughout my life. These reoccurring experiences, that once gave me a feeling of insecurity and self-doubt, are now doing the opposite. Because I have come to embrace my differences and varying background, I am able to embody who I am as well who I have the potential to become.

Throughout many instances in my life, I have been faced with the question of “who am I?” For some, the answer to this question might be very simple and easy to come by; but for others, like me, this question is quite difficult.

Unlike most of my classmates, I was born in a different country, Cameroon, Africa, along with my four siblings. This is a major part of who I am because even though I only lived in Cameroon for the first six years of my life, most of the customs and culture that my parents have instilled in me stem from our African roots. Simultaneously, I am also largely impacted by American culture, as...