Alliyah
Major: Psychology Child Life
Being an African American student in a predominantly Caucasian student body definitely played a role in my education. Freshman year, I remember going into classes looking around for other people of color. I was looking for people who looked like me for comfort in this new setting. I was no stranger to being in this kind of environment, as my high school experience was very much the same. It just made me aware of how my race could cause my Caucasian peers to act, so it kind of put me on edge.
I never really participated or was active in many of my classes because I simply was not comfortable. The environment and my peers sometimes weren’t welcoming and I didn’t feel like I could be me. This is not to say the experience was always horrible. I also had classes where I was the only African American in the class and I felt like I was with friends. However, for majority of my educational experience I was on edge. It didn’t help that my fellow peers, people I walked passed everyday or lived in the same building with, were writing racial and offensive slurs all over campus and administration tried to sweep it under the rug. I wouldn’t let this interfere with my education and it in fact influenced me to work even harder.
last years of college, I attended many educational forums and community talks in an effort to educate those who are simply ignorant and fix campus diversity issues. These events taught me so much that I know will be useful in the world. I guess you can say race played a major part in my educational experience but I’m forever grateful for the knowledge I’ve gained.
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