Hello St. Louis folks!
It’s hard to believe that today I have ended my first experience at Haverford: Multicultural Leadership Institute. Before I left, I shared with some of you at home that I would be attending this program. I received some skeptical comments, along the lines of “Be careful, just because this claims to be a diverse program does not mean they will take kindly to Christians.” I also received encouraging advice to attend the program if this was really something interesting to me. Now that I’ve done it, I’d like to clarify the question: What does the Multicultural Leadership Institute actually entail?
About 70 freshmen applied for the program, but only 30 had the privilege of attending. I was definitely surprised to be chosen. Not because I didn’t think I was capable, but because I know that everyone in the class of 2015 is equally, if not more gifted and talented than I am. They had exceptional grades in high school, have traveled across the world, and were leaders in a wide range of activities. Nevertheless, I received a spot in the program.
This honor filled me with joy and exceeded my expectations. I have always been extremely interested in topics concerning diversity. I also really enjoy discussing taboo topics—politics, religion, etc. and we dug into these ideas every day as whole group and also in smaller groups with a Student Resource Person (SRP) leader. We had about 3 workshops per day, and our topics included Socioeconomic Class, Privilege, Race, Gender & Sexuality, Spirituality & Religion, and Leadership. As we delved into these topics, we really got to know one another on a concrete and fundamental level within only a few days—something I had not experienced with previous classmates I had known for years. It was freeing to be able to speak honestly with each other, without the fear of becoming an outcast or being labeled in a negative way.
To those who may have been skeptical concerning the tolerance of Christians in this type of secular program, I can tell you that it surprised me how openly we shared our differences in religion. There were students who had grown up in one denomination or religion but had switched to another, those that were unsure about the religion that they had grown up with, and those who had followed the same religion their entire lives. As this was one of our final workshops, we had gotten to know each other well beforehand and were comfortable enough to go around the circle and share a statement about our religious background. Even being in a room of friends, sharing my Christian identity was still scary. However, openly discussing our faiths ended up being an empowering experience. I hugged an atheist and had meaningful conversations with other Christians. I am less afraid of rejection. I know that if I share my faith with others who are close minded or rude, I won’t take it as personally now because their intolerance is their problem, not mine. With this confidence, I can continue to love those who reject my beliefs without feeling insecure.
The religion workshop was definitely one of the best parts of my experience, and it’s amazing to think the program almost dropped it due to time constraints (according to my SRP leader). I suggested that it be left in, and even be extended, because it was one of the shorter workshops.
For now, I’m just grateful to have met all of these other wonderful, passionate students from the class of 2015. It’s comforting to know I have a group of friends before orientation even starts!
I really think that the best thing that we can ever do is to get to know people who are not like us. It makes us more aware of the world and better able to understand ourselves. Going to Webster U. was scary at first because everyone was SO different from me, but in the end it was that experience that helped me define myself.
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