PERSONAL STATEMENT

12.14.20 - What I aim to gain from the Scholars Program is understanding. Understanding means being able to overcome new and unknown situations without faltering. Understanding is also being able to accommodate for those unlike yourself. I have grown up in a heavily shielded environment, where I was not exposed to a significantly diverse number of individuals. Instead of being put in a diverse environment, I was taught in school about understanding diversity and how to enter into a diverse world and succeed in it. School trips and experiences were temporary submergence into a diverse culture. Only there did I get a true understanding of how one should work in a diverse environment. Although what I was taught afforded me many skills, I find that I am lacking in an all-encompassing mindset that is more conducive of a good leader. I do hold strong empathetic skills but I do not have the best capacity for understanding diverse cultures and backgrounds. As such, I hope to learn more about inclusion in the workplace and being more understanding of my coworkers. This way, I will be able to come into a leadership role with a better worldview and have the skills to create an inclusive environment for any individual.