We Are All Humans by Celeste

We Are All Humans by Celeste - July 2018 Scholarship Essay

If I were running for student body president, my top priority would be to create inclusive programs for all, regardless of their race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex/gender, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliations, and disabilities. I yearn for people to feel comfortable in their own skin and embrace their uniqueness. I want people to accept themselves as humans and love themselves first. I don’t want people to accept other people’s way of living if they don’t agree, but I do want them to respect that person’s choice. I’m a part of fostering that diverse community of students that I believe all schools should have, embrace, and promote since I happen to be a person of color myself. I want people to know that this school is your home away from home and that you are free to be completely you.

To implement this inclusion process, I would communicate with the all member of the school faculty and survey them on their perspective on diversity in the school and if they observe or participate in any discrimination based on superficial qualities and just bullying in general. Once I collect and analyze those results, I would survey the students, asking questions, such as, “do you feel safe here, do you feel discriminated against for any reason and examples, do you experience bullying, participate in the bullying, or observe it transpiring and in what ways, and suggestions to improve the school’s atmosphere of amalgamation.” Once I read over those and find recurring topics or comments, I would create a plan based off the top issues and come up with ways to resolve or settle those issues as best as I could.

I want to develop the school into a unified whole that reveres those that are different from them and provides exposure to the impact that a little bit of kindness can have on a person. Every week, there will be a new task that students will be emboldened to participate in. These tasks would include activities such as: sitting with the kid who sits alone at lunch or volunteer to work with the person who never has a partner or group, volunteer with the special needs students, join inclusive clubs or start clubs that promote inclusion, create safe spaces for students to communicate with confidential employees, and standing up for someone who’s being bullied. Another opportunity to verbalize one’s mind would be to have a weekly event where students can meet in the auditorium or gym to talk about problems that they are dealing with personally or just relevant problems that are happening in the world — bullying & cyberbullying, suicide, domestic abuse, sexism, racism, the LGBTQ community, religion, diversity, immigration, crime, poverty, and education — in a safe and respectful manner in order to bring vigilance to some problems that aren’t being sufficiently represented.

From my own experience, I’ve been to seven different schools in my primary and secondary schooling life: two elementary, three middle, and two high schools, so I know what it’s like being the odd one out in a new environment. My freshman year of high school, I started at a completely new school, where everyone had known each other since kindergarten and then there was me, who knew no one. Consequently, I spent some lunches alone for a while until a few kind souls took me under their wings and we became friends with one of them becoming one of my best friends. Additionally, when I was younger, I was extremely quiet around those I wasn’t familiar with and I would always receive the question, “Why are you so quiet” or “Why don’t you talk”. Back then, I shrugged my shoulder and/or said, “I don’t know,” but instead of asking me why I’m so quiet, why didn’t they try to have a conversation with me and ask me questions about myself and gain an acquaintance/friend. For some people, all it takes is for someone to reach out to them to completely change their outlook on life. I believe that one of the best feelings in life is to have a positive impact on someone else’s life, knowing that you lived for more than just yourself and you left your mark on this world that can appear so black and white from time to time. As Roy T. Bennett once said, “Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.”

My mission as your student body president would be to try to unify the school, regardless of the superficialities of life and learn about how similar we truly are and to value our differences that form us as unique individuals and make life more exhilarating. Learn that just because you don’t agree with someone’s choices, doesn’t mean that you can disrespect them because of it. Learn to be more open-minded, accepting, and realize there is not just one right answer to an issue. Learn to label people not as Black, white, rich, poor, Democrat, Republican, but as human. I’ll leave you with a quote from Juan Felipe Herrera, “Diversity really means becoming complete as human beings — all of us. We learn from each other. If you’re missing on that stage, we learn less. We all need to be on that stage.”