Opening My Eyes by Veroneeca

Opening My Eyes by Veroneeca - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

I have been involved in Diversity and Inclusion programs within my place of work for over ten (10) years.

After attending a speech delivered by Jane Elliott (brown eyes/blue eyes experiment, 1970), I had an epiphany. It dawned on me for the very first time in my life that my ideas and actions and those of my family and friends had been shaped and formed without awareness and insight. I didn’t have the education or knowledge to understand that life and ideas that shape them should be questioned, looked at with open eyes, and then questioned again.

I began my journey of diversity and inclusion education by questioning every message that was delivered to me through my television, my radio, the newspaper, friends and family. I quickly realized that what I always thought to be a given, such as I was less than because I was Mexican, was not at all true, but was a hidden message delivered to me over and over again through the years from many different outlets. In swallowing this message, I allowed my actions or non-action throughout my life to be dictated to me.

In educating myself on diversity and inclusion, the world opened up for me. In turn, I began to open up the dialogue around D&I to my children. I would point out to them that they should question why, such as in a film, is the “bad guy” typically of color or ethnic background, and the “good guy” typically Caucasian.

Speaking out about what I was learning quickly spilled over into my work life and I found that colleagues were interested and open to the concepts of learning more and understanding the world around them. I have been supporting this effort within my company for a great deal of time and I find that I never can learn, or change enough. There is always something new to help in my experience of D&I growth and development.

I believe that these experiences will allow me to have an open mind when it comes to my education. I will question, I will learn, and I will involve myself in my college community. I strive to be the best person that I can be every single day of my working and college career through acceptance of others, understanding about the world around me, and portraying to others my openness to education.