Clemson taught me to love diversity

When I first came to Clemson, I will admit I was closed-minded and maybe a little ignorant, even though I was exposed to so many cultures as a kid. I lived in Germany for two years, I went to a middle school where I was the minority and I was involved in many different organizations growing up.

I was never held back from learning about other cultures. But I was raised in one way and I really only knew that way. My life was the same routine for so many years.

And then I came to Clemson.

Suddenly, I was hit by a wave of differing opinions, lifestyles and people who I had never experienced before. I remember the first moment I realized that life in college was going to be different. I was so ready to learn.

I have learned more about my classmates and their cultures than I could have ever imagined. My mind has been opened to new things, both good and bad. I have learned about different religions, and I’ve realized it’s OK to make a few bad decisions. I get to be whoever the hell I want to be.

Clemson has blessed me with experience of diversity. I think the coolest part is that I now have such an open mind. I’m almost ashamed of how closed-minded I was before.

I would have never known there are so many paths you can take in life, or that there is more to people than whether they came from the North or South. There are so many opportunities out there that you don’t have to be ashamed to take. I love my life now because I know I can love who I want, ignore who I want, be what I want, do what I want, care for who I want and worship who I want.

I joined a service fraternity a few semesters ago and I have never met so many different types of people in my life. We have computer geeks, Boy Scouts, sorority girls, fraternity brothers, crazy partiers and super religious people. I’m not saying it’s always easy to deal with diversity, but that’s another lesson I’ve learned.

People with this many differences are always going to butt heads, but it’s how you handle the situation that grows you as a person and an organization. You learn a lot about yourself and how you handle objections. It’s about how you deal with people who just piss you off or don’t agree with you, and how you solve those issues.

Overall, I would say the most important thing I have learned as a student at Clemson University is that diversity is a blessing and something we should not take for granted.