Diversity in college is very important because our society is drastically changing, and our higher education organizations need to expand and reflect this diversity. According to Cambridge Dictionary, “Diversity is the mixture of races and religions that make up a group of people.” Moreover, we can infer that where we come from says a lot about ourselves and how we live day by day. Different cultures make us understand and learn about information we may not be aware off and think outside of our circle. Challenges that enforce diversity should be promoted to maintain in colleges because it enhances social development, encourages creative thinking, and increases self-awareness.
Social Development is considered how people grow social and emotional abilities “across the lifespan, with particular attention to childhood and adolescence.” According to “Alleydog.com's online glossary.” Social Development permits us humans to unite in a positive and accommodating way with our relatives, friends, professors, and other people that come across in our lives. Sometimes individuals don't feel comfortable to be able to speak with someone because they are scared to be judged, and that is why social development should be incorporated from a young age. Diversity enforces social development in ways such as communicating with people from different cultures and experiencing their way of living, therefore, helps your social life by getting to know and learn beyond the differences there might be. Associating and developing a relationship with students who are diverse leads to a wider understanding of why people may act the way they do. In Michael’s reading “Practicing Complexity,” we can compare Joel’s emotions to diversity. For instance, “One of the greatest assets of a farm is the sheer ecstasy of life.”(page 225) We can analyze how from Tuesday morning to the end of the reading, Joel changed. Throughout the story we see various actions by which Joel had to find himself to be able to feel like himself and that is why social development plays a big role in diversity. Social development allows you to be confident with who you are and where you are from.
Diversity supports creative thinking and increases the capability of seeing problems from a different point of views. Creative thinking is the way of looking at something in a new way that makes you think outside of the box. Creativity comes with exploring new things and time. Furthermore, it helps society understand and learn how different individuals interact with each other in their own way. When discussing new scenarios and different situations, we start to view the world in someone else's shoes. Comprehending unlikely contexts expands our way of thinking and viewing problems with different solutions. For example, understanding different cultures and their way of thinking will work to your advantage and open your mind when upcoming circumstances appear. In the article “Why Diversity is the Mother of Creativity,” Jeffrey Baumgartner persuasively explains how one of the most important ingredients for creative thinking is “diversity”. “Diversity is the key to creativity. Not just diversity in your workforce, but in your personal life, the teams you form and the managers whom you hire and promote.” Diversifying our thinking enforces our reasoning to observe details and information related with other ideas, rather than what we our generally accustom to.
Lastly, diversity is promoted by self-awareness. Self-awareness is being aware of one’s own comprehension, emotions, and goals. It increases society to be more open-minded and understanding about our personal conflicts and differences. Learning from other individuals past experiences and surroundings that differ from our own; develops self-knowledge. Self-knowledge is understanding your own self. For instance, in the article “Understanding Diversity and Inclusion,” Purdue University states that “the knowledge of self-awareness relating to diversity is, at the minimum, understanding your own identity, rules, and biases.” When self-awareness is elaborated through diversity, we can conclude the understanding of our own identity. As well as being comfortable and interested with someone else’s diverse perspectives. Having a diverse college allows you to compare and contrast your background and past events that have marked something in your life. Not only learning about other life experiences, but also being able to incorporate new ways that may lead to success. Students in college can benefit from self-awareness and make good decisions that can help in there personal life, academic experience, and professional career.
In conclusion, colleges should promote diversity because it enhances social development that helps students unite with each other and be more social with their families and friends. It encourages creative thinking, as well as making it easier for students to think outside of the box and come out of their comfort zone. College diversity also promotes self-awareness in the community by increasing students opinions about their backgrounds and past experiences creating self-knowledge. I believe diversity in college should be a must and people should never feel ashamed to express their different cultures. As Anthony Rapp once said, “There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself.”