For my Diversity’s course, I took HMSV 346 Diversity Issues in Human Services. I first took this course my spring semester of 2018. This same semester I was pregnant and was getting ready to give birth to my daughter. My spring semester was hard on itself, as I was tired and overwhelmed. I can honestly say that that semester was one of my worst semesters educationally at Old Dominion. I did not learn the most to my full potential that semester. I did not push myself to my full potential. I got a D+ that semester. It wasn’t the first D+ I have gotten, but the first D+ I got in my major and I was disappointed. I knew if I took that class again, I needed to push myself even more.
I took the course again the summer of 2019. The course was described as an introduction to multiculturism. We discussed the influence of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. We explored their functions, concerns, and how to help. This class not only taught me about everybody else, but it mostly taught me about myself and how I can influence others.
Personal-Culture-Reflection-PaperOne of the assignments we had to complete is a Personal Culture Paper. Writing this paper allowed me to dig deeper into my history and my personal and family beliefs. It allowed me to see how grateful of a life I had compared to my parents and my grandparents. For example, my grandparents didn’t have a lot of money to provide for my parents growing up. My grandparents had to work multiple jobs in order to make ends meet. Growing up, I did not have to struggle like my parents had to. My parents were blessed to have good jobs in the military that we got mostly everything we wanted. My parents instilled in us that you must work in order to get what we want in life.
Cultural-Immersion-ProjectAnother Assignment we had to complete was the Cultural Immersion Experience. The group I chose to work closely with is the LGBTQ community. I was able to get a better understand and prove that the stereotypes of this group are completely false. I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a Pride Festival in Norfolk. I really enjoyed the experience and seeing so many happy faces. It was nice that we, as a community, could put our beliefs aside and enjoy the community as we should. I would love to go to a pride festival every year to show my support to an amazing community.
