Event: Sustained Dialogue and IA Scholars: Exploring our Identities in a Global Context (JEDI)

Where: Zoom Link

When: Monday, September 21, 2020

I attended the virtual meeting of Sustained Dialogue partnered with International Affairs. This event discussed self-identifying factors we consider the most important for ourselves, and that how that influences how we look at the world and interact with others. It really connects to my Rural Sociology course, since we are currently discussing the self-identifying factors that create diversity in a society, as well as the socially constructed identifiers and how that influences interactions. The event definitely allowed me to think more deeply about the self-identifiers that are most important to me and how I interact with the people around me. It also allowed me to look outside myself and upon discussing with other people, I could think about how my most important self-identifiers may not be the same as the self-identifiers that others value most. I think this event really made me think about how to better connect with people I meet – especially when they come from different backgrounds than me. It helped me learn how simple ideas can help me relate to people who at first glance seem very different than me. The event made me realize how easy it is to get stuck in your own head without considering how other people view the world or what they value most.