Here at OSU, we see a lot of diverse cultures and ideas coming together. There are probably thousands of different identities here that all thrive together as ones under the Buckeye tag. With so many diverse cultures,however, it can also get tough to express yourself openly without feeling like you are too different from others, therefore it is important that we talk about diversity and inclusion more, and allow  people that feel left out to be a part of the conversation and have their voices heard.

The Ohio State University has, for me, definitely done a great job in acknowledging the diverse cultures we all come from and allowing every Buckeye to share their experiences. I myself identify as an Indian and have been very welcomed in all conversations and events here at Ohio State to express my beliefs and my opinions to others.

One such event that I went to was in the journalism building where members of the STEM scholar group came together and were introduced to various topics of identity and diversity that we see in today’s world. The event was presented by a presenter from the student life multicultural center that talked to us about topics such as identity, being minoritized, having privileges that others don’t have, and several other topics that we as students of the Ohio State University face everyday on campus.

As we were being taught these definitions and perspectives, we were asked to reflect on our own experiences as STEM majors at a big public University in Ohio and how those experiences have shaped our own perspectives and our livelihoods. One of the questions that really got me interested was the idea of having privilege over other minorities that have to face numerous challenges that we cannot even fathom. One of the examples given to us to consider privilege that really stuck out to me was how a band-aid is a different color than my own skin tone; this is such a small thing but it really made me think and realise that there was some inherent decision that was made to make the band-aids the color that they are.

Being in STEM majors, it is important we make sure that we are acknowledging our peers and our own differences and celebrating them as well as we can because many of us will get to a place of power where we will be the ones making the decisions and it is very important that we remain non-discriminating to allow the most qualified and merited people to get to the top.

Diversity in our university and in our everyday life is not something we should deal with, it is something we should celebrate; everyone of us here at the Ohio State University is capable of learning something different and important from everyone else in the campus, and it is essential that we keep respecting each others values and differences so we can make the best of the lessons that such a diverse group of people share among each other.