I am originally from Montclair, NJ. A place that is diverse in thinking, socioeconomically and racially. The town has a large number of very wealthy people living alongside people with average incomes. Although, I moved away when I was only 8 years old, I remember playing in my neighborhood with people whose parents were from different parts of the world and spoke in languages other than English in their homes. This was my start to realizing that people can be different and still be the same.

When I moved to Shaker Heights, OH. My parents said they had chosen this town because, it was just like Montclair. The town had lots of old pretty houses with people who looked different from one another from diverse backgrounds - some poor and some rich. It was exactly what they had described to me except for one thing. The people that I met, many seemed to have similar views on politics, racial issues and life. Although they were different, they weren't really. Living in Shaker Heights, they had lost something. My parents said that people in the Midwest were nice people and that everyone was simply trying to get along. I felt like that was not right. Why should I need to give up a portion of who I am to fit in. Although everyone looked and seemed like the people back home, a bunch of them were working to fit in locally. I think a diverse community means that we should celebrate differences and find things in common, not give up those differences trying not to stand out. I am not saying that everyone here is practicing this; but more than I would have expected based on how may parents outlined this place. I have loved growing up in Shaker Hieghts for many reasons. However, I was always surprised by this oddity.

Obelin seems like a place that would not ask people to hide their diversity. It brags about how it was the first to admit Black Students and Women. It has lots of people who not only look differently but think differently. It seems like a place where I can be comfortable being myself...or not. I have lived with a learning difference for most of my life. At Lawrence School where I am a senior, they say all great mind don't think alike. I have been able to play varsity soccer and basketball, work on a school play, play piano at home and still achieve good grades. Last year I was inducted into the National Honor Society with a 3.8 GPA overall and took a college class at Cornell University (Alma Mater of both parents) over the summer in hospitality management. I have attended Wolfboro Summer Boarding School too. People accept me as I am - a kid who likes to learn but needs a little extra time in tests because of my learning challenges. Oberlin seems like a place that celebrates diversity of thought as well as differences.