Undergraduate / Rice Prompt Supplemental: Suggestions would be appreciated/am I on track [3]

Prompt: Quality of Rice's academic life and residential college system is influenced by the unique life expereinces and culturally traditions of the students. What perspective do you feel you will contribute to to the life at Rice

Growing up in a homogeneous community, my cultural identity, personal background, and the perspectives I developed were unlike many of my peers. Throughout my childhood I stood out, different from my peers in an all Caucasian school. Feeling different than your peers is the worse curse of adolescence. I learned early to ignore the curious stares, and the quiet whispers behind my back. I chose to believe that being picked last for teams on the playground was a reflection of my athletic skills versus the hue of my skin. I was an anomaly in an all white upper middle class conclave.

Heritage is the legacy given to us through our biological roots. Being adopted internationally brings a wonderful gift. It creates a multicultural family, a source of both pride and questions. The connection that one feels with one's birth country can stimulate a need to learn about one's heritage. It can be a positive rewarding connection however it can skew the emotional ties that bind a person with the land and its people.

My trip to Peru in the summer of 2009 was a quest to define my identity, to learn about my birth country, and to make connections to my culture. I was seeking to find some of the missing pieces of my life's puzzle.

During my ten day odyssey, I traversed the country, from the coastal desert of Lima to the magical spiritual Inca Trail cumulating at Machu Picchu. I was the student, absorbing all I could about this country but I also became the teacher, explaining to the many rural Peruvians I encountered the rich cultural diversity of the United States, its political system, justifying many of its actions. I was surprised myself to discover the diversity of the Peruvian people. I assumed they would all reflect my physical charteristics. Chinese, Japanese and the Afro-Peruvian communities along with the influence of the Spanish and the large Mestizo community, where my biological roots run deep, have defined this beautiful country and created a rich tapestry so much like the United States. I cultivated a deeper understanding of the poor, the homeless, the pilage of the environment just to sqeek out some level of survival for the indigenous people. The level of poverty was so much more intense, on such a different level than my expereince in large urban American cities.

My time in Peru enhanced my understanding of my own unique adoption story, my heritage and culture. I achieved a greater appreciation for individuals who feel they just do not quite fit in or belong, are different in some way, racially, economically, or developmentally. My passion to identify sustainable solutions for the environment and to work for social justice, was enhanced.

To reach forward, to actively include and engage everyone is the genesis of the Residential College System. This philosophy is in concert with my life experiences, and my passion to actively be inclusive. My odyssey has culminated in a passion to share and embrace the diversity within my community and to actively and passionately find those common threads that create a sense of community among the sundry of people who make up our community.