Undergraduate / My Common App Essay - Diversity, the suburbs of Buffalo [NEW]

Growing up as a middle class male in the suburbs of Buffalo, there was often a lack of diversity in what I had encountered in my day-to-day life. My worldview was confined to my small, local area, with the same people that I went to school with, who also came from similar socio-economic backgrounds. Going through grade school with this life left me unaware of the people all around me, who although may not be visible in my everyday life, occur in all walks of life and face challenges and opportunities in a very different way than I encountered. This perspective of mine, however, expanded as I began to volunteer in high school. The community service that had the greatest impact on me would be when I had volunteered at my mother's summer school. My mother was a teacher of the hearing impaired at a public school for the both the severely physically and mentally handicapped, which served the county for all children of varied backgrounds.

As a summer aide, I was placed into a classroom of both physically and mentally challenged students, all of whom were around eight to ten years old. I was to aid the teacher and hired aids in the assisting of students, which required duties such as helping the children eat, craft art, reading to them, and being available to work with their conditions. I must admit, the first day I had stepped into the room and introduced myself, I was quite nervous. I had never volunteered with any handicapped children before, and did not know what to expect in what I was supposed to do, or how I should act around those who appeared so different than me. The students in this class, however, did not show any reservations at all about being there. I still remember the beaming smiles and warm greetings of the class as I introduced myself. These students held no reservations about welcoming and meeting me, which brought me to realize that I should try and do the same for them. Over the course of the next few weeks, it became clear that despite the challenges and difficulties that these children had faced in their everyday lives, they persevered. Even with these disabilities, the students weren't any different from their non-disabled peers. This could be seen in how they acted, in something as simple as eating lunch. Helping them with their food, I saw the boys joking rowdily, the girls chattering endlessly, none of it discernable from what happened in my own elementary school days. Whether it was a joke they found funny, the TV shows they liked, or the games the enjoyed playing, the children were no different than my little brother of the same age.

After the three week program had ended, I took time to stop and reflect on what I had learned from experience. Though short, my perception on the world had already begun to change. Working with the disabled, I gained insight through the pre-conceived notions I had held. The lesson that became clear to me was although people may have different physical conditions or qualities, come from different backgrounds, or even think differently, the humanity we have is shared. The connection between the students and me, even in that short time, was apparent. Even though the children may not have been able to place it into words, I understood they appreciated being accepted for who they are as people, instead of just being defined by the labels placed upon them. This was one of the most important life lessons I took from this experience, and has driven me to volunteer every summer since.

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