Describe a setting in which you have collaborated or interacted with people whose experiences and/or beliefs differ from yours. Address your initial feelings, and how those feelings were or were not changed by this experience.
As I reviewed the paper telling me the classes I was eligible to take as a junior, I noticed a void: only two business classes were offered to students, and one was for seniors exclusively. This concerned me because students on my campus with a passion for business, such as myself, had no outlet to pursue their interests. Eager to turn concern into action, I created the Investment Club, a club that allows high schoolers to simulate competitive stock market investing. I founded the club to not only to provide a resource for students to learn about business, investing, and finance, but also to create an opportunity for students to get involved on campus, fostering those with similar interests to meet and exchange ideas.
As a result of the varying backgrounds of the students in my club, I was able to interact and work alongside those who had differing viewpoints and experiences than mine. My club was comprised of students of varying grades, ethnic backgrounds, and religions. Initially, I was ecstatic to see such a wide range of people brought together by a single common factor, a passion for business. During lunch meetings, the only arguments between the members were about investment strategies and business topics, not about political issues or race conflicts. Even when our investments didn't do as well as expected, there were never any fingers pointed, the only thing that mattered was learning from our mistakes in order to be better in the future.
On one occasion, one of the members, an immigrant from Nicaragua, told the club about the daily discrimination he faced on campus and how it negatively affected him. He explained how others thought he wasn't a capable student because of the fact that he was an immigrant. However, he told us that the atmosphere of the club was an encouragement to him because no one ever doubted his ability and everyone was so confident in him.
This experience made me realize how proud I was to be the leader of a club that had such a positive impact on someone's life just by showing that person kindness and encouragement. My feelings regarding those with differing experiences and beliefs than mine remained constant throughout my time as leader of the club. I did learn, however, that when a group of people are motivated by a common goal, differences such as race and religion are meaningless. It is a leader's job to realize this and to encourage and motivate the group in order to achieve the desired goal.
As I reviewed the paper telling me the classes I was eligible to take as a junior, I noticed a void: only two business classes were offered to students, and one was for seniors exclusively. This concerned me because students on my campus with a passion for business, such as myself, had no outlet to pursue their interests. Eager to turn concern into action, I created the Investment Club, a club that allows high schoolers to simulate competitive stock market investing. I founded the club to not only to provide a resource for students to learn about business, investing, and finance, but also to create an opportunity for students to get involved on campus, fostering those with similar interests to meet and exchange ideas.
As a result of the varying backgrounds of the students in my club, I was able to interact and work alongside those who had differing viewpoints and experiences than mine. My club was comprised of students of varying grades, ethnic backgrounds, and religions. Initially, I was ecstatic to see such a wide range of people brought together by a single common factor, a passion for business. During lunch meetings, the only arguments between the members were about investment strategies and business topics, not about political issues or race conflicts. Even when our investments didn't do as well as expected, there were never any fingers pointed, the only thing that mattered was learning from our mistakes in order to be better in the future.
On one occasion, one of the members, an immigrant from Nicaragua, told the club about the daily discrimination he faced on campus and how it negatively affected him. He explained how others thought he wasn't a capable student because of the fact that he was an immigrant. However, he told us that the atmosphere of the club was an encouragement to him because no one ever doubted his ability and everyone was so confident in him.
This experience made me realize how proud I was to be the leader of a club that had such a positive impact on someone's life just by showing that person kindness and encouragement. My feelings regarding those with differing experiences and beliefs than mine remained constant throughout my time as leader of the club. I did learn, however, that when a group of people are motivated by a common goal, differences such as race and religion are meaningless. It is a leader's job to realize this and to encourage and motivate the group in order to achieve the desired goal.
