Equality And Diversity Application Essay

Chloe Carter

March 25, 2023 Diversity, equity, and inclusion did not become an important part of my life until I became a college student. I grew up in a predominantly white town, in a school with few attempts to build a community that surrounded all races, genders, religion, and socioeconomic status. I did not know of many people that did not have a similar background as me. I was never asked questions about what diversity means to me, even in job interviews or the classroom. Additionally, I was not trained on how I would handle a situation that deals with insensitive remarks, such as sexism, racism, or even homophobia. This later changed in my life when I came to Ramapo College of New Jersey. The college provides students with a first year

I want to open other people’s minds and help them feel safe and more comfortable in college. I learned how to do this during the peer facilitation training during the summer. This position and training expanded my knowledge and leadership skills. I was able to become more acquainted with creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive space for all. Diversity, equity, and inclusion became a necessity to me. I went from not understanding what these terms meant to being well acclimated with them. Diversity means creating an environment where everyone feels accepted and valued based on their background. Diversity allows people to share their intersecting identities with each other and educate people about different identities. Equity means creating equal opportunities for everyone of any race, ability, gender, religion, and socioeconomic status. Inclusion means creating equal access opportunities in the classroom, extracurricular activities, and work. I am able to accomplish this in my position as a peer facilitator on Ramapo’s campus. Additionally, I wanted to help the campus remain a positive space for everyone, thus I decided to apply for an on campus