Being a first-generation immigrant, I have experienced both the challenges and privileges of being raised in two very different cultures. I initially struggled to assimilate into the American society, but my parents explained to me that cultural adjustment was a matter of give and take. With their advice, I learned to be more accepting of people who were different from me, and I have grown to appreciate diversity. I will share my South Asian culture with the Saint Louis University by organizing events that promote cultural diversity on our campus. I am also fond of learning languages. Besides English, I can speak Gujarati, Spanish, and Hindi. My language skills are invaluable, as they would allow me to interact with different cultural groups on campus in a more personal manner. These distinctive personal traits will …show more content…
I have had the unique opportunity to learn about the healthcare experiences of medically underserved communities. When I volunteered at free clinics, I noticed that rural populations did not have access to appropriate healthcare services. Our patients were primarily from the local Latino and African American community, and I saw how certain health conditions (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, etc.) disproportionately impacted these patients. The lack of appropriate medical care was what contributed to these disparities, but I realized that we could promote health and wellness through patient education and community outreach. As a medical student at Saint Louis University, I hope to volunteer at the Health Resource Center, where I can provide medical care to local residents. I also wish to educate people about healthy lifestyle behaviors. From my perspective, empowering patients through health education is especially important because it encourages them to actively participate in their health care. These efforts would ultimately help bridge the gap between healthcare and health
Ronald Takaki writes a very powerful introductory paragraph to show that people need more education on culture diversity. Takaki describes his experience when he was racially profiled by his taxi driver on his way to a hotel. He introduces his setting as Virginia which according to the census bureau has a 70.2% white population to show he is in a predominately white area. He also describes his driver as a “white man in his forties”(539) to portray him as the “average american”. Meanwhile Takaki gives no clue to the reader about his ethnicity or background so we can interpret how his driver was stereotyping Takaki in the following conversation:“How long have you been in this country?” he asked. “All my life,” I replied, wincing. “I was born
Nursing continues to strive towards excellence in delivering culturally competent healthcare. Through this journey of excellence, improvements can be made by continued education and awareness. Awareness of areas I need growth in builds on my existing knowledge and skills. In this paper, I will identify areas of weaknesses and strengths in my cultural competency skills as well as strategies that will improve my transcultural nursing care. I have identified these areas using the Cultural Diversity Self-Assessment. Achieving a total score of 104, this tool has allowed me to target my weaknesses and create a plan to increase my competence in those areas. I have also been able to identify my strengths in cultural competence.
Amidst the angry commotion of a Confederate flag rally at UNC’s controversial Silent Sam statue, one man’s voice gave pause to both ends. This man, the apparent leader of the pro-Confederate group, was African American. His atypical account of why the statue should remain touched on values he attributed to both his upbringing and his identity. Despite our vicarious attempts to understand the range of people’s backgrounds, there is no substitute to directly working with them. Diversity within a company is integral to innovation, for people of different cultural perspectives bring unique approaches to challenges at hand. Creating an environment in which people are empowered to speak up, improves the team’s productivity and well being. All companies invest heavily in recruiting the best people, but have only recently recognized the benefits of diversity and acted upon the faults in their recruitment criteria. To me, this delay to act is surprising.
I like the idea how you had present the cultural and diversity activity Throughout the books.
The purpose of this article is to first understand the policies related to racial diversity. From that point, it analyzes the possibilities to restructure these campus policies to incorporate Asian Americans as an equity manner. Different experiences for Asian Americans in higher education through the years are interesting as a diversity point of view. Asian Americans students have access to financial aid and other social service during their staying in the United States. In addition, they also face several limitations to these services that make many investigators as well as people related to education to misunderstand the range of Asian American students’ experiences. Participation and perceptions from these students were critical to shape and give a specific pattern to current practices, and policies will be benefit for both
I didn’t quite grasp anything from this chapter. This chapter simply talks about cultural diversity but goes on about minorities. I believe this chapter is trying to convey message, implying that one must understand each other culture as it is vital for the health workforce. Communication is key as well as learning how to collaborate with one another, and learning how to work as a team. I believe this course let alone just reading a chapter on cultural diversity will help with future courses for future practices. I firmly believe that you must experience hands-on on how to properly work together especially with a diverse team. you are supposed to learn how to communicate effectively in order to understand where each person is come from since
Diversity is an intricate part of any collegiate experience. Diversity is about the complexity of an individual’s background and how that background is represented in a larger group. During my undergraduate experience I noticed that there was a lack of African American males on campus, and little resources for this group. This was problematic because the experiences and cultural richness that these individuals were not bringing to the campus. This results in young African American men not having strong voices to advocate for their needs on campus, and they were less likely to interact with individuals of their own race at UNC. I understood this problem as an African American male and I was determined to change it. Being a change agent, I helped
When we intervene with a population in particular it is very important to make an assessment where all aspects such as race, nationality, culture and ethnicity are covered. “Population are groups of people, who may or may not interact with each other, but who have common health concerns and needs” (Clark, 2015, p.4). These aspects are necessary to evaluate because cultural diversity in the American nation is very wide, so it is necessary to know the cultural background as habits, diet, and ethnic group influences the way in which each patient can manage their health. Provide adequate education can help to ensure that the patient cooperates with treatment and modify their behavior to benefit their
Before taking this course, I thought I had a clear understanding of what it meant to have diversity awareness. Taking Mr. Douglas’s Cultural Diversity class has given new insight to how people fit today. I have seen many diverse cultures through my experiences in life; however I was not entirely aware of the diversity in America. Since taking this course, I have realized that increasing my awareness in diversity, will help me as a mother and as a future pathologist having to work with a vastly large cultural diverse team. As a mother, I interact with different cultures, races, and sexes daily through my children’s school, their sports, and other parents. I have deeper knowledge in how other cultures interact. As a future pathologist, having a better understanding of diversity and the conflicts, would give me an edge in my field. Throughout this course I have had my eyes open to diversity in a way I never imagined. I’m more cautious before judging about the way I view people and the way people interact.
I am an aspiring physician assistant who desires to support those during their greatest time of need. This priority solidified my desire to serve and support underserved communities and, hence, allow me to cater to the underprivileged citizen's health needs. These men, women, and children are suffering the most in medically underserved populations. So in five years, I see myself practicing primary care in an underserved community. By practicing medicine in an underserved community, I will be granted the opportunity to serve a large number of underprivileged citizens, engage in health promotion experiences, and participate in increasing awareness of health and well-being among disadvantaged communities. Working in disadvantaged communities will
From my perspective, when I think of diverse contexts, I think of a great variety of influences and events interrelated to a particular situation. The relationship between culture and diversity is a great variety of groups represented within a community. These variety of groups are formed by race, ethnicity, age, ability, language, nationality, socioeconomic status, gender, religion and sexual orientation. As an African American who is aware of the difficult challenges (such as slavery and segregation) that my culture has endured, it has taught me to respect social, political, and cultural differences that characterizes the people in this country. I am knowledgeable and educated on cultural differences, which has taught me to embrace
The cultural composition of America is rapidly changing. Researchers estimate that by the year 2050 more than half of the nation’s population is comprised of people from different ethnic and cultural minority groups (Guzman, Hill-Menson, & Greve, 2007). The trend of greater cultural and ethnic diversity in America has resulted in a change in the cultural dynamics and complexities in many communities and neighborhoods across the country. Neighborhoods once segregated by race and ethnicity, such as Walt Kowalski’s, have become more diverse in both race and ethnicity. Despite an increase in the cultural makeup of many neighborhoods, racism, bias, and prejudice still exist in many (Guzman et. al., 2007). For this reason, many people like Walt Kowalski need to gain the necessary skills to develop cultural competence, allowing them to interact positively with people from other cultural backgrounds. One way to develop cultural competence for a man like Walt Kowalski is to assist him in gaining a better understanding of himself and the Asian culture of his neighbors.
Wikipedia defines cultural diversity as, “the quality of diverse or diverse cultures… The phrase cultural diversity can also refer to having different cultures respect each other’s differences.” It is important to understand the importance of cultural diversity. Our country, jobs, and schools have a variety of cultures, races, and ethnic practices and groups. We should learn from one another, but first we must have a level of understanding about each other to be able to collaborate and cooperate, function together as a human race. Although many of world’s people have grasped the concept of the ‘Great Melting Pot’, biases still exist among various factions: man against man, man against woman, old against youth, religion
In an increasingly globalized world it is of great importance to preserve and promote the exchange and understanding of cultures of the world.
Given the growing globalized and integrated world, cultural diversity has become an important instrument of promoting peace and understanding as never before. Owing to the rapid growth of multicultural societies and countries, ever stronger international migration flows, and the accelerated development of digital technologies, cultural diversity has thus become a veritable instrument of our time. It has been posited that the promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions lies at the heart of the society. The issues that arise from cultural diversity cannot be solved only by political voluntarism; they also require knowledge dissemination, cultural and diversity awareness and an intense international cooperation and exchange of experiences. This paper provides an overview of the reasons for cultural diversity and the role it plays in integrating our world. The author posits that cultures of people appear the same, but the practice and people’s perception of it may differ. The author submits that the idea for a more equal world can only be achieved if we find ways to instill and broaden the spirit of cultural diversity among us.