As discussed in the “Global and Multicultural” Patriot Experience, I’ve had opportunities to work with many different communities and groups, so I’m adequate at acting with an awareness of social and cultural dynamics.
When I am able to embrace cultural differences and am open to hearing others’ stories without judgement, it makes me a better ally and leader. One of the reasons why I am so open to empathizing with people who hold opposing opinions or problematic perspectives is because I recognize that they are a product of their environment, and not everyone had the privilege to grow up valuing diversity.
When I was a program assistant for the Student Transition Empowerment Program (STEP), there was a student who revealed that she grew up in a very small, all-white town and had never met a person of color before coming to Mason. I was taken aback by this information because I grew up in Northern Virginia, where diversity is everywhere. She revealed that the only exposure she had to people of color were in television shows and movies, where they were generally depicted as one-dimensional stereotypes of their community. For instance, Hispanic/Latinx/Black people were always depicted as gangsters and thugs. White people were portrayed in realistic, multifaceted ways that she could identify with, so she assumed that the people of color of screen were also depicted in a true light. “I thought all Muslim people were bad,” she revealed during a workshop.
Hearing her story really helped me understand how racism can occur. I always thought of racists as horrible bigots who chose to discriminate marginalized communities based on their unfounded fears of change, but I realized that I was wrong. People are products of their environment, and they are capable of growing and unlearning problematic behavior. Now, whenever I hear people say problematic things, I don’t automatically assume that they’re bad people with stagnant/old-fashioned beliefs. I try to see things from their point of view before imparting a judgement, which is why I think that this competency aligns very much with the ‘navigating and managing conflict’ competency. By keeping an open mind, I am able to control my emotions when it comes to problematic situations and respond more empathetic to certain ignorant behaviors.
Through my involvement in classes such as Ethics and Leadership, Active Leaders, Honors 130, I’ve learned a lot about myself and others. These classes equipped me with tools and techniques to critically analyze a situation before accepting it at face value. As discussed in these classes, if I want to be a cultural competent leader, I need to be aware of social and cultural dynamics to avoid misconceptions. In Nick’s classes, he showed a video where a British banker finishes his bowl of eel soup out of respect for his Chinese hosts, but it sends the opposite message that what he intended because leaving the bowl empty is a message that the Chinese hosts need to provide more food. I’ve used what I’ve learning in these experiences to better navigate as a culturally competent Leadership Consultant. All of our programs at the LEAD Office are open to all students, and recognizing that each student is coming from a different place in terms of cultural competence allows me to act with more social awareness.