{"id":1000,"date":"2020-09-25T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2020-09-25T12:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cedarville.edu\/studentlife\/?p=1000"},"modified":"2022-06-03T09:29:57","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T13:29:57","slug":"will-cedarville-make-me-feel-welcomed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cedarville.edu\/studentlife\/2020\/09\/25\/will-cedarville-make-me-feel-welcomed\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Cedarville Make Me Feel Welcomed?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was accepted by Cedarville, I was scared. Not for the reasons that one would assume a freshman would be fearful of. I wasn\u2019t worried about finding my classrooms, maneuvering through Chuck\u2019s Sunday rush hour, or even passing all my courses. I was confident in all of those areas, all except one: would the community at Cedarville make me feel <\/span>welcomed<\/span><\/i>, would I be <\/span>wanted <\/span><\/i>there?<\/span><\/p>\n

I come from a culturally diverse home. My mom is from the Central American country of Honduras while my dad was raised in New York. Having two parents from opposite ends of the world (and them being amazing, loving, and Christ-like parents who embraced our roots) helped me become the person I am today: a lover of midnight tacos and Reggeaton, a little fiery and very empathetic for other students coming from cultural backgrounds like my own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not going to lie, growing up in New York where I was one of the few people-of-color in my school and my entire hometown wasn\u2019t always easy. The feelings of being left out, treated differently because of my skin color, and the blatantly racist \u2018jokes\u2019 and ridicule became a norm throughout highschool. Once I was accepted to Cedarville, I shakily Google searched the ethnic demographics of the area I would be moving to:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

…<\/span><\/i>Ethnic groups in Cedarville, OH<\/i><\/b> are White (Non-Hispanic)(<\/span>82.4%<\/b>), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)(<\/span>10.2%<\/b>), Asian (Non-Hispanic)(<\/span>1.88%<\/b>) … and <\/span>Some other race<\/i><\/b> (Hispanic)(<\/span>1.51%<\/b>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though I was physically \u2018accepted\u2019 to study at CU, I worried I would not be <\/span>accepted<\/span><\/i> by my peers, faculty, and the surrounding community. I\u2019m here to reassure and encourage students-of-color that Cedarville\u2019s stance on diversity isn\u2019t some social bandaid slapped on in an effort to give CU a \u2018better public image\u2019 during racial unrest\u00a0 that stain headlines. No, Cedarville\u2019s commitment to <\/span>Kingdom Diversity <\/b><\/a>is clear:<\/span><\/p>\n

“THERE IS <\/span>NO ROOM FOR RACISM<\/b>, BIGOTRY, PRIDEFUL THINKING, ARROGANCE, HURTFUL WORDS, OR INTOLERANT THOUGHTS ON THE CAMPUS OF CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY. <\/span>WE ARE ALL ON LEVEL GROUND AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS”<\/b><\/p>\n

– Dr. Thomas White, President\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cedarville University has created an environment where students \u2014 regardless of ethnicity \u2014 feel they are loved and welcomed as brothers and sisters in Christ. CU offers a unique community that advocates for diversity of the student body, encouraging us to be informed and grow together in <\/span>unity,<\/b> despite a world that is constantly afflicted by division. I have made friends who are not only Hispanic and familiar with being raised from a similar cultural background, but students and faculty who are fascinated by my culture, wanting to learn more instead of ostracizing me as I was so fearful of. From tutoring students taking Spanish 1 to sharing the socio-economic status of Honduras in a class, the people here never cease to amaze me in their willingness to educate themselves and their sincerity in care.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

– Picture taken in 2019 –<\/p><\/div>\n

Here are a few of many opportunities to be involved and explore how Cedarville is bringing unity, not uniformity, to it\u2019s campus and community.<\/span><\/p>\n

*Due to COVID-19, travel\/group gathering restrictions due apply and affect certain topics below, please see Cedarville\u2019s <\/span>Caring Well, Staying Wel<\/span><\/a>l guidelines and be on the lookout for updates pertaining to restrictions in the future*<\/span><\/p>\n

Global Outreach<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n