As a consistently intense person, I tend to have very strong preferences. Whether it’s about snacks, superhero shows, genres of music, or politics, I will have a strong opinion backed by reasons, and at times I am too comfortable expressing that to others. Three of the most important parts identity are my passion for social justice, my desire to think critically and question relentlessly, and my love for sensory/hands on experiences, whether through cooking or attending concerts. As I’ve acclimated to life at Cornell, I’ve been pleasantly surprised and at times shocked by the culture here. Not even a full month in, I’ve made close friends who are very comfortable with talking about mental illness and I have benefited from the support and empathy. As a heterosexual female, I was surprised by the amount of students who identify with the queer (LGBTQ+) community. Despite my high school being racially diverse, there was one openly gay student I knew of, and he was friends with everyone. Through being…show more content… The hispanic population was the second largest at my high school and I dearly miss speaking ‘Spanglish’ with many of my friends. Despite being white, I personally experienced some culture shock at the lack of racial and ethnic at Cornell. Most of my friendships in high school were with girls who looked and came from backgrounds significantly different than mine. I felt kind of nervous going into the club meeting, because I did not want to encroach on anyone’s experience. The most interesting part of the meeting was how the students perceived the lack of racial diversity at Cornell. I listened to how frustrated they were with the lack of students of color enrolling and then completing all four years. They talked about how hard it was to bring Latino students to the school, when they could easily attend a school with a stronger Latino community. This dynamic was not simple, and I was glad I had the chance to
