Possessing differences, bonding over similarities

As my time at Lawrence Woodmere Academy (LWA) comes to a close, I begin to look back at my earliest memories of school here. The one that stands out to me is my first day of freshman year.

Before the start of the day at my new school, I scanned the cafeteria evaluating the crowd. Although every person wore identical uniforms, they all looked so different. Faces from Asia, Israel, America, Russia, Haiti and more formed a sea of diversity. The diverse languages being spoken created a cacophony of sounds.

I was mesmerized by the dissimilarities between my two worlds. This school was noticeably very different.

Throughout my public school life, everyone seemed identical to me. Caucasian people, year after year, following what everyone else was doing. At a very young age, I knew I wanted to break away from the confines of that world. However, culture shock quickly took over.

I sat with the first three girls that didn’t seem so alien from me. Those three girls resembled the comfort zone that I wanted to desperately break way from, but old habits die-hard. Now that I had a chance to breakout, I found it much more difficult than I had expected.

Unexpectedly, one winter day as I waited on the lunch line, I stood next to a student to whom I had never spoken. The Chinese boy turned to me and said, “Hi.” I bashfully reciprocated, and he started to ask me a variety of questions. We ended up bonding over our love for chicken fingers (which happened to be the meal of the day) until we reached the front of the line.

After our conversation, I realized that he did exactly what I’ve been trying to do, which was to start simple conversations with people outside my comfort zone. Even though we appeared to look nothing alike, we both had the same motives. He made it seem so easy as he effortlessly turned to me with a big smile and a simple question. I was frustrated with myself for feeling intimidated about taking the first step. I had enrolled in an independent school to take part in unique opportunities, not to continue conforming to the world I left behind.

Within a few months, those three girls’ familiar faces converted into dozens of diverse ones. During each lunch period I made it a point to talk to someone different on the food line, just like my Chinese friend did with me. This simple gesture enriched my life in ways that are indescribable.

What many people see on the surface are the differences between people; whether it’s their ethnicity, religion, gender and so on. What goes unnoticed is the universal need to belong and feel connected regardless of how we look or what we believe in. My time spent at LWA has made me realize that we are much more alike than different.