Unit 1-5/18 (Mikayla)

1. 1. The modern world is encompassed by a vast majority of different languages, cultures and ideas and they affect the way we live and the way we learn. Different backgrounds and perspectives allow us to be more multi faceted and diversity within communities allows us to relate to larger groups of people. The chapter readings expose us to some of the truths of the world and generate the idea that the more knowledge and experience we have, the more we can change the systems and structures within the world. Culture to me is  the traits and ideas a society is encompassed of and how they use their knowledge to create a way of being for the whole. The more exposure it has and the more diverse it is directly correlates to the way changes are made within it. After reading these papers a question that arose is whether having a diverse community and culture will truly make an environment more structured and more likely to succeed?

2. Whenever I am exposed to a new environment or community I ask myself what I have to offer or what I can bring to the table. When an opportunity to make a change is presented you begin to assess your knowledge and your experiences. Whether it can offer a new idea or a different way of seeing something and make the whole more likely to succeed. When I first arrived on the Syracuse University campus I viewed myself as an outsider, someone who had a different culture and background than the rest of the students. Although I had a hard time adjusting to the environment I soon learned that the only way to succeed was to use the things I already knew. My culture and my background were not a hindrance but a tool I used to push myself ahead. The skills that I developed, although they were different from the rest allowed me to not only push myself forward but build on the community around me.