by Nicoline Hansen
Diversity is one of many words that describes Parkland College. The hallways are filled with people from various cultures and different ethnicities. This creates a perfect opportunity to connect with different people, maybe even people we would not normally think we had anything in common with. The only issue is that this doesn’t seem happen that often.
I realize this is a bold statement to make and I acknowledge that this is not the case for all students. However, over the span of my two semesters here at Parkland, I have noticed a tendency for students to mainly focus their attention on other students that are like them.
This is, I believe, a part of human nature. Naturally, we seek people who are like ourselves because we feel most comfortable around them. But is college not all about taking steps out of our comfort zone and experiencing new things?
“When placed in an unfamiliar environment, we try to find the box that we fit into, simply because that is the most comfortable place for us to be”
The international students at Parkland College have certainly stepped out of their comfort zone in order to push themselves to experience new things and by moving to a new country. From experience, this can be terrifying.
Being in a new environment comes with a lot of overwhelming feelings, both good and bad ones. There is some level of comfort in talking to other international people (maybe even people from your own country) because they are going through the same exact thing. However, what is the point of being brave enough to come to the United States if we are not even willing to connect with the domestic students?
According to the data and reports section of the Parkland website, in 2018, Parkland College consisted of 12,238 students, where 8,368 students were categorized as ‘in-district’. This means that over half of the students are from the same district, meaning that most of these students already have connections when beginning their journey here at Parkland College.
“The continuation of international students to stick together and the domestic students to stick together is preventing new connections from being made”
Most of these people have probably had an encounter with one or more international students. However, many might not realize that there are, according to the same report, 676 students at Parkland College who are from a foreign country.
Going back to my previous point, these ‘in-district’ students probably find comfort in staying connected to their high school or childhood friends. The same ‘need’ to find new friends is not as strong as for the international students.
My intentions are not to point fingers at or place the blame on either the international students or the domestic students. I am simply trying to bring awareness to the fact that the continuation of international students to stick together and the domestic students to stick together is preventing new connections from being made.
Today, we are quick to either categorize ourselves or others into different boxes or stereotypes. When placed in an unfamiliar environment, we try to find the box that we fit into, simply because that is the most comfortable place for us to be. I think that we should try to step out of these boxes. We should try to sit next to a new person in class, ask questions and be curious. We might learn that we are not as different as we first thought.
I reached out to Maret Matthew from Parkland’s Office of International Admissions, who also sees this division between the international and domestic students. “I think this works both ways. One party is not at fault more than the other,” Matthew said. “It is important for international students to form relationships because it gives them a sense of belonging, promotes cross-cultural learning, and ultimately, I feel it leads to a better academic experience.”
As for ways to decrease this gap between international and domestic students, Matthew suggests getting involved with clubs and organizations as well as attending campus events. Instructors also play an important role. “… They [instructors] see the students almost daily,” Matthew said. “They can pick groups for group assignments allowing domestic and international students to work together.”
In addition, International Admissions is important when it comes to getting the new international students integrated when they first arrive. “This past spring, we started an International Peer Mentoring Program in an effort to get our international students to interact with domestic students and to help them get acclimated to life at Parkland and in the surrounding community,” Matthew added.
At the end of the day, we all carry a piece of the blame. However, this also means that we can all take actions to fix this issue. We are all students that have a lot to offer to the school, the community and even the world. We should focus our attention on reaching out to new people in order to broaden our horizons. The message I am trying to get out is that we should get out of our comfort zone. Let’s learn from each other’s backgrounds and cultures. Let’s celebrate the diversity we have here at Parkland.
