Alone: Black Students at PWIs

As a recent college graduate, I often get asked about the college experience, especially as a minority student on a predominately white campus. While my experience was not holistically negative, there were several times where I didn't feel like I was really apart of the institution like the majority of other students.  In the three years that I attended my institution there were more than a few occasions where I was the only or one of a few minority students in a class. Transferring from institution that was diversely rich, this came as a complete culture shock. I felt the cold shoulder and puzzled looks as I walked in to my class, and a sense of loneliness would overwhelm me. Fortunately I managed to survive by not feeding into stereotypes surrounded by my culture and I benefited from having a relatable personality. I felt the "two-ness" and didn't feel as though I could be myself in my truest form in fear of innately being judged.

But what about the students who aren't relatable? What about the students who just happened to fulfill some of the stereotypes associated with their race of culture? Institutions of higher learning should take the initiates to make sure that the student body is unique, without making minority students feel like they were only accepted to meet a quota. Reach out to these students in a variety of ways which include organizations geared toward to diversity and ask for feedback on how to make their experience better and improve it for the next group of students.

Although I do sometimes ponder on what my experience would have been like at a HBCU or diverse campus, I am grateful for this experience as it taught me a lot about people and how to make the most out of an uncomfortable social situation. My horizons have broaden and it also showed me who I AM as a individual and what ideals and values are most important to me. Most importantly, this experience brought me closer to my culture and my people that I was lacking before and I am internally grateful for such an awakening.