Mena Biraralign

December 11, 2019

PSY 428

Synthesis: What is the experience of being a minority

on a school campus that is primarily white?

What is a person? Have you ever thought about it? To be a person does that mean just

being an individual in a world of others? Does it mean that they have values, experiences, or

cultural backgrounds that define them? Or do you believe that we are all the same? To me, a

person is an individual built and brought up by experiences that they have not only encountered

but of their families--we are a reflection of the past, only we are constantly trying to be better.

This definition of what it means to be a person is dependent on the individual and their

perspective. What I believe and what another individual believes could be entirely different, but

that is what is so amazing about being a person--we are unique. Considering this, I thought it

would be interesting to witness and take notes on the experience of being a minority in a setting

that is primarily the majority, or in this case, white. This is important for me to understand, I

have a connection to this central question. Not only because it is my central theme, but also

because I am Black in an educational community that is primarily the opposite. Following this, I

wanted to better understand how others feel in this atmosphere or setting, I wanted to know that I

wasn’t alone or better try to reason that my feelings are valid. Sometimes in an environment

where you are not apart of the majority is challenging. You begin to feel isolated and

confined--and overall feel that you don’t belong there. With this, I conducted this ethnography to
review the interactions of interracial groups and most importantly the perspectives of two other

students at my institution.

When selecting the people I interviewed, I didn’t really put much thought into--the reason

being is because A) I had only so many people to choose from and B) refer back to option A. No,

I’m just joking but also I think since there are just a few people to choose from at Creighton--it

means that the experiences are more personal and direct for each person of color. I knew that

regardless of who I selected that the experiences we’re going to be similar. I knew that I

shouldn’t have had that kind of mindset, but it’s hard to think that someone is so pleased with

their experience at our school and that they never felt feelings of isolation and social clashes

amongst their peers. Nevertheless, during these interviews--I learned A LOT. These students

were at two different points in their lives, one so close to graduating, while the other has merely

dipped his foot in the pool. I thought it would be interesting to understand and witness the

differences in their lives and how that is reflective of their thoughts about Creighton and its’

‘diverse’ community. The Junior-Senior person had several things to say, she explained to me so

many encounters on our campus that she has either witnessed or heard about that has blown my

mind. Not surprising though everything she had to say I agreed on with her and I understood her

level of frustration. She is more active in trying to diversify Creighton’s campus, but she

ultimately says that she gives up. Not because she doesn’t care, but she doesn’t feel valued or

feel that this institution cares about her voice and our needs. Similarly, the young man I

interviewed was/is a freshman (in his first semester). When I asked him the same questions, he

presented signs of confliction. The reason being is that he is not only new to Creighton, but he

stuck because he wants to believe one thing and think that Creighton is the best school--which is
why he is here. But, it’s challenging when you think about the diversity aspect and how much

Creighton is lacking in this area. Even at one point in the interview, my interviewee questioned

himself and his response to one of my questions. When I asked him whether he thought

Creighton was diverse--he immediately said ‘yes,’ but after approximately 5 seconds he redacted

his response. He said, “what am I thinking--no, no, no Creighton isn’t diverse.” Of which he

elaborates to me why he changed his response. He said it’s diverse as in it has several Asians, but

not really any black people.

I think constantly throughout these interviews and through fieldnotes, you can tell how

the effects of being a minority are in this setting. As Creighton and other universities boast about

the ‘diverse’ school environments--I think they lack to see the effects of their fabrications.

Constant themes of unintentional segregation have been prevalent through observations,

research, and field notes. As a student myself at this establishment, it’s easy to put yourself down

and just ignore the feelings lingering inside you. For me, I tried to distract myself--I joined

several clubs and made my schedules busy as a way to unknowingly make myself not think

about my differences. I always tried to be on top academically and in my prevalence on campus.

This was done in order to prove to myself that I belong here, I’ve always been taught to be better

otherwise no one will respect you. In addition, I have an unusual last name and most of the time

people can’t pronounce it--I don’t get mad or angry about it, but instead, I think about how I was

taught that I have to earn that privilege. If I want people to recognize me and understand my

importance then I need to work for that respect because I don’t just get that in this community.

Nevertheless, this was a really eye-opening experience. I sought out my selfish endeavors

to understand whether other people in this world felt or had the same emotions or thoughts to
being in this type of setting. Not saying that we can’t befriend people of another race, but that

common experiences and attitudes towards a subject can really bring a group together. Following

this, our cultures tend to vary per person and the way we interact with each is a reflection of our

values and experiences. I think that overall indicates or factors in how we act and interact with

others even in the case of a minority stuck among the majority.