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Multicultural Interview Paper

Traci Patterson
Chadron State College
COUN 535-79A1: Multicultural Counseling
Dr. Branis Knezevic
October 12, 2022
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Multicultural Interview Paper

The interviewee is a twenty-three-year-old single, African American male. He

was born and raised in Pompano Beach, Florida to two loving African American parents.

He continued to live in Florida until he left for college. Getting a scholarship to play

basketball at Western Nebraska Community College brought him to Nebraska. He

currently lives in Gering, Nebraska with his girlfriend.

He was born on October 20, 1998. He has one brother that is two years older

and a sister that died at birth. Growing up, him and his brother had aunts, uncles and

cousins living close that got together regularly for family events. He attended Northeast

High School in Oakland Park, Florida. In high school, he did not pass several classes

and took credit recovery courses during the summer. Playing sports, specifically

football, basketball and baseball, kept him going to school each day. Participating in

sports was the biggest motivating factor for him to graduate high school. His goal of

playing college level basketball required him to have a 2.5 grade point average. High

school was a pivotal time for him. His cousin made choices that sent him to jail. This

caused him to reflect on his decisions because he did not want to go down the same

path and end up in jail. Gangs and violence surrounded the area in which he grew up.

He used sports as a positive alternative to getting involved with gangs.

The interviewee had several strong influences in his life. The first being his

mother, she was a big motivator for him finishing high school and earning a college

degree. His mother worked two jobs for many years to support him and his brother.

She currently works only one job and that is for a phone company. His expected him

and his brother to attend church on Sundays. Religion was priority for him growing up.
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His second influence was his high school basketball coach. His coach pushed

him to increase his grade point average and improve his ACT test scores. During that

time, he was selected to play on a traveling basketball team that gained him more

playing time and exposure to college basketball scouts. All of these experiences took a

shy and uncertain boy into a confident hardworking teen. His self-esteem and

confidence led him to making smarter decisions in his life. His coach saw potential in

him to play basketball beyond high school. Thankfully his coach took an interest in him

and pushed him on and off the court. In the end, basketball got him out of his

neighborhood and into college. The interviewee has a bachelor’s degree in University

Studies that encompasses classes in exercise science and business. Another positive

influence that came from growing up in Florida and cheering for the Miami Heat was

LeBron James. Being able to watch him, play on the Miami Heat basketball team was

incredible. The quote from LeBron James, “Greatness is defined by how much you

want to put into what you do.” is especially meaningful and impactful to him.

The interviewee is hopeful he will get to play professional basketball in the near

future. He has hired an agent. He continues to practice basketball skills so he is ready

for the next step in fulfilling his dream. He is currently an assistant high school boys’

basketball coach. He is excited to share his knowledge of the game with the players.

The head coach has been a positive force in him continuing to reach for his dream while

coaching a sport he loves. Although he enjoys his job as a coach, in the back of his

mind he worries if he will get to play professional basketball. He does not earn much so

paying bills is a concern. The interviewee is an optimistic man that has made many

positive decisions in his life. In the future, he sees himself as a successful professional
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basketball player or possibly head coach. He wants to leave a mark and know he has

made a positive influence is many people’s lives.

The interviewee does not see himself as any type of victim. He recognizes

discrimination and stereotyping happen all the time but he chooses to ignore it. He

does not believe in handling any situation with violence instead he uses his words to

outsmart the person. He feels he recently experienced discrimination when interviewing

for a position for a city. He had the qualifications but didn’t get hired. Whether that is

true or not, in the back of his mind he always has those concerns being an African

American male.

Conducting this interview was fascinating. The interviewee is a strong, confident

man. He had some struggles growing up but he has persevered and continues to work

towards his dream. Basketball has been and still is his main focus. He does not let

outside forces distract him from his purpose. This includes forming relationships. He

does not want a committed relationship with his girlfriend at this time. This seems

contradictory since he lives with her.

In the interview I was surprised that his sister died at birth. He did not seem

upset but stated it as fact. While this interview was interesting it was challenging to get

him to really open up and share details. Admittedly my relationship with him is only as

co-workers at school. It would take time to build a more trusting relationship with him so

he would feel comfortable sharing personal information. After the interview I can

appreciate, the time and work needed to build trusting relationships with clients. My

counseling approach is still a work in progress but being aware of cultural differences

will be a priority.
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At the beginning of the interview, I asked him to stop me if I say something that is

unclear or insensitive but to give me grace. Being misunderstood is a worry for African

Americans so I wanted to communicate that his comments were important. I explained

the purpose of the interview and that his name would not be shared in the assignment.

He gave his consent to use the information provided in this paper.

During my interview, he spoke mostly of his mother and her influence. Although

his dad was and is still a part of the family, I felt that he was more on the outside of the

family. African American males have been seen as “peripheral” to a functioning family

(Diller 2019). This is true in his family. His mother was responsible for the running of

the family. His family has strong kinship bonds. Extended family played a role in his

upbringing and lived nearby. The gang activity was his biggest concern growing up. As

previously stated his cousin went to jail and he saw the effects on his family. He chose

not to take part and to turn his attention to sports in middle and high school.

The interviewee grew up in an urban area in Florida. That alone sets us apart. I

currently live in a small town in Nebraska and was raised in a small town in Colorado.

Geographically our backgrounds are different and that is not even taking into account

he is an African American male. I think he might have down played some of his

experiences growing up in Florida. I did not have any preconceived ideas but honestly

expected different answers on some of the questions. I appreciated the time I spent

with him and the brief glimpse at his life.

This interview gave me a better understanding of what a counseling session

would look and feel like. I was uncomfortable and overwhelmed at times but as the

interview proceeded, the conversation was easier. There are many factors to consider
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in becoming a cultural competent counselor. Getting a brief explanation of the different

cultures and the implications in counseling increased my awareness of the unique

issues individuals may experience. Multicultural counseling topics will be beneficial to

me as a school counselor.
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References

Diller, J. V. (2019). Cultural diversity: a primer for the Human Services. Sixth edition.
Boston, MA: Cengage.