· Disclaimer: This isn't the best diversity statement, but I like it so that's all the matters “OREO!!! OREO!!!!” These were the racial slurs I faced as a child. ↳ Law School Personal Statements ↳ LSAT Prep and Discussion Forum ↳ Law School Acceptances, Denials, and Waitlists ↳ Law School · Good law schools recognize that having a diverse student body is a benefit to all law students (and to law professors as well). The diversity statement is one way to see if an applicant would contribute to a diverse 1L class, because the application form may not give the law school admissions committee enough information about the applicant’s background and diversity factors 21 rows · · The law school diversity statement is an essay that asks you to elaborate on
How to Write a Diversity Statement
We've been asked for examples of diversity statements many times; below are several great ones. It is important to note that diversity statements are truly optional, and not everyone should write one. Contrary to what you may have heard, it is not a missed opportunity to write more about yourself.
In fact, we wrote a blog a few years ago on when you should write a diversity statement. We hope these examples are helpful! Living in the bubble of suburban [City], my family was treated like a blemish on its pristine surface. A house with a black father and white mother, along with a handful of mixed kids, easily stood out in our predominantly white neighborhood, diversity statement law school.
Though some families talked about us, and never to us, diversity statement law school, my father always reinforced the importance of our lineage and helped immerse me in our culture. Our family comes from a small village in upper Egypt; its proximity to Sudan and prevalence of Nubian lifestyles created a melting pot of cultures that diversity statement law school my identity as a first-generation Muslim African American.
Although kids made fun of my skin tone and practices, my father taught me to be proud to emphasize the African in being African American. And though I spoke out against their hateful rhetoric, my words seemed only to bounce off the Kevlar vest that is ignorance.
A state representative had asked me to stand a few feet farther from the door than the typical distance of my white coworkers while canvassing door-to-door because my dark skin could scare off potential voters. In that moment, she treated me not like the seasoned campaign veteran I was, or even as a person, but as a liability. Learning about these topics allowed our staff to understand the issues facing underrepresented members of the community, and thus allowed us to better represent the entire district.
While chief justice of the Student Government Supreme Court, I worked with the student president to create a proposal for a mandatory diversity and equity class that would later be presented to the Faculty Senate. I am proud of my African background and black ancestry as it has given me the opportunity to shape the outlook of people I meet.
Skin tone and religion do not justify malicious behavior, which is why I strive to educate as many people as possible to create a world more accepting of all identities, diversity statement law school. I was raised by a single mother, but my home was filled with family. My mother, sister, and I shared a room with two twin-size beds. My aunts, uncles, five cousins, and grandparents shared the two remaining bedrooms.
In total, there were thirteen people sharing a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home. For the children, the nonstop playtime and carefree memories mitigated the obstacles that came with our socioeconomic insufficiency.
For me, our tight-knit family and living situation made it much easier to overcome the absence of my father. My father represented many of the negative stereotypes that Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants have to combat. His choices had an adverse impact on not only my family, but also our community at large. I was somewhat sheltered diversity statement law school learning too much about my father, but I knew enough to feel burdened with shame. In fact, that feeling was so strong that I became fixated on the goal of creating a life opposite to that which my father had built.
Pursuing a brighter future did not come without obstacles in my neighborhood and family. Rejecting the criminal element in our community required a deliberate choice to exclude myself from the majority and often made me feel left out.
My family fully supported my goals, but their own diversity statement law school levels and unfamiliarity with the college admission process restricted the amount of guidance they were able to provide.
Counselors at my high school were overloaded by high dropout rates and unable to focus on college bound students. These processes seem basic to some, but can be overwhelming to a first-generation student to the point where it becomes easier to put it off or quit altogether.
I did not spend my entire youth in that overcrowded yet comforting home, diversity statement law school. But I still know what its like to feel insecure about where you come from and what you lack—it is something I will carry with me throughout my life and career. My education and career goals have been shaped by my background, and I will continue to aim high despite the challenges that may come my way.
For as long as I can remember, I outwardly portrayed myself as a calm and controlled individual. It is a true reflection of my demeanor, diversity statement law school, but it is the complete opposite of what I have lived throughout my childhood and adolescence. When I was in fourth grade, my father admitted to me that he was addicted to crack. At the time I did not understand what crack addiction meant, but I was educated by diversity statement law school actions soon enough.
Shortly after this confession, the family structure I knew and loved began to collapse. My neighborhood could be described as a breeding ground for gangs, drugs, violence, and anarchy. One of the few bright spots of growing up in my neighborhood is the chemistry children had with diversity statement law school another by having similar troubles at home. It was not uncommon for my neighborhood friends to have a drug abusing parent, a single parent household, alcoholic parents, or experience domestic violence.
I was not allowed to cross the street without their supervision due to diversity statement law school members on the corner selling drugs, and playing outside at night was dangerous due to occasional shootings. Growing up in a neighborhood like mine was a double edged sword; it was dangerous, but our common struggles made it easy to relate to one another.
Living with a drug addicted parent was full of uncertainty and confusion. There were many break-ins, diversity statement law school I always had a strange feeling about these break-ins because although valuables were stolen, certain sentimental items of value would remain untouched, diversity statement law school.
I did not learn until much later in life that my father was the one stealing from us. Eventually diversity statement law school mother left my father and moved out in the beginning of my seventh grade year.
My sister and I stayed with our father. In diversity statement law school the heating bills went unpaid and the temperature in the house would drop to the low forties. My sister and I would walk to the local laundromat at night and warm our blankets and pillows in the dryer in order to have heat through the night. Money for food was scarce, and my sister and I became accustomed to eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner out of vending machines on a budget of six dollars a day.
Although this experience was mentally and physically damaging, it served as motivation for me to strive for a better life and made me never want to regress to that standard of living. I was separated from my childhood friends for that year, but we reunited the next year as freshmen in high school. Things had changed in that year: the friends that I grew up with became the gang members that my parents warned me about as a child.
Out of all of my childhood friends, I was the only one to go on to college, let alone finish high school. Living with the feeling of turning my back on them by cutting off communication with them during high school was an isolating experience.
If teachers saw me with them, I would be categorized as a gang member, or worse, if other gang members noticed then they would try to attack me because they thought I was a rival, diversity statement law school. I tried to explain this to my friends but they could not understand and eventually the friendships grew cold.
During the end of my ninth grade year, I was still adjusting to my new life. Although I no longer physically lived in diversity statement law school neighborhood, I still felt like I was alone and was stuck in the same position.
My closest friends, the ones I could relate to, were all on a downward spiral in life; at the same time, I could not relate to the students in my honors courses. Many were discussing vacation trips, showing off new clothes or getting a new car for their birthday when getting their driving permit. While some of my classmates were planning on taking family vacations to Disneyland, I was planning to visit my father who had been recently arrested and was serving jail time for robbery.
Instead of having memories of helping my parents wash their car in the front yard or riding a bicycle on the sidewalk as a child, I remember seeing people get shot and killed in my neighborhood or seeing a pregnant woman smoking crack. Sophomore year of high school proved to be the lowest and most humbling part of my life.
I remember vividly the moment I found out that I lost my first two friends to gang violence. There was a lot of guilt in the weeks that followed; I felt like there was more I could have done to steer them in the right direction.
I began to replay my childhood and explore my life direction and I decided a change was needed. All of my experiences up until that point started to serve as an inspiration to become better than where I started and continue to build myself into a stronger person. My natural disposition allows me to see the positive things in every situation, and Diversity statement law school realize that no matter how dire the situation seems, it could be worse.
Many people say that phrase not knowing what that worse actually is. But I know. Opportunities that have come my way are very much appreciated, and I intend to make the most of them. Knowing where I once was, I am confident in my accomplishments and hopeful for future generations as I start a new trend in my family and build a strong foundation.
My childhood is not a weight that drags me down; instead it has become the strength to push through adversity diversity statement law school challenges arise. My life was supposed to be simple. I wanted to make my parents happy, to give us the future they desired. Winning Quran memorization competitions, fasting, and praying daily: my religious beliefs guided me throughout my childhood, diversity statement law school. After the September 11th attacks festered resentment for Muslims across the nation, I faced religiously charged backlash in my public school; as a result, I transferred to an Islamic school where I hoped to blend in better.
It was clear, diversity statement law school, though, that another difference would soon set me apart. My new classmates were quick to point out my effeminate mannerisms that unintentionally flowed from the flicks of my wrist. As my sexuality blossomed and the homophobic rhetoric harshened, I wrestled with conflicting feelings of living authentically and living without fear.
I questioned whether my religious beliefs could sustain what I knew to be true about myself. As a result, comforted by its familiarity, I resigned to the security of the proverbial closet. Clothing myself with a wardrobe of feeble masculinity, I prayed my actions would become my sexuality. By denying my identity, I rejected a part of myself for the sake of my parents.
In my head, I was a martyr, bravely sacrificing for the greater good of my family. In my heart, I was a heretic, terrified to openly challenge my religious dogma and familial values. Over time, though, the need to live genuinely became too great to deny.
Sitting in a mosque attending a traditional Pakistani wedding, my own future telescoped before me. As I observed the beaming couple, I realized I would one day face a similar choice. How could I look into the eyes of a woman and speak of love as if I felt it between us? Dejected, I finally understood that what some call the closet felt more like a coffin.
What once felt familiar was now incompatible. Professing my queer identity to my parents swelled our home with such a rage that our relationship fragmented in an instant. They believed homosexuality was incompatible with Islam, and diversity statement law school therapy was the only cure for my dis-orientation. They kicked me out of the house and, with no place to stay, I happened to find a Buddhist abbey with a room to rent.
Advice on Writing the Law School Personal Statement (and Diversity Statement)
, time: 17:44Diversity Statement Samples - Top Law Schools
· Undergraduate and Graduate admissions Diversity Statement. Top tier schools have more student applicants than they need, so they get to be picky and select only the ones that fit their target student profile. Diversity and Inclusion views of the student have become an important factor to gauge the quality of students, such as in Law school.5/5 Writing a diversity statement is a lot like writing a personal statement. The stages include 1) brainstorming, 2) outlining (loosely or in detail), 3) drafting, and 4) revising. Broadly speaking, your diversity statement has two parts: your experience, and what you · A strong diversity statement conveys how an applicant's background would allow him or her to bring a unique perspective to a law school class, experts say. (Rob Lewine/ Getty Author: Ilana Kowarski
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