When it comes to being diverse, I never really thought of myself as a good example. I’m just a teenager in high school who follows the “typical white girl” stereotypes of having a white iPhone and drinking my coffee. But for diversity, unlike some things, stepping back and seeing the bigger picture will not show you what you’re looking for. It’s all the fine details that make me different from you and different from everyone else.

I’m the daughter of an Irish Catholic and a Russian Jew. Therefore I consider myself half-Jewish and half-Catholic, even though I know that isn’t really a thing. We don’t go to church but for every dinner we sing the Jewish HaMotzi, then my dad gives a prayer of thanks before the rest of us chime in at the end with a hearty “Amen!”

I’m allergic to cats. This makes for itchy eyes, runny noses, and me having to explain that no, it’s not that I don’t like cats or your cat in particular, it’s just that I prefer not sneezing and scratching my eyes out. Perhaps this is why I am such a dog person, and why I attack every canine I see with hugs and cuddles.

I’m tall. Taller than you, probably. My height has always been something that made me different from everyone else. At first it was my biggest insecurity (towering over all of my friends and some teachers was never my favorite thing in the world.) However, as I grow older and people grow taller, I’ve come to find that advantages do exist with above-average height. Now I embrace it as something to be remembered by.

I love to think. It can be difficult transferring thoughts into words sometimes, and I depend on this excuse to explain why I end up with excessive amounts of run-on sentences in my papers. Often I wonder about the amazement of the world and the countless miracles in life that most people look past. The planet earth in itself is so extraordinary, and I hope to explore it all one day.

I play volleyball. I love strawberry milkshakes. I can’t stand messy bedrooms. I sing while playing the piano. Although these don’t seem important, diversity is based on all the little things that make you, you and me, me. We should embrace what makes us unique! If being diverse means that I can happily enjoy my strawberry milkshakes whenever I desire, then so be it.