When I first started my freshman year at west aurora high school, one of my greatest fears of being in a new school was the pressure to be a part of a clique. My first introduction to the separation of people at West High occurred when my peers first described the make-up of a clique. For example, a clique was normally defined by one’s clothing style, musical taste, and/or common interests. I quickly learned that these narrow definitions of a clique only further increased my anxiety about my wanting to belong to something. Going to school, soon felt like I was in a popularity contest. Everyday I would wonder about what I had to say to this person to fit in and what I had to say to this other person to fit into their clique as well. Going to school should not be this complicated and fearful and I wondered if there was another way to make friends.

With this idea, I soon discovered the Multicultural Club and immediately signed up for the MYV program. The purpose of the MYV program invites these so- called jocks, preps, Goths, etc. to speak as equals to people who they would not normally speak to on a daily basis. Whether these students identified with being in a clique or not, for once I felt that these identities were erased. These barriers quickly deteriorated as we began to speak honestly and openly with each other. I can honestly say that these sessions have benefited me to become a more open minded, consciousness, and accepting person, because I am able to see my peers beyond just their association with these cliques. As I began to listen to their stories I realized that who they are as a person is so much greater and more dynamic than the stereotypes imposed upon them. For the first time, I began to see beyond these social identities, and beyond these social barriers that we are all constrained by. My experience with this program not only unites students at our school, but it can impact our community as a whole, in positive ways, as people begin to practice the art of dialogue. By understanding other people, I have become more aware of who I am. I am a senior, who walks into our school and notices my school as a whole and each person as their own individual. And then it hits me that separation only exists when we, as a society, make it exist. Everyone makes a choice; we wake up every morning to go to work or school, and how it is we are going to treat people that day. I have learned in the MYV program to look beyond the social masks that we all wear, and I choose to look for the essence and the heart in everyone I meet. I know that I am a perfectly flawed person capable of making many mistakes, but what I also know to be equally true that the skills I have obtained through the MYV program, allows me to right my wrongs and at the same time forgive others with grace, genuinely, and integrity. I choose to carry these lessons beyond the walls of the MYV program and into my everyday life. I am the so-called nerd, jock, goth, and prep because I was able to see myself in everyone else, but in the end I am and was seen as Angela.

Angela Diaz