From day one of setting foot on this campus, one fact becomes glaringly obvious: the social fabric of the Georgetown student body is extraordinarily diverse. This diversity is a point of pride among many at the University and it is discussed and celebrated often. The sort of diversity of which I speak, more specifically, concerns (ironically) a common theme that is woven into this diversity; it is a theme that can be recognized in nearly every instance that a new acquaintance is made - everyone has a "story" and in general no one person's story is remotely similar to the next person's. These stories are of international travel and/or residence, participation in some of the nation's or world's most prestigious student programs, speaking multiple "exotic" languages, pedigrees of striking ethnic variety or even ethnic purity, and the list goes on. As an example, I refer to a good friend of mine; he was born in Canada, holds citizenship in Finland, has a deep English heritage, and has lived in Texas for most of his life, and he also speaks four languages. Even so, both he and I agree that his resume is a far cry from what many other Hoyas can boast.
Obviously there are exceptions to such cases - not everyone has had the opportunity to travel or live abroad, to have learned multiple languages, or to have participated in "leadership" or other scholarship-type programs. To these people, and I am one of them, life amongst such fantastically experienced and privileged people can be overwhelming, intimidating, and even suffocating. Personally, for some time after my initial arrival as a freshman, it made me feel as if I was "behind" in life, so to speak, compared to most of my peers. The that my time here has progressed, however, the more that I realize being "average" (for lack of a better term) is only an alternative form of diversity. In the same way that those of us who are "average" can glean stories and perspectives from others, "average" lives and stories can be just as instructive. It is the fusion of all sides into a share, yet individually nuanced, Georgetown experience that is truly amazing. No matter what you background and life story may be, we all have something to offer each other and to learn from each other at the same time. We are Georgetown, yes; but more precisely, Georgetown is us.
Cheesy? Very. Constructive? Relatively. True? 100%.
Edward Hill
SFS '11
Rapid City, SD
