"UIUC wasn’t my first choice. I was choosing between here and a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin. Here, you feel like a number until you pave your own path.
One of the reasons why I chose this campus was because of its diversity. The college had the package deal – a traditional “college town” setting, a diverse population, a variety of majors, and a strong research institution. However, once I arrived on campus I noticed that many students would only hang out in their “bubbles.” For instance, Asian organizations only socializing with other Asian organizations or Greeks only socializing with other Greeks. I acknowledge that the reason this happened was because of common interests or background. You flock to where you are most comfortable. With that being said, there’s a difference between diversity and inclusivity. Yes, the University of Illinois has a large population of international students. Yes, the University has a disability friendly campus. Yes, the University has multicultural houses. But personally, I struggled to see integration between all of the various groups. Many of these cultural organizations co-exist, but they have a tendency to only stay within their own circles. I am only speaking to my experience with Asian organizations since those are the only ones I have been involved in. It is hypocritical for me to say all of these things because I also perpetuated this.
Coming from Chinatown, I came to college wanting to avoid the “Asian bubble” – I wanted something new and different. So, my freshmen year, I didn’t get very involved in the Asian community organizations and focused on my major and Illini Service Dogs. During this time, I struggled to find people with similar interests and hobbies. I ended up resorting back to the “Asian bubble.” I couldn’t help but found a home with people that shared similar experiences as I did.
I wish there was a way to break that barrier, but I know that inclusivity is something that isn’t just built overnight. Some people feel uncomfortable venturing outside of their comfort zone. It is difficult to find organizations that are actively looking to work with other organizations because they are just genuinely disinterested."
One of the reasons why I chose this campus was because of its diversity. The college had the package deal – a traditional “college town” setting, a diverse population, a variety of majors, and a strong research institution. However, once I arrived on campus I noticed that many students would only hang out in their “bubbles.” For instance, Asian organizations only socializing with other Asian organizations or Greeks only socializing with other Greeks. I acknowledge that the reason this happened was because of common interests or background. You flock to where you are most comfortable. With that being said, there’s a difference between diversity and inclusivity. Yes, the University of Illinois has a large population of international students. Yes, the University has a disability friendly campus. Yes, the University has multicultural houses. But personally, I struggled to see integration between all of the various groups. Many of these cultural organizations co-exist, but they have a tendency to only stay within their own circles. I am only speaking to my experience with Asian organizations since those are the only ones I have been involved in. It is hypocritical for me to say all of these things because I also perpetuated this.
Coming from Chinatown, I came to college wanting to avoid the “Asian bubble” – I wanted something new and different. So, my freshmen year, I didn’t get very involved in the Asian community organizations and focused on my major and Illini Service Dogs. During this time, I struggled to find people with similar interests and hobbies. I ended up resorting back to the “Asian bubble.” I couldn’t help but found a home with people that shared similar experiences as I did.
I wish there was a way to break that barrier, but I know that inclusivity is something that isn’t just built overnight. Some people feel uncomfortable venturing outside of their comfort zone. It is difficult to find organizations that are actively looking to work with other organizations because they are just genuinely disinterested."
