"the ideal ethnicity" - U of Mich - Diversity Short Answer

In middle school my friend and I were talking about boys - more specifically, the ideal ethnicity. Instinctively, I responded that I preferred someone who was of Korean descent, and when I was asked why, I could not come up with anything other than, "So he can communicate more fluidly with my parents."

The conversation ended shortly after, yet I continued to impose the question upon myself: Why did I really fancy someone of my own ethnicity? The answer, I later realized, was comfort. There wouldn't be very many problems concerning the types of food, nor would there be any misconceptions regarding Korean traditions.

This made me realize how myopic I had been; I was making judgments on other cultures before ever really getting to know them by ignorantly stating I preferred my own ethnicity over another. In the months to follow, I proactively made a concerted effort to interact with other students of all backgrounds; to my surprise, I discovered and admired the fact that each culture offered many unique characteristics and rich traditions.

I know that University of Michigan already has an array of students from different cultures, but I am confident that I can contribute to the diversity not because of my Korean-American heritage, but because of who I am as an individual. My personal experiences may be similar to thousands of other students, but rarely is any one experience replicated to be exactly the same.