*please please don't quote whole thing, I would like to edit it later because of identifying, sensitive details I have included*
I am working on my diversity essay statement and have so far come up with these ideas:
1) My grandfather was an immigrant who came to the US and was orphaned at age 12. He ended up becoming a prominent businessman, but always gave back to those less fortunate than him (hosted dinners for immigrants from all walks of life, was extremely generous, taught adult ESL, etc). My mom then became a school teacher and growing up, every Sunday night we taught English to refugees/ immigrant learners. Their examples showed me the importance of a commitment to service and led me to volunteer throughout college as a tutor for at risk kids and now, I have been a teacher in an underserved school for the past 2 years (recently decided to apply to med school). I know a lot of premeds do teaching/tutoring and service activities, but would it be too "common" to talk about my teaching experience and how I could use this skill to contribute to the class/ how it will be important when I treat and explain things to future patients?
2) Every summer since I was a little girl, our summer vacation was visiting my uncle at his cabin on a lake in rural TX. He taught me woodworking and ever since then, it has become a meaningful hobby (I'm by no means an "expert", but I've built porch swings, my own bed, desk, table, shelves, etc.). I didn't mention this elsewhere on my application because I didn't have space, but I was thinking about talking about how this has taught me problem solving skills, how to think creatively, approach problems from different angles, and be innovative. I would hope to share this love of creative problem solving combined with hands on skills with my future classmates. I'm not really sure if this is diversity though
3) I already talk about sports in my most meaningful/ P.S but I could talk about how I use sports to connect with the community, promote confidence, and advocate for healthier lifestyles. Sports were a HUGE part of my life growing up (I played a D1 sport and 4 of my other 5 siblings also received full rides for D1 sports). We were all extremely competitive, but in a way that pushed each other to be better versions of ourselves. If I used it for diversity I think I could mention how sports can bring together people from all demographics, ages, etc and how I have encouraged people in the community to live healthier lifestyles (years of service as a sports coach bc it is really very important to me) and be more confident. However, I'm considering using sports for the adversity prompt. I was sexually abused as a young child (age 6-11) and sports played a major role in helping me reclaim my own voice and bodily autonomy, and discover my own strength/ resilience.. Since then, I have tried to give back and help others who faced similar struggles find their own voice and confidence. (not sure if this is important, but I would feel comfortable talking about it in an interview if it were to come up).
Would #3 be taboo for an adversity statement? Would any of my ideas work for the diversity prompt (or should I think of others)? Any help is greatly appreciated!
@Goro @LizzyM
