How do I talk about a specific rural adversity of mine?

[blackshad-o]

I am applying to a school that is pretty rural-focused and I grew up in a rural community myself and it is a large part of my life. However, I am also a person of color and my diversity/adversity essays are largely centered around the unique adversities I faced as a POC in a rural area. For this school, I feel like it is weird to talk about the adversities I faced as a rural community member. I just don't want it to come off as resentful towards rural settings. Do you all have any advice on how I can talk about my specific life experiences without sounding like I don't like rural America?

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[Goro]

I am applying to a school that is pretty rural-focused and I grew up in a rural community myself and it is a large part of my life. However, I am also a person of color and my diversity/adversity essays are largely centered around the unique adversities I faced as a POC in a rural area. For this school, I feel like it is weird to talk about the adversities I faced as a rural community member. I just don't want it to come off as resentful towards rural settings. Do you all have any advice on how I can talk about my specific life experiences without sounding like I don't like rural America?

Why not just talk about them as adversities with out discussing the rural aspect?

But tt's OK to say, for example, that you were the only POC in the county, for example.

 

[DoReMiMD]

Being non-white in a rural area is truly hard, I think the school will understand!

 

[LizzyM]

I've been reading My Vanishing Country by Bakari Sellers. Clearly, it is possible to be from a majority black rural area, or an area that is rural and majority white.

Either way, there may be a shortage of resources and opportunities and you should set the stage with a little background about your county's demographics and how the experience of growing up in that environment has influenced the way you think about the health of your community and the special needs in rural areas. (I was interested to learn from a friend working in the field about occupational injuries of farmers and their particular needs with regard to prosthetics! Who knew?)