There have always been instances where a person of color may feel out of place in their school environment. This can be due to having no one around them that they can personally relate to. This is a serious problem that is often ignored by school administrators when it should really be addressed.

Personally, I have had the experience to travel to different areas in the south and north, with that came different school systems that offered different levels of diversity. There were times where I would feel out of place, and in search for someone that I could relate to that went through similar situations I have gone through. However, there were also instances where I felt a sense of belonging and comfort. 

I decided to interview a fellow classmate of mine that has also personally experienced the effects of having a very low level of diversity especially in , Tewksbury Memorial  High School:

Me: “Hi, Sabreen how is your day going today?”

Sabreen: “It’s going ok, i guess.” 

Me: “That’s a start, Sabreen I have a few questions concerning the low diversity rates at school, do you mind answering them?”

Sabreen: “Yea, of course.”

Me: “Awesome, well to start how would you describe our high school in terms of diversity?”

Sabreen: “Well, Tewksbury in general isn’t diverse at all so the high school is even worse…its kinda sad to be honest.” 

Me: “ Yea I totally agree, how do you feel about not being able to have many people to go to about tense but common situations that a person of color would experience?” 

Sabreen: “Yea…it really sucks to be honest because what people fail to realize is when you are the only person of color in the class it is very awkward and uncomfortable because when you look around you there is no one there that shares similar issues that you share and you know it’s weird.”

Me: “That’s a perfect response Sabreen and thank you for being in my interview.”

Sabreen: “No problem.” 

Throughout my quick interview with Sabreen Sabir  she seemed to be very comfortable, after ending the interview she shared a quick comment regarding my article. She told me and I quote, “I’m actually really stoked that somebody is finally touching base on this topic because it always goes unnoticed.” It’s very disappointing that this topic goes unnoticed, especially when it should be most attended to in a predominantly white area. However, there are some school systems that do take notice to it and addresses the issue as we all should. With that I leave you with a message to think about today, when facing a  diversity issue in the public school system don’t just ignore it, it needs and should always be addressed.