Standing on the sideline getting ready to inbound the ball, the student section starts chanting, "Big White Tom! Big White Tom!". As I soak in the chant, I cannot help to think how little this describes who I am and what I've been through. My family is the first example of the diversity that has surrounded me since birth. First of all, my mom hails from Wales, which is part of the United Kingdom. My dad, who is Jewish, descends from Russia and Romania. I also have two older siblings who are very similar to me. We were all born in the United States of America. Furthermore, my life has been diversified by my two younger siblings. My younger sister was adopted from China and my younger brother from Guatemala. Color or religious affiliations have never really mattered to me. I see people for who they are, not what they believe in or the color of their skin.

My first school presented an even more diverse situation. I attended a Montessori School. The school’s owner, as well as the majority of the teachers, shared a Middle Eastern heritage. The kids that attended school with me were also very diverse. The ethnic background of the students at the Montessori School ranged from western Asian, to Middle Eastern, European, and African American. Although all of us were different and represented many different cultures, we never knew anything other than what we truly were; friends. We did not make judgments or create biases towards each other based on skin color, religion, or any other reasons. I carry fond memories of my time at Montessori and I believe that most of my advanced learning skills developed there.

After leaving Montessori, where I was a racial minority a Catholic affiliated school where my religious beliefs did not really fit in. Even through all of the time I spent at St. Theresa learning about religion and building a foundation with God, I still felt disconnected from the experience that so many of the students were having. I saw God as “their God” and not my own. Most of the kids believed I was Jewish, because I celebrated Hanukkah and Passover with my dad’s side of the family. This was strange to them. They did not understand the diversity within my family. This caused some students to make fun of me for “being a Jew,” even though they were all aware that I didn’t practice Judaism. I can't truly understand the persecution that Jews have withstood for many, many centuries, but I do know how wrong it felt that the other kids would stereotype me and ridicule me just because I didn't share their belief system. Religion was never a defining factor in my house or in my family. We represented five different religions amongst the seven members of our family. Although sometimes I was teased, these experiences have helped to mold my views on religion and helped me to keep an open mind in regards to the beliefs of others.

Living a life where I technically live within the majority (White-Caucasian), I feel that I have never seen the world in terms of majority and minority. I have spent most of my life with friends of all races. The earliest friend I can remember having was Albanian, and many of my other friends were Middle Eastern. St. Theresa was a different experience because the majority of the student population was white, but I still maintained relationships with my multi-cultural friends during that time. I kept most of my relationships with friends outside of school through my AAU basketball program. Basketball was a sport that brought us all together and connected us with a common interest.

As a part of what has been the dominant culture in America thus far, I truly appreciate the unique background that I have acquired. I am anxious to spread my wings at college, especially when I go study abroad. Although I am big and I am white, I feel like I am more than that. Time and time again I have heard my English teachers tell me that outside appearance doesn’t usually tell the whole story about a person’s life. In my case, this is true. Although I may appear one way to those on the outside, there is so much more that makes up who I really am.