Running head: DIVERSITY STORY

Diversity Story in Higher Education

Kelli Jo Haley
Wright State University

DIVERSITY STORY

When thinking about diversity in higher education, it is easy for me to first think
of race. Although race is not the only part of my identity, it is certainly a dominant part
and one that other people can see easily. Another part of my identity that people can
easily see is that I am a female. However there are important parts of my identity that
people cannot easily see, such as that I am a member of the Greek life community, an
athlete, straight, a believer of the Christian faith, and from a middle-class background. All
throughout my life I have had experiences that have helped me develop a sense of culture
and shaped my personality to the person I am today. Although when I was younger I
dont really think I understood what diversity truly meant. I also didnt really understand
that I had White Privilege until I was in higher education and actually had to face it and
have discussions about it.
Coming from a rural, small town in Ohio, there was not much diversity when it
came to race in my hometown. White was definitely the majority race and most people
were Christians. Besides one of my best friends in high school, I only knew maybe 4
other people who were a part of the LGBT community as well. I would definitely say I
was pretty sheltered growing up, and it was when I was in my undergraduate and now
even graduate career, that I have been exposed to different types of diversity that I did not
even know existed before. I am by no means ashamed of my background or where I come
from, but I know that it has shaped the lenses I have today and have had to consciously
change some of the lenses I have developed over time. For example, one of my best
friends from high school also went to the same undergraduate college as me. She is a
lesbian and did not come out to her family until she was in college. This was a huge step
for her and for me as well being one of her closest friends, and someone she knew she

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could confide in. Although I am straight, I always wanted to show her support as I would
for any other of my friends no matter what their sexual orientation. I would go to
different LGBT events with her on campus, and was introduced to a new whole new
community that I had ever known before, and I was so thankful for the opportunities I
was able to have within that. If it werent for those experiences, I might not be as open
minded as I am today, and I am thankful to be able to break down certain stereotypes
when people do make assumptions. There were even times in my undergraduate career
when people would ask me if I was lesbian because I was always with her and they
would make assumptions. This didnt upset me but did make me feel as though people
were judging me without even really knowing me.
When people assume certain things about a person and stereotype, it makes it hard
to make progress in our society. But part of the problem is that people are afraid to ask
questions and really get to know someone and would rather just assume and make
judgments. As we saw in the movie Angry Eye, this is something that African American
students might go through on a daily basis, and I was fortunate to only have to deal with
it on occasion.
My most memorable experience dealing with diversity in higher education would
have to be the one that ultimately changed my career path. I used to view it as a negative
experience but I now look at it positively and believe I am where I am today for a reason
and am thankful for the path I have been able to take to get here. I have been an athlete
for my whole life, from when I was a 5-year-old playing t-ball to my senior year of
college as captain of the lacrosse team. Athletics have been a huge part of my life and I
have my family and friends to thank for that who have also been heavily involved in

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sports and supported me along the way. When I was in high school I became very
interested in athletic training and decided I wanted that to be my major in college, as well
as my future career. What could be better than working in sports for the rest of my life,
and adding in the medical side of things would be even better! My dream job was to work
for the Cincinnati Reds.
I made it to my junior year of college in athletic training until all my dreams came
to an abrupt halt. It came time to start thinking about where we would be doing our
internships and of course I wanted to let everyone know of my interest with the Reds, but
my professors and clinical supervisors put my dreams into reality very quickly. I found
out that the Reds did not allow female athletic trainers. They had never had one before
and planned to keep it that way. Although their main excuse was that their locker rooms
and athletic training rooms were in the same facilities, and that females werent allowed
in the locker rooms, it still did not seem completely right to me. I soon found out that
female athletic trainers in major league baseball basically did not exist at all. This was the
first time in my life I truly felt like I was discriminated against. That I wasnt going to be
able to get past this wall because I was a female. There were many other factors as to why
I changed career paths, but this one was huge. It wasnt until 2012 that the first female
broke the glass ceiling in the MLB and was hired as the head athletic trainer for the Los
Angeles Dodgers. I believe that even though I have changed paths and now want to work
in college athletics instead, I can be an advocate for women to break through that glass
ceiling in athletics that definitely exists today.
I would say my personal college experience was very diverse. This in turn
impacted me in a positive light, as I was able to learn more about not only other people,

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but myself as well. Learning about people of different cultures and backgrounds, with
different ethnicities, races, genders, religions, sexual orientations and even interests has
helped me alter the lens I have had growing up. Not that I have had to change my
personal beliefs or views, but to understand that there are other possibilities and that mine
are not always 100% right all of the time. For example I became good friends with a man
from Rwanda who was in several of my classes in my undergraduate studies. I was so
fortunate to learn about his culture and how he was raised, as well as his journey to the
United States and the difficulties and challenges he faced along the way. It made me so
appreciative of my own upbringing and also to have the opportunity to learn about
someone completely different than me. I still consider him to be a friend and will never
forget the nights we spent studying in the library attempting to study, but ended up
teaching each other way more about life than we would have ever imagined.
In regards to this topic in the future, I know that I still have so much more to
learn. Diversity is a part of our culture now more than ever and I am grateful to be in the
field of higher education where I have opportunities to grow every day. Not only do I
want to learn from my future students, but from faculty, staff and co-workers and even
coaches as well. Working in athletics there is a lot of diversity already, but still a lot of
progress to be made. As I mentioned before, females in athletics and particularly higher
up administrative levels there is still a lot of room for improvement to be made. I want to
be an advocate for not only my future employees or co-workers, but for my students as
well. I want them to know they really can set out to do whatever they aspire and to not let
any glass ceilings stop them from reaching their goals. I know it is possible and I will
do everything I can to help them achieve their dreams, as I am achieving mine.

DIVERSITY STORY