Diversity Conference Essay

by Jasmine, 6th grade student

My name is Jasmine Rosario. I am a girl in middle school. I was born and raised in New York. I am of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. My family has made me stronger in life. Knowing that i always have them to confide in and go to for help has kept me strong during difficult times. The confidence and trust I have in them has kept me strong because I know I will always have them to lean on.

The E in TI PRIDE stands for empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. When you have empathy, you are seeing from the point of view of another person. When you have empathy, some might say that you are putting yourself in another person’s shoes. For example, let’s say you friend’s mother is sick; you might say something along the lines of, “ I’m sorry, I hope she feels better.” This statement shows that you have empathy because you are feeling sorry for him/her, you are feeling his/her pain. Also, you are trying to comfort your friend during a time of need.

A difficult moment when I have used empathy is when my cousin was diagnosed with cancer. She was diagnosed about two years ago. She is being treated with chemo therapy, she was losing the hair on the left side of her head. She decided to shave the left part of her head. My cousin was worried about her appearance; she knew people would judge her. Despite how she looked, I supported her and didn’t judge. I did this because I imagined how I would feel if I was her at that time; I had empathy towards her.

My takeaway was having to see my cousin suffer from such a horrible disease that I knew could kill her. It was hard seeing someone I love going through so much pain. At the end, I got to see my cousin happy at a moment where it would’ve been likely and understandable for her to be sad and down. From this I learned the importance of empathy. I learned that empathy is important because with empathy you can see the world differently, you see it from the point of view of another. Also, you help others by helping them feel better and happier. Empathy does not only help others; but it also helps yourself. It helps you feel happy because of the satisfaction you get from knowing you did a good deed, you helped a person in need. 

Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of others. Empathy is important because it helps others get through difficult times, and it helps you by making you feel good about yourself. Empathy is a quality I possess; it has helped me get through difficult times such as when when my cousin was diagnosed with cancer. If I didn’t have empathy, then she probably would have been embarrassed of her hair and would have been sad. But, because of my empathy , she felt better and good about herself, not embarrased.

I would like to go to the Hilltop Diversity Conference because I think it would be a wonderful experience. It would be a wonderful experience because I would get to meet new people Also, I think the topic of diversity is very interesting . It is interesting to learn the perspective of people of different genders, races, sexualities, etc. because it is important to see how other people think. Seeing from the point of view of another allows you to have an opened mind and explore different possibilities. I think I deserve to go to the conference because I am smart, outgoing, and responsible young lady. I am outgoing because I always am open to trying new things. I am responsible because I always try to do what is right, and I follow the rules. Also, I am responsible because I always think about what consequences my actions can have. It would be an honor if I am chosen to participate.