The Power of Us

People always say our world is divided, whether that be by culture, background, ethnicity, tradition, color of our skin, language, mannerisms, across the world it seems our differences are more striking than our similarities. It takes much more to realize that great things come from the collaboration of minds on an international scale, the incorporation of our differences, the diversification of society

We are more alike than you might think. You’ll read this and think you’ve heard this before, that this doesn’t pertain to you, or maybe it’s just irrelevant. But it seems that this repeated catch phrase is even more pertinent in our modern era, yet still ever the more overlooked. We have refugees overseas, fellow human beings, who are without work, without jobs, separated from their families, desperate to survive, thriving on nothing, fearing their lives every day.

Migrants, immigrants, people from all over the world are everywhere. My neighbors are refugees, and these people throughout my life have become my family. Every other week in the summer we host barbecues, but instead of the normal hot dogs, burgers, and s’mores, we eat biryani, samosas, and naan. I remember a certain instance, though, when the adults were out of town from that household for several months, facing troubles at work. I began to grow even closer with the kids taking care of themselves.

They had begun to introduce me to their friends in the inner city, and I remember us all bonding over our mutual love and interest in STEM. At one point, they accompanied me to a seminar which talked about females in technical fields, but one of my friends had fallen asleep midway through. Later, she came up to us to apologize as she had not dozed off due to lack of interest, but rather because her parents had not been home for days and she had needed to take care of her restless younger siblings, a daunting task causing her to lose sleep as an elementary school child with the role of adulthood pressed on her shoulders.

This unique experience was life changing.

Indeed, one thing stood out to me from that experience: this strong, intelligent, passionate, and committed young woman wasn’t going to let her past hinder her future. She saw science not as a distant, unattainable goal, but simply a dream just waiting to be fulfilled.

From that moment on, my friends and I have been constantly working to give back to aid in refugee efforts and those in poverty all over the world. I have met some of my closest friends through these initiatives, mutually bonding over collecting female hygiene products to promote education in impoverished nations or sending essentials such as food and clothing overseas to refugees who need them more.

These people have changed the way I see the world and perceive my surroundings.

They broadened my horizons, enhanced my perspective on the world, and introduced me to an entire community out there that can use our help.

Every person in every country has the power to make a change, starting, quite literally, in his or her own backyard. You never know what you might find, but in my case, it was my second family. For these people, their background didn’t limit their potential, but instead enhanced their present state of being. Diversity is not only the gateway to the past, but the key to our future.

Let us #JoinTogether to help and support migrants and refugees.