Hello everyone:

One thing you will realize pretty quickly when you walk into a college classroom is that not everyone is just like you. That’s actually a good thing, since everyone brings their own point of view to the table and you can learn a lot of new things from them.

When I was an undergraduate at the University of Maryland College Park, one of the most difficult things for me to deal with was the prejudice of some of my classmates. They would take a look at me, and automatically think I was stupid because I was a “non-traditional student.” Sure, they were in college while in their teens and I was old enough to be their mother, but that was no reason to count me out.

One of the gals actually went so far as to tell me that her best friend hadn’t gotten into UMCP because of me. (I guess it had nothing to do with my 4.0 GPA in the college I had already completed. She deserved to be there in my place because she was young and I wasn’t, or so it seemed.) Funny thing: when Fox News covered my graduation five years later, she happened to be standing right next to me in all the graduation ceremony shots. I told her: “You’ll be on the news tonight because of me.” Funny, isn’t it? I thought it was hysterical.

When you see someone who doesn’t look like you- maybe their skin color is different, or they are older (or younger), or they are of a different faith, don’t turn your nose up from that person. Instead, use that opportunity to learn about someone who is different. You never know where that will lead. Maybe you will even end up on the nightly news (for a good reason).

Best,

Dr. Sheri