Haley Neuenfeldt’s Global Citizen Storymap
Prior to coming to the University of Richmond, diversity was a foreign concept to me. Of course I was taught the significance of it and taught to be open-minded, but I was only able to interact with people different from myself on a limited level. I was born and raised in a town that is 93% white. My mom and dad grew up in the same kind of places in Michigan. My only exposure to diversity was through sports, but it never gave me the opportunity to really get to know someone, and have a sustained, deep relationship with someone very different from me. When i came to the University of Richmond, I was exposed to a global world. This global world provided me with access to new music, language, dance, food, and so many other aspects of foreign cultures through the relationships that I built. My closest friends have shared their world experiences with me and have taught me so much, and have made me curious about other cultures. Their influence on me was so significant that I changed my major after the first semester of my freshman year to International studies. Before coming to U of R I never would have thought of studying international studies, but my friends and classes have exposed me to a new world of different cultures and peoples that I want to learn more about.