I am an immigrant scholar. I was born and raised in a nation where opportunity was dwindling. This simple fact led my parents to make the sacrifice to begin again in a foreign land. When I arrived in the United States from Haiti, I had a unique opportunity to better myself and avenge the selfless sacrifice of my parents. These realities have colored my perspective on diversity, inclusion and equity.

            A significant reason I feel I have been successful in my educational and professional experiences is influenced by the inclusive environments I was able to thrive in. But this is not to say that my upbringing in the U.S. was fully welcoming. I encountered several experiences and spaces where my difference was pronounced, and where I was not heard, given the opportunity to speak or participate because of who I was. As I reflect on it today, I am just as grateful for these negative experiences as they helped me to understand situations in which diversity was embraced. To me, diversity means allowing one to exist in a space where no dominant values or cultures prevail. To me, diversity means to accept differences and to approach them with a curiosity that suggests and implies that something/anything can be learned and taken.

            In the classroom, I value the unique backgrounds of my students and myself and attempt to use these lived realities as supplements to the lessons at hand. I begin my courses by stressing the point that there are lessons in all our experiences, and whether we have lived them or not, we should promote spaces where these experiences can be heard and spoken of. 

          Much of my work focuses on diverse populations, and having taught at institutions with small underrepresented populations, I feel that I have gained some important experiences in understanding how to challenge these students and their peers.