How can we celebrate diversity & use it to influence the next generation?
I grew up knowing very well how important diversity was. As part of a military family of four, we experienced our share of moving around. I thank God for military life. There were all different kinds of people from different backgrounds, all with a common bond of having family members who served the country. In a sense, we were all different.
As I grew older, gained life experience and moved away from the Air Force Base, I realized that not everyone was accepting of other cultures. My parents put my sister and I in dance classes at a young age, and we were the only people of color in our small Colorado studio. There were many awkward moments, ignorant questions and hurt feelings, and I still remember them well. But through those situations, I was taught so many valuable lessons about who I am, what I am capable of and how I could have an influence on others. I chose to focus on the good times, knowing that eventually they would strengthen me and eventually, someone else.
My sister Dana and I from the early dancing days. Those untards were everything to us.
High school brought me more maturity and confidence. There were more people who looked like me, but I still couldn’t find a group to belong to. I remember going around the room one year and telling the class what we wanted to be when we graduated. I can’t forget the ill-concealed snickers when I said I wanted to be a professional cheerleader. It was definitely frustrating. Like, great…now I was the female person of color who wanted to be a cheerleader for a living. Still, over the years I conditioned myself to keep going toward my passions, no matter how random they seemed to other people.
High school cheer. Look at how sublimely happy I was.
In my early adult life, I solidified my theory that being different was a good thing. I realized that you never stop being judged and misunderstood, but you can always see past that and be proud of your uniqueness. To my delight, I became an Arizona Cardinals Cheerleader in a competitive year that only had 8 spots for newcomers. I represented a small number of rookies and an even smaller group of women of color. It was a beautiful feeling to know that I was representing diversity by overcoming adversity.
Realizing a dream. My first season as an Arizona Cardinals Cheerleader.
I could have given up so many times. There were so many situations where no one looked like me. My mother consistently told me that I was just as good as anyone else, and that kept me feeling confident. The power in her words helped me to put power into my actions. And I want to see a diversified range of people going for their dreams as well! Inevitably, you may end up being the only person that looks or believes or acts the way you do. That might cause you to be intimidated or apprehensive, but can I tell you something? You not only have the right to do what you love, you have the right to be the best!
You will always be in scenarios where you feel alone or different. Know that what you are doing now is influencing someone else to be great! It doesn’t require a title, station in life or a million followers to lead by example. The key is seeing past what it looks like on the surface. Creating a new path might start with you, so never be afraid to be the first! I feel blessed that I had a strong role model like my mother in my life. She showed me through working hard and being fearless that you can achieve great success. I needed to see someone who looked like me doing great things, and so does the next generation. When you decide to be that someone, you’re setting yourself and others up for beautiful achievements!