Don Kaing
Section A01
Response 3: "Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California: How Higher Education Diversity Benefits Our Communities" 

While reading this article, I never really thought much about Affirmative Action and the effects that it has not only on students, but to society in general. Although affirmative action programs have now been outlawed by Proposition 209, promoting racial equality is still a very important issue that should still be kept on the radar. Putting these issues on the radar are very important, because by integrating several racial groups together, different racial groups are able to develop a form of cultural competence, which is an ideal skill to have in both the normal and professional world. Through this cultural competence, we are able to lower the levels of stereotypes and racism.
These studies found is this article is very true, and it resonates greatly with me, because I come from a very diverse background and hometown. In Hayward, CA, my neighbors are literally all of different races, and my public education schooling was filled primarily with different racial groups. Despite some disparities, through this diversity, I feel like I have developed high cultural competence and I am able to interact with people easily. It startled me greatly coming to college, because I have never encountered any prejudice or racism until I came to college. It's ironic, because people tell me that my hometown is "ghetto" or "ignorant," but I tend to refute those statements because they are the ones being "ignorant," because diversity is not synonymous to living in the ghetto. It's also startling to see people who actually struggle to meet and talk to people of other races, because of the fact that they have not been exposed to these different racial groups. Thus, affirmative action programs that allow for a larger, more diverse student body is vital in order for people to understand different cultures and develop this competence.

Q: From the way someone speaks, do you quickly judge the person, or do you give them a chance first? 

Census states that Hayward is the "Second most diverse city in the state."