“Wait, you go to UW?” were the exact words an Uber driver uttered to me in disbelief as he took his eyes off the road for a second to glance back at me. I internally rolled my eyes as I explained to him that, yes, I was a student at the UW.
“That’s not an easy school to get into. Though, in recent years they have started trying to get more … diversity,” the driver said before diving into a story about how his nephew didn’t get in even though he had a 4.0 GPA. Oh, OK. So, obviously he didn’t get in because UW is trying to be more “diverse.”
This whole encounter happened last winter and I still remember it clearly. I wish I could say that things like this don’t frustrate me, but they do.
As a person of color, it’s hard to ignore the notion that some people truly do believe we’re only here because of our background and the color of our skin.
Unless you’re a person of color, you’ll never understand what it’s like to have people think you didn’t have to work as hard to be here on campus. It’s not the best feeling in the world, as you can imagine.
There have been times when I’ve honestly wondered if the reason I was accepted to the UW was because of my race. Maybe that Uber driver was right; maybe the UW is trying to accept more students of color over others.
But you know what? I refuse to fall prey to that way of thinking — nothing good ever comes of it. No one should ever have to feel like they didn’t work hard to get here or they’re underqualified compared to other students.
I feel fortunate enough to go to a school with so many different resources available to minority students. We’re one of the only schools in the country with an office dedicated to minority affairs and diversity. That’s amazing.
However, oftentimes this is forgotten by students ranting on social media about how having these resources available to minority students is a form of “reverse racism.” Seriously.
Somehow people still think reverse racism is a thing. (It’s not, by the way.)
I fail to see how our campus embracing diversity amounts to reverse racism. In case you weren’t aware, the Ethnic Cultural Center is open to everyone on campus and I highly recommend everyone step inside once in awhile.
Regardless of the reasons why others think I was accepted, I’m here. Furthermore, I deserve to be here along with everyone else. And as for people like the Uber driver, well, I can only pray they won’t be so close-minded in the future.
Reach writer Elizabeth Alvarado at opinion@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @idkelizabeth
