Diversity

I like diversity.  That's no surprise to anyone who knows me well.  Since 1980 I have lived in diverse neighborhoods, in New York City and Jersey City.  I enjoy learning about other cultures, eating different kinds of foods, learning phrases from other languages, and especially getting to know people who were not born and raised in America.  My friends come from such diverse places as Aruba, Côte d'Ivoire, China, Puerto Rico, India and the Philippines.

     Hello            नमस्ते                  in-i-che            aloha             nde-ewo              你好       Dia duit
            goedendag            bonjour         καλημέρα         여보세요          Kumusta po kayo?

My campus is a very diverse place in a diverse setting.  While about 50% of the students at Hudson County Community College are from a Latino background, the remaining 50% include many Americans, and other students from all over the world.  I've had many African, Indian and Chinese students, but today I met a student in my class from Tibet - that's a first!

Not only is the student body culturally diverse, the students also span a wide age range.  Of course there are many students who have recently graduated from high school, the under-20 crowd, but there are also many students who are in their 30's, 40's and 50's. 

Finally, not only do I enjoy a diverse student body, I also like teaching a variety of courses.  We professors talk in terms of how many 'preps' we have, how many different courses we have to prepare for, knowing that more preps means more work.  This semester I have four face-to-face classes, and three preps.  But that's the way I like it.  I enjoy teaching a different class every day, to an avid group of students who represent our world.  What fun!