I remeber losing a piece of my identity when I entered High School. I went to a school where the majority of the student population were primarily Caucasian, and as a result, I automatically felt out of place. Growing up in East Brooklyn, I was always used to a diverse school setting where I had people of color from different backgrounds (Hispanic and Black). It was always a nice, home feeling being in such a diverse school, because there were students who, like me, were first American generation. However, going into high school, I lost that home feeling and entered a new setting of uncertainty. I remember having to assimilate into this new setting by becoming “white” myself, and having to learn their ways. Learning their ways meant having a proper valley girl accent, wearing their “hipster, bohemian” clothing, and even understanding their white privilege background. I knew they always had it easier than us, never worrying about their lack of resources, or their financial, social status, but knowing the way this society is built, we’ll never have a privilege of our own. In brief, looking back, I wish I had never assimilated because I essentially left behind the “diverse” me thinking that it wasn’t good enough. I realized later during my senior year, that I never had to change who I was because everyone benefits from hearing cultural differences. Above all, valuing the different background ethnicities is the key to learning new things about people and understanding where they come from is way more important than assimilating into just one thing. My home feeling of diversity was never gone, I just simply had forgotten its importance.