Course Reflection

By: Makaila Gaston

Madam Butterfly Photograph by John Neville Cohen - Fine Art America

As this course has progressed, I believe that I’ve definitely learned a lot and have a lot that I can take beyond this course.

This course has enforced a lot of what I already know. The biggest point I want to make is that diversity is such a wide range of things. This is evident in the fact that we have studied a magnitude of topics during this course from race to gender to social class and much more.

A lot of times when people think of diversity, they only think of race and that simply isn’t true. Storytelling allows for educational opportunities, and to teach someone something in a way that is digestible for them. Every day, storytelling teaches this lesson on diversity.

I’ve learned about myself that I definitely have certain quirks when it comes to my identities of diversity that I may or may not need to work on. One story that I wrote for the final media project was about privacy surrounding social identities.

I am a very private person and I hate to be asked too many questions because a lot of times it feels invasive and offensive. After interviewing others, I now see a different perspective. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I have changed my perspective but I understand a different one and that is what I believe this class was all about.

That leads me into allyship, which is just that: understanding and empathizing other’s perspectives. I believe that I have the ability to write like an ally and that this course has strengthened that ability.

I really enjoyed speaking to Dream Hamptom and asking her the pressing question that I’ve always wondered: is it important to tell the stories that you’re passionate about or the stories that need to be told. Her response is something that I’ll continue to carry with me for as long as I continue to storytell in this world.