DIVERSITY AT PENN LAW

Edmund Wang '11

Hometown: Los Altos, CA
B.A. 2007 University of California-Berkeley

Before coming to Penn Law, whenever I heard the term "diversity," the first word that came to mind was "different." Look at all the different people of different races, with different interests, from different places, and who have had different majors, different experiences, and who have overcome different obstacles, faced different challenges, and who all have different goals, hopes and desires. Look at all the different people. Look at the "diversity." But after a year at Penn Law, it is clear to me that that’s not really diversity. Diversity is not just about difference, there is more to it.

After a year at Penn Law, "diversity" evokes additional words. At Penn Law, I have met and befriended a lot of "different" people. Penn Law is special not only because the people here are different, but because when approached and confronted with differences, Penn Law students, staff and faculty are open to them. "Diversity" is not just about the myriad of ways people differ from one another, but also about acknowledging the differences, and approaching the differences with a willingness and eagerness to understand and learn from them. Now, after a year at Penn Law, whenever I hear "diversity," a lot of different words come to mind, words that come together to form a meaning that is greater than the sum of their unique definitions.