Shannon Stewart Has Enjoyed the Diversity in Denver

It is crazy to think that I have been living in the Mile High City for a little over a month now! Time certainly flies when you’re having fun and staying busy. This semester has been filled with new adventures and exciting opportunities. To name a few, I’ve been able to experience cross-country skiing in the mountains, the Denver Zoo, a pro rodeo at the National Western Stock Show, a play at the Denver Performing Arts Center, and a Saturday hike in the mountains.

One thing I have really enjoyed about Denver is the diversity it has to offer. Not only are there countless unique opportunities to experience in the city like the ones I listed above, but Denver is filled with diverse people as well. Through my internship at the Denver Rescue Mission, I have had the incredible opportunity of working with refugees from all over the world. These refugee families have been exposed to a wide variety of life situations, including persecution, war, and natural disasters. So far, I have been able to visit with families from countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nepal, Iran, and Burma. This opportunity in itself is something I could never experience back in Waverly.

Working with refugees has allowed me to become so much more knowledgeable about the world and issues refugees face every day while adjusting to life in the United States. It has caused me to take a step back and have an empathetic heart for every family I come across. I have also become more open to diverse cultures and find myself wanting to learn more about people who are different from me. Although it is nearly impossible to understand where these refugee families are coming from, I feel honored to get the opportunity to be someone who is able to welcome them into the United States with open and loving arms.

Coming from a small town in Iowa, I knew that living in the city for a semester was going to be quite an adjustment for me. However, the adjustment has been nothing but positive, and I have come to value everything that Denver has to offer, including the diverse opportunities and people. Being exposed to such diversity has allowed me to learn more about myself and about the world outside of my little bubble in Waverly. A semester in Denver is truly a unique experience that cannot be found anywhere else.

Gabrielle Miller Says Course in Denver Has Opened Her Mind

As an International Relations major, a great deal of my courses have been in the Political Science department. In all the classes I took surrounding political affairs, both international and domestic, I rarely thought much about the values or motives behind certain political affiliations/agendas.

However, the “Religion and Politics” course most of us are taking with Bonita has changed that entirely. Bonita’s class has opened my mind up completely to searching for deep societal patterns and examining a person or culture’s narrative rather than simply taking for granted that two or more parties don’t get along.

This new mindset was put to the test on Monday when we went to the Legislature, and I sat in on a committee meeting of particular interest to me. The State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee was hearing a bill called “Religious Exemptions for Certain Persons”, which was being disguised as a way to protect clergy in “exercising their religious freedom” predominately by not performing gay marriages. However, the language in the bill was so loose and vague that it could have applied to much more than clergy and could have been used as an instrument in discrimination. Thankfully, the bill was killed in committee, and will be postponed indefinitely. However, as we were waiting for the proceedings to begin, Bonita said to me, “It makes you wonder what his [the senator who introduced the bill] narrative is”. And it did. Up to that point I had just been upset with the guy, he was just the other side, my oppressor. But, after Bonita said that, I had to really think about why someone would write a bill condoning discrimination. What was his narrative? I definitely don’t have all the answers, but I like to think that Bonita’s class has certainly opened my mind.

Jesse Kielman Finds Denver a Friendly City

Growing up in Iowa, cities always seemed to be a scary place to live. We heard of gang violence, poverty, and muggings from places like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. We heard of the New York attitude, the rudeness and selfishness that infected many of the people not involved with the crime that the city experienced. It seemed, overall, to be a very dangerous and unpleasant place to live. It seemed to starkly contrast the friendly, helpful community that the Midwest was painted to be.

           

This could not be further from the truth in my experience in Denver. At my internship, everyone is interested in talking with me and offering me guidance for my career- often stopping by my desk of their own volition. Shopping in a crowded grocery store is littered with “pardon me” and “please excuse me.” Drivers here far excel the Midwest with “curtesy waves,” which may be the single strongest force keeping our society together. Even the homeless genuinely wish me well after I decline to offer them any money.

           

My second week here I went snowboarding in the late afternoon and evening after class was done for the day. As I was gathering my things to head to the lift, two young men were coming off the slopes, laughing and chatting. As they reached the parking lot they parted ways saying “nice to meet you” to each other. It was crazy to me that two people who had just met could seem so chummy. As I was closing my trunk, one of the guys offered me a granola bar, which he said was an extra he packed, and wished me warmth for my night skiing.

           

I think this has redefined how I view the city, and the world as a whole. While I first thought that the city granted anonymity that led to the crime and horridness that I described, I found that not everyone feels that way. Some people, like the snowboarder I met, seem to see it as an opportunity to spread loveliness and cheer at far more efficient rate than could be accomplished in rural areas. Brushing shoulders with more people means having more people whose days one can make better. It seems that if more people adopted this philosophy, and shared it as far as they could, the world could be just that much happier for all of us.