Lisa Hoang

DH 202B
October 6, 2016
DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Issue of diversity is deeply important to me personally and professionally. I grew up in a large

and incredibly diverse community. Through transferring from different schools in the Bay Area, I
have friends and classmates who are White, African-American, and Asian-American, who are
straight and gay, and who speak several different languages. Having worked as a coordinator at
the Health Science Department in San Jose State University, I interacted with a diverse range of
students in order to assign them with an elderly who wants to learn basic computer skills and
English. Whereas, as a dental hygienist, I come across patients who come from different part of
the world, where they share personal stories and experiences that have brought them to the
United States. Through these experiences, I understand some of the challenges and benefits of
diversity and have come to appreciate how privileged I am.

Through tutoring and teaching at Foothill College Dental Hygiene Program, I have found that the
students have a lot to teach me and I strive to learn from and to familiarize both the style and
content of my teaching materials to reflect the diversity of the students. For instance, take
important steps like learning to lecture more efficiently to non-native English speakers; as well
as, to make content and course outlines that are more diverse in the material they include. In
organizing classes, seminars, and lectures, I have found that it is important to attract, and
communicate more effectively to broad audiences. By bringing in a wide range of perspectives, a
more diverse program or school can also support broader, more widely applicable, and more
memorable learning.

In an educational setting, diversity within schools or universities can enhance the learning
development, allowing students to draw on their peers much wider and more varied experienced.
It also better prepares students for the diverse society they participate in beyond the campus
ground. For example, students can learn better how to navigate adulthood in an increasingly
diverse society, a skill that employers value and if they attend diverse schools. The reason is that
it is important that employees be comfortable working with colleagues, customers and/or clients
from diverse cultural background.

There are several discussions concerning diversity concentrate on the importance of diversity and
recognizing difference, I believe it is equally important to incorporate specific tips for addressing
differences and how they play out. For example, one way to form strategies for promoting an
inclusive classroom is to use self-reflection and think of potential classroom scenarios and how
one might address them. The solutions to such scenarios are ones that each professor should
consider for him or herself, since there are no right or wrong answers.

Recently, I took a course called Think Cultural Health online and it helped me become more
aware of cultural competence and how it has become more a matter of national concern. The
course emphasized that it is important to be mindful of other cultural beliefs and that there are
growing concerns about heath inequalities within a diverse population that an individual should
be aware of. For example, as a hygienist, I have opportunities to interact with a diverse range of
patients from different race, gender, sexuality, aging, special needs and socioeconomic status. I
learned that it is essential to become more cultural competency when engaging with my patients
by becoming a great listener and have the compassion and respect for my patients without
judging them.

Provide specific examples of activity in the classroom *** 1 or 2 examples

Be more specific SMARTS goals