B UC KEYE I NSPI R ATION
Diversity BY MEGAN NIESE
“If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies, how different would our ideals of beauty be.” – Anonymous
In a world full of constant comparing, judging, labeling and discrimination, it is important to remember that if we let ourselves invest in appearances, we may overlook a person’s inner beauty and miss out on a chance to form meaningful connections. I learned this important lesson at the beginning of January, 2017, when Ohio State gave me the opportunity to assist in leading a medical mission trip to Cusco, Peru. This trip focused around setting up mobile clinics to provide medical treatment and education to people of low-income families. I witnessed poverty at a level I had never seen. Although the people I helped lived in mud houses and did not have shoes on their feet, they were the most grateful and humble people I have ever met. There was definitely a language barrier between the Peruvians and me, but it did not take long to notice that there were other beneficial ways to communicate. A smile went a long way, and love became the international language between us. The quote above does not just apply to the people I helped, but also to the other students I traveled with. I am from a small, rural town with little diversity, but the students I traveled with included people from various countries, religions and sexual orientations. My group of new friends included people of all categories. I had never had friends before who were Muslim or openly gay, or even met people like them. However, it took not even a day to realize that these people were not that different from me, and we will now be lifelong friends. Diversity, simply stated, means “difference.” Accepting the difference in people can be applied to strangers in different countries, along with people who are one’s neighbors. Thanks to Ohio State, I can lead others as a future nurse in the belief that beauty should not be what the eyes can see or what labels are assigned, but instead what makes people different in a beautiful way. Megan Niese is a sophomore studying nursing.
Megan Niese traveled to Peru with The Ohio State University student chapter of the worldwide organization MEDLIFE (Medicine, Education, and Development for Low Income Families Everywhere). MEDLIFE has many trips every year to different countries and also addresses local needs in Columbus. BUCKEYE INSPIRATION | 35