What Does Diversity Mean to AUBG Students?

The international spirit is floating on campus as we approach the annual Diversity Week at AUBG. Diversity is a strong value that has been part of AUBG for quite some time now, considering that there are a lot of international students who come from all over the world. But is the concept of diversity on campus as strong now as it has been before? This is what students have to say:

 

Fady Abdalla – Egypt & Morocco:

Fady sees diversity as an opportunity to create pleasant surroundings. “To me, diversity in a sense means a bunch of different cultures, ethnicities, all coming together and creating a whole sort of positive, or a more relaxed environment per se.’’

However, Fady does not think that diversity is represented in the right way at AUBG. “There have been some issues in AUBG, for example, starting from the way that diversity training is done, where nothing of cultural exchange happens and people are placed in rooms with people from their country or somewhere along those lines. I don’t think it’s going well for AUBG.”

 

Blagovesta Sahatchieva – Bulgaria:

For Blagovesta, diversity is about everyone feeling included. “Diversity is a representation of different cultures in an appropriate way, where everybody feels included, without someone feeling excluded or in the spotlight for being different.”

But Blagovesta did not have the true diversity experience as a student at AUBG. “I mean, I have friends from different backgrounds and experience in different cultures. However, AUBG as an institution does not necessarily help in diversifying everyone. For example, Bulgarians don’t really go out of their way to find friends from diverse backgrounds, and it should be a little more encouraged.”

 

Kiril Lazarov – Bulgaria:

To Kiril, diversity happens when you combine different groups of people into one. “Diversity means an amalgamation of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and countries.”

Kiril thinks that diversity on campus happens because of the students, not because of the university. “It’s kind of just people getting together and becoming friends. But this is not really encouraged in any way by the university. There are obvious groups on campus that have been formed based on nationality, and they mostly hang out with each other but not with anyone else.”

 

Elio Pujo – Albania:

“Diversity to me means a society that includes people from all sorts of backgrounds, walks of life, and independent of any ethnic, religious or other affiliation.”

Elio believes in the importance of initiatives that highlight AUBG’s diversity, and AUBG is doing great in it. “I think that initiatives like Diversity Week represent the diversity at our university. A lot of international members and communities feel included in student life on campus, so diversity is actually very well represented.”

 

Lilia Petrova – Bulgaria:

Lilia sees diversity as an essential component of life. “For me, diversity is extremely vital in today’s life and if we want to grow as people, I think we have to accept diversity to its full meaning.”

She strongly encourages students to speak about diversity representation in AUBG. “There is definitely a long way to go, so I encourage everyone, especially international students, to advocate for how they want to be represented in AUBG. AUBG is meant to be their second home, and right now I don’t think that it is.”

 

This article has been written by Dua Zhjeqi, an AUBG student. It is part of the collaboration between AUBG Daily and the Newsroom course led by Prof. Laura Kelly.