Cross-Cultural Settings

Throughout my life, I’ve often found myself surrounded by people from various backgrounds. Having earned my Associates degree in Anthropology has helped me obtain an open mind while working to understand the culture of those around me. But I feel like nothing could have prepared me for the experience of going back to school.

Returning to college at the age of 41 has been an eye-opening experience, especially when it comes to working with traditional-aged students. Campuses have changed significantly since I graduated high school in 1998, throwing me into a culture shock for which I was completely unprepared.

Role Reversal

One of the most noticeable changes is the emphasis on diversity and inclusivity. Campus culture today celebrates a variety of identities, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. While I’m thrilled to see this, it has required some adaptation on my part since the conversations around gender, specifically, would trigger my social anxiety. Learning how to ask about gender pronouns was brand new to me, and I was extremely nervous to ask out of fear of doing so incorrectly and unintentionally upsetting someone. Thankfully, this ended up being a great opportunity to learn from my younger classmates. I confided in a few of them about my concerns and they gave me several examples of how to ask for someone’s pronouns. My favorite way, because it was the most natural to me, was to introduce myself and offer my pronouns first. While this may seem remarkably simple and maybe even obvious, it was not something I had previously considered.

Taking the Lead

Once I’d founded The 25+ Aztecs, an organization for non-traditional students, it became clear that I would be expected to set the tone on diversity and inclusion. Our organization was made up primarily of students ages 25-30, but we did have several members over the age of 40 who were experiencing similar concerns as I was. As the president, I knew that I had to lead by example, so I stepped up and practiced what my younger peers had taught me. Later, I noticed our members following the example I had given and it made me proud. It took a lot for me to open up to my younger peers and ask them to help me learn. This is especially so, because I’m often expected to take the lead or to act as a mentor solely based on my age.

Gratitude

This experience was incredibly enriching and I’m greatly thankful to my younger peers for their guidance. They showed me what it meant to be in a safe environment, free of judgment, where I could be vulnerable and ask for advice. It reminded me that people of all ages have lessons to teach us, if only we have the courage to learn.