Seven days have never been longer. Seven days have never been shorter.

One week before Empowering MEdia, I found myself in a two hour meeting filled with shuffling papers, mumbles of excitement, and a palpable anticipation as teachers and students joined together for the final meeting before 2014’s Diversity Conference.

This meeting showcased my favorite part of Diversity at Williston: the camaraderie generated in the weeks leading up to the Conference. Teachers and students form a unit of determination, connected by the common goal of expanding Williston’s definition of diversity.

I began my time with the Diversity Committee as a happy accident. During sophomore year, I was invited as a “student leader” to help facilitate morning workshops at the Diversity Conference. I blindly accepted the invitation and found myself in a series of training sessions led by International Student Coordinator Mrs. Bridget Choo. Students were led in identity development exercises and taught how to facilitate these exercises for others.

As a shy sophomore just coming out of my shell, the idea of speaking about my identity with the eight strangers at my table was nerve wracking. I remember sitting in the wooden chairs of the Birch Dining Commons with my down coat on because I was shaking with anxiety. From within these walls came my love for challenging comfort zones.

Prior to these crash-course sessions, I had never thought about identity. I knew that people were complex, had different values, and acted different ways, but I had never thought about the actual composition of an individual. A new world was opened for me when Mrs. Choo talked about the pillars of identity (there are 22 and counting). I originally considered the blanket term of “diversity” to be composed of race, religion, and sexual orientation. I was astounded to learn about the actual breadth and flexibility of the term.

After completing student facilitator training and leading students in identity development exercises in the Diversity Conference of 2012, I was hooked. From then on, the couches in Mrs. Choo’s office would become one of my niches on campus.

Since my humble beginnings with the Diversity Committee, I have expanded my love for identity development. I have participated in a CID night, become a Diversity Intern with an internship project as Student Chair of the CID Program, and continue to participate in diversity events on and off campus. My mission over the past two years has been to challenge and expand Williston’s definition of diversity, while challenging my own in the process, a goal that is consistently intensified by the support of my Diversity Committee family.

This year’s Diversity Conference, or DivCon, if you wish to embody the conference’s theme of media, was a perfect example of the Committee’s unity. After innumerable hours of sleepless nights, line-editing, speech writing, brainstorming, meetings, and organizing, the conference was threatened by New England’s temperamental weather. However, the community joined together to power through.

Both keynote presenters were unable to travel to Williston, and our kick-off screening of the film Girl Rising was postponed. A well-kept secret is that, as of 6 am on the morning of the conference, we did not have the correct copy of the documentary. After receiving one disc with technical difficulties, we sent for another and sat with crossed fingers, hoping that the glorious postal system would deliver a new copy in the midst of one of the worst storms of the winter. Thankfully, our wishes were granted and Girl Rising arrived safe and sound.

Though keynote speakers are a unique and inspiring opportunity, I am of the opinion that this conference’s difficulties were blessings in disguise. By not having guest presentations, Williston was able to generate motivation from within, drawing inspiration from its own community members, a rare and valuable opportunity.

The Diversity Conference showcases a multitude of diversity related issues, however, it is important to recognize the difference between awareness and action. Empowering MEdia highlighted topics such as female education, domestic violence, self-harm, and the power of artistic expression. Let me reiterate my closing statements at the Conference by urging every member of the Williston community to find an issue they are passionate about and take steps towards solving that issue.

On the day of the Diversity Conference, I was inspired by two occurrences. After the closing assembly, I was digging my car out of the school parking lot– no small feat since it sat there for the entirety of a severe snowstorm. Two Williston students noticed that I was struggling, grabbed shovels, and pitched in. This display of common courtesy is a perfect example of how small acts of kindness improve the world. If we join together with peers, family members, teachers, coaches, or strangers, and work together towards a common goal, we can dig out the bigger “cars” of life in no time. So, pick a passion, get to work, and make the world a better place!

Additionally, I was walking the streets of Northampton a few hours after the Diversity Conference’s closing. My friends and I were happy to relax after a taxing day. As we rushed down the sidewalk, a one-legged man hobbled by on crutches. His clothes were tattered and he appeared dirty. My instincts said not to make eye contact. As we passed by, he looked up at us, smiled and whispered “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

This touching moment showed me how we must actively question our inherent stereotypes. We should not be ashamed of judgment, as it is scientifically proven that humans cannot prevent judging others. However, we must remind ourselves to look beneath the surface of the world. Even after a day of promoting advocating, allieship, and activism, I fell prey to stereotyping. I cannot change the fact that biology will eternally make me a hypocrite in the promotion of acceptance, but I can share my flaws in hopes of enhancing my message. We all judge, stereotype, and discriminate. The key to making the world a better place is recognizing these flaws when they occur, actively avoiding them, and stepping outside of ourselves for others.

The shaking girl in a pink coat who sat in facilitator training three years ago is now the girl who spoke to 600 people at Empowering MEdia. Evolution is possible, achievement is possible, impacting the world is possible, but only if you are brave enough to love the tremors of fear that will push you into a new life. As American author Neal Donald Walsch says,”Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” It’s time to break through the threshold.