By AMEARA DITSCHE
Contributing Writer
I grew up in one of the largest cities in America. From a young age I explored Chinatown and Little Mexico, cultivating a knowledge and appreciation for all cultures. So when it was time to apply to college, I knew that diversity was important to me.
As a white woman, I am privileged to have the ability to go to just about any college and fit in, or just to even see people like me in that environment. But we can not grow if we only surround ourselves with those too similar to us. Differences, and specifically appreciating those differences promotes change, growth is a type of change. I was appalled when I was looking colleges with demographics like 95% white. The worst part was none of the schools I talked to seemed to care or be remotely interested in expanding their demographic.
Luckily, a tiny private school in upstate New York surprised me. I had heard about The College of Saint Rose around two years prior to when I actually applied. They had a booth at my high school college fair and the friendly faces behind the table welcomed me even then. I filled out an info card not knowing that was a pivotal moment in my life.
As I progressed through high school and my goals changed, I did begin to look at other schools and I’ll be honest, when I finally hit submit on my Common Application, Saint Rose was not my first choice. Nothing against the college, I had just found other places that appealed to me more at the time, but I’m a firm believer in destiny and could not be more happy or proud to be a student here now.
In January of 2018 when most colleges were beginning to send out acceptances, I received an email from The College of Saint Rose. I was informed that I was not admissible under normal standards, but because of the potential I showed in other areas, I was eligible to apply for the Academic Opportunity Experience (AOE) program. AOE is a program for students who may have a low GPA or standardized test scores, but their performance in another area still shows competence.
I believe I’m a rather intelligent person, but I did mess up high school. My own issues clouded my judgment and I let that get in the way of my school work and just never did anything; my GPA reflected that, but I performed well on tests. As I begun to get better at school and cared more, along came the fear that it was too late for me to get into college. That I had already messed up and no college would want me. Saint Rose proved me wrong and not only accepted me, but provided me with the resources to better myself.
Often when we talk about Diversity, we only focus on one category. Whether it just be race, or ethnicity or gender, every student with any kind of identity deserves to see themselves somewhere, and more importantly be themselves there. Saint Rose allows students these opportunities. Even if there isn’t something in place at the college already, they give students the autonomy to create something and foster a community where it is acceptable and safe.
The Class of 2022 is Saint Rose’s most diverse yet. It is important to note this isn’t by mere coincidence and according to Mary Grondahl, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing, The College specifically allocates resources towards making sure we are a place where diversity can thrive, thanks to President Carolyn Stefanco and her vision of global connectedness.
The biggest part of this is how much Saint Rose cares. When asked how the college markets towards everyone, Jenn Gish, Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications says that whenever they produce marketing material they ask themselves if everyone’s voice is here. This careful consideration is what makes it seem so easy for everyone to feel welcome at the college of Saint Rose.
“Students at Saint Rose are more prepared to be citizens of the world,” said Katie Lesko, Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Admissions.
Which makes a lot of sense especially when her colleague Gish made a point about how so many companies are expanding globally and are seeking employees who are comfortable working in teams, especially ones that take the outside their comfort zone.
Along with faculty members who are experts, I sat down with my friend and fellow student Vanessa Fulmore. Vanessa is from Rochester, New York, a city with double the population of Albany. She comes from a high school known for its appeal to international foreign exchange students and still she remains impressed by the sense of community Saint Rose has to offer.
“Opportunities for everyone to thrive, reflective of the world and faces of America” are just some of the phrases that came about while discussing diversity at Saint Rose. This institution cares about its students enough to do anything from sit down and discuss facts for their article for the school newspaper, to putting in the work necessary to have a 50-50 ratio for students of color vs. non students of color. (and keep those numbers growing). From the array of clubs to my Swedish roommate, I will never stop learning about the entire world here at Saint Rose, truly making it my second home.
