I attend a college where the population is majority white. Like many of my college classmates, I also grew up in a town where the population majority is white. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, my classrooms were full of people of the same race as me, with a few African American, Hispanic, and Asian students in each class. This is what I became used to, and I never really thought twice about it. I simply was part of the majority.

The college I am attending (Marist College) is located in Poughkeepsie, New York. It is an urban area, with a low overall household income, extreme poverty, a high crime rate, and a wide population diversity. As an elementary education major, I have become immersed in the community over the past couple of years. Many of the schools my classmates and I work in are considered inner-city schools-- far different from the rural or suburban areas many of us were raised in. I'll never forget spring of last year, when I had my first experience in the school I am currently placed at this semester. As I walked into the classroom, and saw the faces of so many boys and girls, I felt distinctly different. I definitely did not feel like I was in a school in my hometown. I was surrounded by many African American and Hispanic students, with only a few white students looking back at me. I quickly realized that I was no longer the majority. Now, I was the one who was different.

I am beyond thankful every day for the experiences that I have been exposed to as a result of the area I am living in. They have been so humbling and have made me 1,000 times more grateful for everything I have in my life. Each and every student in the school I am in is provided with a free breakfast and lunch, as well as a snack at the end of the day. This is "normal" to the students, just as it was "normal" for me to see everyone bringing a lunchbox or buying lunch when I was in elementary school. In the classroom I am in, out of about 25 students, only a couple have their own lunchboxes. The lucky students get to bring in a dollar for an extra treat from the cafeteria. At back-to-school night, my cooperating teacher told us that only the parents of 5 students, out of 25, showed up. Last semester, I came into my 1st grade class to find that a student's brother was shot on the streets the night before. All of these situations are so unlike anything I have ever experienced before.

Although we go into these classrooms to expand our knowledge base and improve upon our teaching skills, I have learned so much more than I could never have learned sitting in a classroom or reading a textbook. These students have very little, yet they are some of the happiest, brightest children I have ever met. They are living proof that life is not always about material items or how much money you have, but who you are surrounded by and the love you receive from them. These experiences have made me realize that love will always be more powerful and more important than money. These students have made me realize that, as a future teacher, I truly have the power to make a difference, and have an impact on the students' lives. I feel incredibly lucky that I have been exposed to these unique experiences, as they have truly changed my outlook on life and made me forever grateful for what I have in my life.