what does diversity mean essay

University of Virginia School of Law

What Diversity Means to Me

UVA Law students, clockwise, Charis Redmond, Josh Burk, Philip Hurst, Dana Wallace, Clint Cowan and Danielle Moore discuss what diversity means to them.

Update: The Law School has launched a website for Diversity, Equity and Belonging .

As Diversity Week kicks off at the University of Virginia School of Law today, student leaders from various organizations discuss the importance of diversity in their lives and how it has shaped them.

Danielle Moore '17

Hometown: Miami

Education: B.A. in Finance, M.A. in International Business, University of Florida

Student organizations/extracurricular activities: Latin American Law Organization, president

What does diversity mean to you? Diversity to me means being able to learn from people from all different walks of life. Whether it's a difference in culture, religion, education or background, I really feel like you can learn so much by being exposed to these different experiences and perspectives. Diversity should challenge people to not only be tolerant of others, but to try to learn from them. I think the Latino/Hispanic culture is a great example of why we should all strive to get to know people from different backgrounds. Within one culture, there are no uniform set of beliefs or customs. From Spain to Argentina to Cuba, there are infinite differences. By having a diverse group at UVA Law, students will be able to experience and learn from their peers in a way they have never encountered before.

Your voice at UVA Law was heard when… I was invited, along with other organization presidents, to meet with potential dean candidates. We were able to ask questions and get to know the candidates while voicing our concerns, as well as those of our organization's members.

Charis Redmond '17

Hometown: Prince George's County, Maryland (D.C. metro area) Education: B.A. in Human Services, George Washington University

Student organizations/extracurricular activities: Black Law Students Association, president; Virginia Law Women; Public Interest Law Association; Lambda Law Alliance

What does diversity mean to you? Diversity is more than just integration. Diversity is a state of mind. Diversity is more than just enrollment percentages or a welcoming environment. Diversity exists when you go above and beyond being aware of differences or accepting differences to the point of actively including people who are different from you. Diversity is learning from our differences to make the whole community a better place.

My voice at UVA Law was heard when... I dropped by my Civil Procedure professor's office (out of office hours) to vent about a non-class related issue. I just needed someone to listen, and he stopped what he was doing to do just that. He didn't give me a hard time, but went beyond his job description to give me the support and advice I needed to get my head back in the game.

Clint Cowan '16

Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee

Education: B.A. in Economics and Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Student organizations/extracurricular activities: Virginia Law Families, president; Virginia Law & Business Review, managing editor

What does diversity mean to you? Being different, without being divided.

Describe UVA Law’s community spirit: When our daughter was born this summer, a friend from our small section surprised us with dinner and a generous set of gift cards, courtesy of all my section-mates. Even though people were scattered around the country as summer associates, they took time to welcome our new addition to the family. That's the UVA community: thoughtful and supportive, never too busy to help others.

Josh Burk '16

Hometown: Dallas

Education: B.A. in Mass Communications, Ouachita Baptist University

Student organizations/extracurricular activities: Law Christian Fellowship, president; Phi Delta Phi, vice magister; Virginia Law Review

What does diversity mean to you? There are a lot of different faith perspectives represented at UVA Law. Instead of being a topic of conflict, I have found many opportunities to discuss various religious beliefs in meaningful and valuable ways — not just among people from my own religion but also with those of different faiths. I have found a community here at UVA that celebrates thoughtful, heartfelt discussion. The gracious way in which people share disagreements about serious topics makes this place an incredible place to be.

Your voice at UVA Law was heard when… I took a year-long religious liberty seminar with people of widely divergent religious beliefs. The professors and classmates made a concerted effort to listen and hear the opinions of each individual in the group. Although there were frequent disagreements, nobody was ostracized or made to feel idiotic for having an alternative opinion. Everyone's opinion mattered and made discussion more fruitful.

Dana Wallace '16

Hometown: Arima, Trinidad and Tobago

Education: B.A. in Latin American Studies with International Relations, M.Sc. in International Relations, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

Student organizations/extracurricular activities: Women of Color, president; Virginia Law Women, admissions co-chair; William Minor Lile Moot Court, presiding justice; Virginia Law Weekly, social media editor; Peer Advisor

What does diversity mean to you? Diversity for me is not necessarily focused on having more than one ethnicity in the room, but also includes people from different backgrounds with varied life experiences. Ideally we should meet people that encourage us to expand our world view, because not everyone we meet has the same background, and we should be able to relate to people from different walks of life.

Describe UVA Law’s community spirit: When I was about to enter my 3L year, I had some devastating news that threatened my continued attendance here. This community — my colleagues, professors, staff, everyone — stepped up to make sure that I could graduate with the rest of my class. When I didn’t think I had the strength to keep trying, people stepped in and helped me. That is the essence of the community at UVA Law. We look out for our own and I know that — I have made lifelong friends here.

Philip Hurst '16

Hometown: San Jose, California

Education: B.A. in International Relations, Brigham Young University

Student organizations/extracurricular activities: Rex E. Lee Law Society (RELLS), president; West Coast Wahoos

What does diversity mean to you? Diversity makes life so much more fun. Some people don't like trying to relate to others that are different — that's crazy. Relating to people because of our differences, not despite them, is what makes the world so interesting and great.

Your voice at UVA Law was heard when…. Before I was even admitted. UVA was one of the few law schools on the East Coast that had a group dedicated to students looking to move back west after graduation. I felt like UVA understood me from the beginning and had a network in place to make me feel understood and to help me succeed.

How to Write a College Diversity Essay – Examples & Tips

What is a diversity essay for college?

If you are preparing for your college application, you have probably heard that you sometimes need to submit a “diversity essay,” and you might be wondering how this is different from the usual admission essay. A diversity essay is a college admissions essay that focuses on the applicant’s background, identity, culture, beliefs, or relationship with a specific community, on what makes an applicant unique, and on how they might bring a fresh perspective or new insights to a school’s student body. Colleges let applicants write such essays to ensure diversity in their campus communities, to improve everyone’s learning experience, or to determine who might be eligible for scholarships that are offered to students from generally underrepresented backgrounds.

Some colleges list the essay as one of their main requirements to apply, while others give you the option to add it to your application if you wish to do so. At other schools, it is simply your “personal statement”—but the prompts you are given can make it an essay on the topic of diversity in your life and how that has shaped who you are.

To write a diversity essay, you need to think about what makes you uniquely you: What significant experiences have you made, because of your background, that might separate you from other applicants? Sometimes that is obvious, but sometimes it is easy to assume our experiences are normal just because we are part of a community that shares the same circumstances, beliefs, or experiences. But if you look at your life from the perspective of someone who is not part of that community, such as an admissions officer, they can suddenly be not-so-common and help you stand out from the crowd.

Diversity Essay Examples and Topics

Diversity essays come in all shapes and formats, but what they need to do is highlight an important aspect of your identity, background, culture, viewpoints, beliefs, goals, etc. You could, for example, write about one of the following topics:

Your home country/hometown
Your cultural/immigration background
Your race/ethnicity
Your unique family circumstances
Your religion/belief system
Your socioeconomic background
Your disability
Your sex/gender
Your sexual orientation
Your gender identity
Your values/opinions
Your experiences
Your extracurricular activities related to diversity

In the following, we ask some general questions to make you start reflecting on what diversity might mean for you and your life, and we present you with excerpts from several successful diversity-related application essays that will give you an idea about the range of topics you can write about.

How does diversity make you who you are as a person or student?

We usually want to fit in, especially when we are young, and you might not even realize that you and your life experiences could add to the diversity of a student campus. You might think that you are just like everyone around you. Or you might think that your background is nothing to brag about and are not really comfortable showcasing it. But looking at you and your life from the point of view of someone who is not part of your community, your background, culture, or family situation might actually be unique and interesting.

What makes admission committees see the unique and interesting in your life is an authentic story, maybe even a bit vulnerable, about your lived experiences and the lessons you learned from them that other people who lived other lifes did not have the chance to learn. Don’t try to explain how you are different from others or how you have been more privileged or less fortunate than others—let your story do that. Keep the focus on yourself, your actions, thoughts, and feelings, and allow the reader a glimpse into your culture, upbringing, or community that gives them some intriguing insights.

Have a look at the excerpt below from a diversity essay that got an applicant into Cornell University . This is just the introduction, but there is probably no admissions officer who would not want to keep reading after such a fascinating entry.

He’s in my arms, the newest addition to the family. I’m too overwhelmed. “That’s why I wanted you to go to Bishop Loughlin,” she says, preparing baby bottles. “But ma, I chose Tech because I wanted to be challenged.” “Well, you’re going to have to deal with it,” she replies, adding, “Your aunt watched you when she was in high school.” “But ma, there are three of them. It’s hard!” Returning home from a summer program that cemented intellectual and social independence to find a new baby was not exactly thrilling. Add him to the toddler and seven-year-old sister I have and there’s no wonder why I sing songs from Blue’s Clues and The Backyardigans instead of sane seventeen-year-old activities. It’s never been simple; as a female and the oldest, I’m to significantly rear the children and clean up the shabby apartment before an ounce of pseudo freedom reaches my hands. If I can manage to get my toddler brother onto the city bus and take him home from daycare without snot on my shoulder, and if I can manage to take off his coat and sneakers without demonic screaming for no apparent reason, then it’s a good day. Only, waking up at three in the morning to work, the only free time I have, is not my cup of Starbucks. Excerpt from “All Worth It”, Anonymous, published in 50 Successful IVY LEAGUE Application Essays Fourth Edition, Gen & Kelly Tanabe, SuperCollege, 2017 .

How has your identity or background affected your life?

On top of sharing a relevant personal story, you also need to make sure that your essay illustrates how your lived experience has influenced your perspective, your life choices, or your goals. If you can explain how your background or experience led you to apply to the school you want to submit the essay to, and why you would be a great fit for that school, even better.

You don’t need to fit all of that into one short essay, though. Just make sure to end your essay with some conclusions about the things your life has taught you that will give the admissions committee a better idea of who you now are—like the author of the following (winning) admissions essay submitted to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) .

[…] I always thought that I had it the worst out of all my family members because I was never allowed to get anything lower than what my brother or a cousin had gotten in a class. My parents figured if they could do it, so could I, and if not on my own then with a little of their help. It was not until recently that I realized the truth in this. In my short life I have seen my father go from speaking no English to excelling in it. I have heard countless stories about migrant farmers such as Cesar Chavez and my grandfather who had nearly nothing, yet persisted and succeeded. […] When I had trouble speaking Spanish and felt like abandoning my native tongue, I remembered my mother and how when she came to the United States she was forced to wash her mouth out with soap and endure beatings with a ruler by the nuns at her school for speaking it. When I couldn’t figure out tangents, sines, and cosines I thought about my father and how it took him nearly a year to learn long division because he was forced to teach it to himself after dropping out and starting to work in the 4th grade. […] All these people, just from my family, have been strong role models for me. I feel that being labeled “underprivileged” does not mean that I am limited in what I can do. There is no reason for me to fail or give up, and like my parents and grandparents have done, I’ve been able to pull through a great deal. My environment has made me determined, hard working, and high aiming. I would not like it any other way. From “Lessons From the Immigration Spectrum”, Anonymous, MIT, published in 50 Successful IVY LEAGUE Application Essays Fourth Edition, Gen & Kelly Tanabe, SuperCollege, 2017 .

How will your diversity contribute to the college campus and community?

The admissions committee would like to know how your identity or background will enrich the university’s existing student body. If you haven’t done so, researching the university’s organizations and groups and what specific courses the university offers might be a good idea. If you are applying to a large public school, you could mention that you are looking forward to broadening not just your horizon but also your community. Or maybe your college of choice has a specialized program or student organization that you feel you will fit right into and that you could contribute to with your unique background.

Tailoring your answer to the university you are applying to shows that you are serious and have done your research, and a university is obviously looking for such students. If you can’t find a way to make your essay “match” the university, then don’t despair—showing the admissions committee that you are someone who already made some important experiences, has reflected on them, and is eager to learn more and contribute to their community is often all that is needed. But you also don’t need to search for the most sophisticated outro or conclusion, as the following excerpt shows, from an admission essay written by an applicant named Angelica, who was accepted into the University of Chicago . Sometimes a simple conviction is convincing enough.

[…] The knowledge that I have gained from these three schools is something I will take with me far beyond college. My roommate, across-the-hall mates, and classmates have influenced my life as much as I hope to have impacted theirs. It is evident to me that they have helped me develop into the very much visible person I am today. I have learned to step outside of my comfort zone, and I have learned that diversity is so much more than the tint of our skin. My small mustard-colored school taught me that opportunity and success only requires desire. I would be an asset to your college because as I continue on my journey to success, I will take advantage of every opportunity that is available to me and make sure to contribute as much as I can, too. Now I am visible. Now I am visible. Now I am visible, and I want to be seen. From “No Longer Invisible” by Angelica, University of Chicago, published in 50 Successful IVY LEAGUE Application Essays Fourth Edition, Gen & Kelly Tanabe, SuperCollege, 2017 .

how to write a diversity essay, small globe being held, kids in a hallway

Tell stories about your lived experience

You might wonder how exactly to go about writing stories about your “lived experience.” The first step, after getting drawing inspiration from other people’s stories, is to sit down and reflect on your own life and what might be interesting about it, from the point of view of someone outside of your direct environment or community.

Two straightforward approaches for a diversity-related essay are to either focus on your community or on your identity . The first one is more related to what you were born into (and what it taught you), and the second one focuses on how you see yourself, as an individual but also as part of society.

Take some time to sit down and reflect on which of these two approaches you relate to more and which one you think you have more to say about. And then we’d recommend you do what always helps when we sit in front of a blank page that needs to be filled: Make a list or draw a chart or create a map of keywords that can become the cornerstones of your story.

For example, if you choose the “community” approach, then start with a list of all the communities that you are a part of. These communities can be defined by different factors:

A shared place: people live or work together
Shared actions: People create something together or solve problems together
Shared interests: People come together based on interests, hobbies, or goals
Shared circumstances: people are brought together by chance or by events

Once you have that list, pick one of your communities and start asking yourself more specific questions. For example:

What did you do as a member of that community?
What kinds of problems did you solve , for your community or together?
Did you feel like you had an impact ? What was it?
What did you learn or realize ?
How are you going to apply what you learned outside of that community?

If, instead, you choose the “identity” approach, then think about different ways in which you think about yourself and make a list of those. For example:

My identity is as a…

boy scout leader
hobby writer
babysitter for my younger siblings
speaker of different languages
collector of insightful proverbs
Japanese-American
other roles in your family, community, or social sub-group

Feel free to list as many identities as you can. Then, think about what different sides of you these identities reveal and which ones you have not yet shown or addressed in your other application documents and essays. Think about whether one of these is more important to you than others if there is one that you’d rather like to hide (and why) and if there is any struggle, for example with reconciling all of these sides of yourself or with one of them not being accepted by your culture or environment.

Overall, the most important characteristic admissions committees are looking for in your diversity essay is authenticity . They want to know who you are, behind your SATs and grades, and how you got where you are now, and they want to see what makes you memorable (remember, they have to read thousands of essays to decide who to enroll).

The admissions committee members likely also have a “sixth sense” about whose essay is authentic and whose is not. But if you go through a creative process like the one outlined here, you will automatically reflect on your background and experiences in a way that will bring out your authenticity and honesty and prevent you from just making up a “cool story.”

Diversity Essay Sample Prompts From Colleges

If you are still not sure how to write a diversity essay, let’s have a look at some of the actual diversity essay prompts that colleges include in their applications.

Diversity Essay Sample #1: University of California

The University of California asks applicants to choose between eight prompts (they call them “ personal insight questions “) and submit four short essays of up to 350 words each that tell the admission committee what you would want them to know about you . These prompts ask about your creative side (#2), your greatest talent (#3), and other aspects of your personality, but two of them (#5 and #7) are what could be called “diversity essay prompts” that ask you to talk about the most significant challenge you have faced and what you have done to make your community a better place .

The University of California website also offers advice on how to use these prompts and how to write a compelling essay, so make sure you use all the guidance they give you if that is the school you are trying to get into!

UC Essay prompt #5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

UC Essay prompt #7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team, or place—like your high school, hometown, or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community? Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort?

Diversity Essay Sample #2: Duke University

Duke University asks for a one-page essay in response to either one of the Common Application prompts or one of the Coalition Application prompts, as well as a short essay that answers a question specific to Duke.

In addition, you can (but do not have to) submit up to two short answers to four prompts that specifically ask about your unique experiences, your beliefs and values, and your background and identity. The maximum word count for each of these short essays on diversity topics is 250 words.

Essay prompt #1. We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. In that context, we are interested in what you’d like to share about your lived experiences and how they’ve influenced how you think of yourself. Essay prompt #2. We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about? Essay prompt #3. What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good? Essay prompt #4. Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. If you’d like to share with us more about your identity in this context, feel free to do so here.

Duke University is looking for students with a variety of different experiences, backgrounds, interests, and opinions to make its campus community diverse and a place where ambition and curiosity, talent and persistence can grow, and the admissions committee will “consider what you have accomplished within the context of your opportunities and challenges so far”—make sure you tell them!

Diversity Essay Sample #3: University of Washington

The University of Washington asks students for a long essay (650 words) on a general experience that shaped your character, a short essay (300 words) that describes the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of your future university and allows you to submit additional information on potential hardships or limitations you have experienced in attaining your education so far. The University of Washington freshman writing website also offers some tips on how to (and how not to) write and format your essays.

Essay prompt [required] Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

Short response prompt [required] Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. “Community” might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW.

Additional information about yourself or your circumstances [optional] You are not required to write anything in this section, but you may include additional information if something has particular significance to you. For example, you may use this space if:

– You have experienced personal hardships in attaining your education

– Your activities have been limited because of work or family obligations

– You have experienced limitations/opportunities unique to the schools you attended

The University of Washington’s mission is to enroll undergraduates with outstanding intellectual abilities who bring different perspectives, backgrounds, and talents to the campus to create a “stimulating educational environment”. The diversity essay is your chance to let them know how you will contribute to that.

Diversity Essay Sample #4: University of Michigan

At the University of Michigan, a diversity college essay that describes one of the communities (defined by geography, religion, ethnicity, income, or other factors) you belong to is one of two required essays that need to be submitted by all applicants, on top of the Common Application essay.

Diversity essay prompt. Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.

The University of Michigan prides itself in “looking at each student as a whole package” and recruiting the most dynamic students, with different backgrounds, interests, and passions, into their college, not just the ones with the highest test scores. They also give consideration to applicants from currently underrepresented groups to create diversity on campus and enrich the learning environment for all students—if that sounds like you, then here is your opportunity to tell your story!

Frequently Asked Questions about Diversity Essays

What topics should i avoid in my college diversity essay.

Since the point of a diversity essay is to show the admissions committee who you are (behind your grades and resume and general educational background), there are not many topics you need to avoid. In fact, you can address the issues, from your own perspective, that you are usually told not to mention in order not to offend anyone or create controversy.

The only exception is any kind of criminal activity, especially child abuse and neglect. The University of Washington, for example, has a statement on its essay prompt website that “ any written materials that give admissions staff reasonable cause to believe abuse or neglect of someone under the age of 18 may have occurred must be reported to Child Protective Services or the police. ”

What is most important to focus on in my diversity essay?

In brief, to stand out while not giving the admissions committee any reason to believe that you are exaggerating or even making things up. Your story needs to be authentic, and admissions officers—who read thousands of applications—will probably see right through you if you are trying to make yourself sound cooler, more mature, or more interesting than you are.

In addition, make sure you let someone, preferably a professional editor, read over your essays and make sure they are well-written and error-free. Even though you are telling your personal story, it needs to be presented in standard, formal, correct English.

How long should a diversity essay be?

Every school has different requirements for their version of a diversity essay, and you will find all the necessary details on their admissions or essay prompts website. Make sure you check the word limit and other guidelines before you start typing away!

Prepare your college diversity essay for admission

Now that you know what a diversity essay is and how you find the specific requirements for the essays you need to submit to your school of choice, make sure you plan in advance and give yourself enough time to put all your effort into it! Our article How to Write the Common App Essay can give you an idea about timelines and creative preparation methods. And as always, we can help you with our professional editing services , including Application Essay Editing Services and Admission Editing Services , to ensure that your entire application is error-free and showcases your potential to the admissions committee of your school of choice.

For more academic resources on writing the statement of purpose for grad school or on the college admission process in general, head over to our Admissions Resources website where we have many more articles and videos to help you improve your essay writing skills.

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May 11, 2023

Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

What is the diversity essay question and how do you answer it

What is the diversity question in a school application, and why does it matter when applying to leading programs and universities? Most importantly, how should you respond?

Diversity is of supreme value in higher education, and schools want to know how every student will contribute to it in their community. A diversity essay is an essay that encourages applicants with disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, an unusual education, a distinctive experience, or a unique family history to write about how these elements of their background have prepared them to play a useful role in increasing and encouraging diversity among their target program’s student body and broader community.

In this post, we’ll cover the following topics:

How to show you can add to diversity

Why diversity matters at school, seven examples that reveal diversity, how to write about your diversity, diversity essay example, want to ensure your application demonstrates the diversity that your dream school is seeking.

If you are an immigrant to the United States, the child of immigrants, or someone whose ethnicity is underrepresented in the States, your response to “How will you add to the diversity of our class/community?” and similar questions might help your application efforts. Why? Because you can use it to show how your background will add a distinctive perspective to the program you are applying to.

Download this sample personal background essay, and see how one candidate won over the adcom and got accepted into their top-choice MBA program.

Of course, if you’re not from a group that is underrepresented in your field or a disadvantaged group, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything to write about in a diversity essay.

For example, you might have an unusual or special experience to share, such as serving in the military, being a member of a dance troupe, or caring for a disabled relative. These and other distinctive experiences can convey how you will contribute to the diversity of the school’s campus.

You could be the first member of your family to apply to college or the first to learn English in your household. Perhaps you have worked your way through college or helped raise your siblings. You might also have been an ally to those who are underrepresented, disadvantaged, or marginalized in your community, at your previous school, or in an earlier work experience.

As you can see, diversity is not limited to one’s religion, ethnicity, culture, language, or sexual orientation. It refers to whatever element of your identity distinguishes you from others and shows that you, too, value diversity.

Admissions officers believe diversity in the classroom improves the educational experience of all the students involved. They also believe that having a diverse workforce better serves society as a whole.

The more diverse perspectives found in the classroom, throughout the dorms, in the dining halls, and mixed into study groups, the richer the discussions will be.

Plus, learning and growing in this kind of multicultural environment will prepare students for working in our increasingly multicultural and global world.

In medicine, for example, a heterogeneous workforce benefits people from previously underrepresented cultures. Businesses realize they will market more effectively if they can speak to different audiences and markets, which is possible when members of their workforce come from different backgrounds and cultures. Schools simply want to prepare graduates for the 21st century job market.

Adcoms want to know about your personal diversity elements and the way they have helped you develop particular character and personality traits , as well as the unusual experiences that have shaped you.

Here are seven examples an applicant could write about:

They grew up with a strong insistence on respecting elders, attending family events, or learning their parents’ native language and culture.
They are close to grandparents and extended family members who have taught them how teamwork can help everyone thrive.
They have had to face difficulties that stem from their parents’ values being in conflict with theirs or those of their peers.
Teachers have not always understood the elements of their culture or lifestyle and how those elements influence their performance.
They suffered from discrimination and succeeded despite it because of their grit, values, and character.
They learned skills from a lifestyle that is outside the norm (e.g., living in foreign countries as the child of a diplomat or contractor; performing professionally in theater, dance, music, or sports; having a deaf sibling).
They’ve encountered racism or other prejudice (either toward themselves or others) and responded by actively promoting diverse, tolerant values.

And remember, it’s not just about who your parents are. It’s about who you are – at the core.

Your background, influences, religious observances, language, ideas, work environment, community experiences – all these factors come together to create a unique individual, one who will contribute to a varied class of distinct individuals taking their place in a diverse world.

Your answer to the diversity question should focus on how your experiences have built your empathy for others, your embrace of differences, your resilience, your character, and your perspective.

The school might well ask how you think of diversity or how you can bring or add to the diversity of your school, chosen profession, or community. Make sure you answer the specific question posed by highlighting distinctive elements of your profile that will add to the class mosaic every adcom is trying to create. You don’t want to blend in; you want to stand out in a positive way while also complementing the school’s canvas.

Here’s a simple, three-part framework that will help you think of diversity more, well, diversely:

Identity : Who are you? What has contributed to your identity? How do you distinguish yourself? Your identity can include any of the following: gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, religion, nontraditional work experience, nontraditional educational background, multicultural background, and family’s educational level.
Deeds : What have you done? What have you accomplished? This could include any of the following: achievements inside and/or outside your field of study, leadership opportunities, community service, , internship or professional experience, research opportunities, hobbies, and travel. Any or all of these could be unique. Also, what life-derailing, throw-you-for-a-loop challenges have you faced and overcome?
Ideas : How do you think? How do you approach things? What drives you? What influences you? Are you the person who can break up a tense meeting with some well-timed humor? Are you the one who intuitively sees how to bring people together?

Learn more about this three-part framework in this podcast episode.

Think about each question within this framework and how you could apply your diversity elements to the classroom, your school, or your community. Any of these elements will serve as the framework for your essay.

Don’t worry if you can’t think of something totally “out there.” You don’t need to be a tightrope walker living in the Andes or a Buddhist monk from Japan to pass the diversity test!

And please remember, the examples I have listed are not exhaustive. There are many other ways to show diversity!

All you need to write successfully about how you will contribute to the rich diversity of your target school’s community is to examine your identity, deeds, and ideas, with an eye toward your personal distinctiveness and individuality. There is only one you .

Want our advice on how you can best show diversity?

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Take a look at this sample diversity essay, and pay attention to how the writer underscores their appreciation for and experience with diversity.

When I was starting 11 th grade, my dad, an agricultural scientist, was assigned to a 3-month research project in a farm village in Niigata (northwest Honshu in Japan). Rather than stay behind with my mom and siblings, I begged to go with him. As a straight-A student, I convinced my parents and the principal that I could handle my schoolwork remotely (pre-COVID) for that stretch. It was time to leap beyond my comfortable suburban Wisconsin life—and my Western orientation, reinforced by travel to Europe the year before.

We roomed in a sprawling farmhouse with a family participating in my dad’s study. I thought I’d experience an “English-free zone,” but the high school students all studied and wanted to practice English, so I did meet peers even though I didn’t attend their school. Of the many eye-opening, influential, cultural experiences, the one that resonates most powerfully to me is experiencing their community. It was a living, organic whole. Elementary school kids spent time helping with the rice harvest. People who foraged for seasonal wild edibles gave them to acquaintances throughout the town. In fact, there was a constant sharing of food among residents—garden veggies carried in straw baskets, fish or meat in coolers. The pharmacist would drive prescriptions to people who couldn’t easily get out—new mothers, the elderly—not as a business service but as a good neighbor. If rain suddenly threatened, neighbors would bring in each other’s drying laundry. When an empty-nest 50-year-old woman had to be hospitalized suddenly for a near-fatal snakebite, neighbors maintained her veggie patch until she returned. The community embodied constant awareness of others’ needs and circumstances. The community flowed!

Yet, people there lamented that this lifestyle was vanishing; more young people left than stayed or came. And it wasn’t idyllic: I heard about ubiquitous gossip, long-standing personal enmities, busybody-ness. But these very human foibles didn’t dam the flow. This dynamic community organism couldn’t have been more different from my suburban life back home, with its insular nuclear families. We nod hello to neighbors in passing.

This wonderful experience contained a personal challenge. Blond and blue-eyed, I became “the other” for the first time. Except for my dad, I saw no Westerner there. Curious eyes followed me. Stepping into a market or walking down the street, I drew gazes. People swiftly looked away if they accidentally caught my eye. It was not at all hostile, I knew, but I felt like an object. I began making extra sure to appear “presentable” before going outside. The sense of being watched sometimes generated mild stress or resentment. Returning to my lovely tatami room, I would decompress, grateful to be alone. I realized this challenge was a minute fraction of what others experience in my own country. The toll that feeling—and being— “other” takes on non-white and visibly different people in the US can be extremely painful. Experiencing it firsthand, albeit briefly, benignly, and in relative comfort, I got it.

Unlike the organic Niigata community, work teams, and the workplace itself, have externally driven purposes. Within this different environment, I will strive to exemplify the ongoing mutual awareness that fueled the community life in Niigata. Does it benefit the bottom line, improve the results? I don’t know. But it helps me be the mature, engaged person I want to be, and to appreciate the individuals who are my colleagues and who comprise my professional community. I am now far more conscious of people feeling their “otherness”—even when it’s not in response to negative treatment, it can arise simply from awareness of being in some way different.

What did you think of this essay? Does this middle class Midwesterner have the unique experience of being different from the surrounding majority, something she had not experienced in the United States? Did she encounter diversity from the perspective of “the other”?

Here a few things to note about why this diversity essay works so well:

The writer comes from “a comfortable, suburban, Wisconsin life,” suggesting that her own background might not be ethnically, racially, or in other ways diverse.
The diversity “points” scored all come from her fascinating experience of having lived in a Japanese farm village, where she immersed herself in a totally different culture.
The lessons learned about the meaning of community are what broaden and deepen the writer’s perspective about life, about a purpose-driven life, and about the concept of “otherness.”

By writing about a time when you experienced diversity in one of its many forms, you can write a memorable and meaningful diversity essay.

Working on your diversity essay?

Want to ensure that your application demonstrates the diversity that your dream school is seeking? Work with one of our admissions experts and . This checklist includes more than 30 different ways to think about diversity to jump-start your creative engines.

Related Resources:

• Different Dimensions of Diversity , a podcast episode • What to Do if You Belong to an Overrepresented Applicant Group • Med School Admissions Advice for Nontraditional Applicants: The Experts Speak

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What does diversity mean to you? Sample interview answers & more

Diversity in the workplace. Another buzzword of the 21st century. Corporations have no choice though. They have to promote diversity in the workplace, and advertise it as one of their core values. If they decided against the common practice, they would be accused of discrimination in a flash. And their stock would lose value… But what does it actually mean, to have a diverse team of employees? And how do you perceive such a working environment? Can you thrive in it, or will you struggle?

In my opinion, this interview question does not make much sense . But that’s the case with many interview questions about diversity . You should still prepare for it, having something to say, ideally praising diversity –because that’s what they expect from you , especially in a big corporation. Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to the question. I include both conventional and creative answers i n my list.

Do not forget to read my notes below the answers as well. There I point out a couple of things you should keep on your mind when talking about diversity in an interview.

7 sample answers to “What does diversity mean to you?” interview question

An enriching experience . An opportunity to benefit from a variety of viewpoints of people from a variety of backgrounds–educational, cultural, religious. I have experience working in a diverse team. And I must say that I grew both as a manager and as a human being in such an environment. Hope to repeat it in your company.
More than anything else, it means to me an opportunity to learn . I want to assure you that I have no prejudice against people of different color, gender, or religion. On the contrary, I try to understand their perspective of life, their values , and learn something from them. And even if I disagree with something, I always respect that someone else can have a different opinion on this or that issue. At the end of the day, we live in a vast and diverse world. Unless we want to live in a constant conflict, we have to learn to accept the diversity of opinions. In the workplace, in the streets, in the politics. I can assure you that I have no problem with it.
Diversity is to me something we cannot really avoid . Look, I’ve been working as a manager for a long time. And I can tell you from experience that in many instances, uniform teams can deliver better results than diverse teams –simply because people share common values and beliefs , and find it easier to cooperate with the same “blood group”. This is no secret to anyone who has managed both uniform and diverse teams. Having said that, I am not naive , and I realize that it is almost impossible to have such teams in today’s workplace. Yet as a manager I try to focus on what people in my team have in common –and it can be the goal we pursue as a team, something that unifies us, regardless of the differences. At the same time I try to avoid talking about sensitive topics, such as religion or politics. As I’ve already said, one cannot really avoid diversity in the 21st century, and I am definitely ready to lead a diverse team here.
I try to look at it more from a formal point of view . Diversity simply means that people from all walks of life and all sorts of background (education, cultural, religious) meet and interact in the workplace. It can be an enriching experience at times, but it can also be a challenge . I witnesses in my last workplace how people formed small informal groups and led pointless internal conflicts within the departments. It had a negative impact on the productivity of everyone in the company… The message I try to convey here is that nothing is only black or white . Diversity can bring a lot of good things to the company, but it can also pose some challenges, both for the managers and for the employees in a diverse team. At least that’s the way I see it, and I am ready to face such challenges.
In my opinion, diversity is an overrated concept . Sure, we have diverse teams in corporations, but we also have a working culture, dress code , rules and policies . Everyone has to stick to them, regardless of their religion, skin color, or anything else. What I’ve observed in the last few years, both in the corporate world and during my travels, is that globalization is slowly but certainly killing diversity . You have the same restaurants everywhere, radio plays the same music , and even in the corporations–most people are indoctrinated and follow the generally accepted code of conduct. There are no surprises anymore really… I find it quite sad, because when I was younger , I enjoyed the diversity of the world. Now, however, it is a mere concept, a buzzword, and it has very little to do with the actual situation in the corporations, or in the cities around different continents.
More than anything else, it is something I would like to experience first hand . You see, I come from a strongly catholic background . Been raised with love, always hanged around with folks who had the same beliefs and values, went to a catholic school, church every Sunday, assisted at the service–you name it. And I honestly feel that my perspective of the world is rather narrow-minded . I crave meeting people who don’t share my set of values and experiences. I may find it hard at the start, but I also think it can be an eye-opening experience . If nothing else, I can learn to respect the others better than I do now, because let’s face it–we live in a diverse world. I cannot stay in my small catholic bubble for a lifetime…
It means a challenge to me. The challenge we face, not only in the workplace, but in the entire world. Just look at America. The society is extremely polarized . People either love something or they hate it–and I do not talk only about politics. Extremism is on the rise all around the world, and many people are killed daily, just because they believe in a certain God or concept. We live in a diverse world, and I find it challenging. Can we find a way how to peacefully coexis t on this beautiful planet? Or will we always compete and fight for some abstract ideals, leaving nothing but death and sorrow behind? That’s not an easy one to answer… and that’s why diversity means a challenge to me.

Think out loud, explain your thought process

Whatever you say about diversity (calling it a blessing, a challenge, something you miss, or something you hope to avoid), the most important thing is to explain your reasoning . There’s nothing like a generally bad answer to the question–unless you say that you cannot tolerate people of other color or faith. That would certainly cost you your chances in the interview.

Every skilled manager knows that diversity poses some challenges . And if you have an experience working in a team where diversity caused more harm than good , it is okay to say so. You just have to explain your reasoning, your experiences, and how you came to your conclusions.

* Special Tip: This isn’t the only tricky question you will face while interviewing for any decent corporate job. You will face questions about prioritization, dealing with pressure, ambiguity , and other tricky scenarios that happen in the workplace. If you want to make sure that you stand out with your answers and outclass your competitors, have a look at our Interview Success Package . Up to 10 premium answers to 31 tricky scenario based questions (+ more) will make your life much easier in the interviews. Thank you for checking it out!

Do not be afraid of a philosophical answer

Creative thinking and innovation is highly valued in many corporations. Do not be afraid to challenge the status quo , and look at diversity from a different angle. You may talk about an extremely polarized society (see my answer no. 7), or even of your own narrow-mindedness (see sample answer no. 6), or even about how globalization is slowly (but surely) killing diversity around the world (check answer no .5 on my list).

Job interview in a big corporation is almost always a competitive affair . If you opt for a safe option– saying things everybody else says –praising diversity and embracing it, you can be sure that you won’t lose your chances to succeed in the interviews. However, you also won’t stand out with your answer. At times, especially when you cannot stand out with your education or experience , you have to take some risks, trying to stand out with your answers.

Sure enough, it may not always work. But being the average one when twenty other people compete with you for a single vacancy won’t bring you much success either… Think about your chances realistically, and choose your answer accordingly. I hope you will manage to do so, and wish you best of luck in the interviews!

Ready to answer this one? Great! Check also 7 sample answers to other tricky interview questions :

What do you expect from your manager or supervisor?
Describe a situation in which you didn’t get something you felt you deserved.
What does integrity mean to you?
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What is diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Rainbow colored spheres hanging on strings

Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. If diversity is another word for variety, how can it enhance or flavor the world?

Get to know and directly engage with senior McKinsey experts on diversity, equity, and inclusion

Bob Sternfels is McKinsey’s global managing partner and is based in the Bay Area office. Tiffany Burns and Sara Prince are senior partners in McKinsey’s Atlanta office; Michael Chui is a partner in the Bay Area office, where Alexis Krivkovich and Lareina Yee are senior partners, and where James Manyika is a senior partner emeritus; Maurice Obeid , Shelley Stewart , and Jill Zucker are senior partners in the New York office; and Jonathan Woetzel is director of the McKinsey Global Institute and a senior partner in the Shanghai office.

Diversity—through the lenses of race, ethnicity, ability, gender, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, and beyond—can help to strengthen organizations, as studies have shown time and again. Quite simply, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is used to describe three values that many organizations today strive to embody to help meet the needs of people from all walks of life. While concepts such as biodiversity are important offshoots of the core idea of diversity, this article focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion in business and society rather than in other contexts.

Companies that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive are better able to respond to challenges, win top talent, and meet the needs of different customer bases. With DEI in mind, companies are considering how to better support employees. Over the past few years, many organizations have taken strides to build diversity, equity, and inclusion into their policies and hiring practices.

What are the differences between diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are often grouped together because they are interconnected and it is only in combination that their true impact emerges. Some organizations include related concepts, such as belonging, in their DEI strategies. But all of these terms are also easily misunderstood. It’s important to grasp the individual meanings and implications of each of these terms:

Diversity refers to who is represented in the workforce. Some examples of diversity in workplaces include:

Gender diversity: What makes up the composition of men, women, and nonbinary people in a given population?
Age diversity: Are people in a group from mostly one generation, or is there a mix of ages?
Ethnic diversity: Do people in a group share common national or cultural traditions, or do they represent different backgrounds?
Physical ability and neurodiversity: Are the perspectives of people with disabilities, whether apparent or not, accounted for?

These are a few of the most common examples, but what is considered diverse can range widely. Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler touches on this in an interview with McKinsey on debiasing the corporation. “There’s lots of talk about diversity these days,” says Thaler. “We tend to think about that in terms of things like racial diversity and gender diversity and ethnic diversity. Those things are all important. But it’s also important to have diversity in how people think.”

Equity refers to fair treatment for all people, so that the norms, practices, and policies in place ensure identity is not predictive of opportunities or workplace outcomes. Equity differs from equality in a subtle but important way. While equality assumes that all people should be treated the same, equity takes into consideration a person’s unique circumstances, adjusting treatment accordingly so that the end result is equal. In an episode of the McKinsey Talks Talent podcast on the inclusive workplace, McKinsey senior partner and talent expert Bill Schaninger offers a view on the implications of equity when sourcing talent: “There’s a real difference between equal and equitable. Suppose we said, ‘All interns are created equal. We pay them nothing.’ The people who can afford an entire summer without getting paid are likely already coming from a position of privilege.”
Inclusion refers to how the workforce experiences the workplace and the degree to which organizations embrace all employees and enable them to make meaningful contributions. Companies that are intent on recruiting a diverse workforce must also strive to develop a sufficiently inclusive culture, such that all employees feel their voices will be heard—critical if organizations want to retain their talent and unlock the power of their diverse workforce. In an episode of the McKinsey Talks Talent podcast on the inclusive workplace, McKinsey partner and DEI expert Diana Ellsworth shared an example of how a lack of inclusion can manifest in workplace culture: “The LGBTQ+ community is underrepresented in the workplace, especially at more senior levels. As a result, many feel like an “only” at work and are more likely to experience microaggressions ; they might feel unable to talk openly and comfortably about themselves, for example, or need constantly to correct assumptions about their personal lives.”

Learn more about our People & Organizational Performance and Strategy & Corporate Finance practices.

Why is diversity in the workplace important?

A series of three McKinsey reports shows the impact of diverse workplaces: Why diversity matters (2015), Delivering through diversity (2018), and Diversity wins: How inclusion matters (2020). The latest findings draw from a data set that encompasses 15 countries and more than 1,000 large companies, as well as research on employee sentiment, and the results show a correlative relationship between business performance and diversity. It’s worth noting that greater access to talent and increased employee engagement contribute to this performance effect. The business case for diversity is robust, and the relationship between diversity on executive teams and the likelihood of financial outperformance has gotten stronger over time. And the results have been replicated in further research, for instance, in Latin America and Central Europe .

Some of the key findings from the latest Diversity wins report include the following:

Most employees support diversity, with overall sentiment on diversity 52 percent positive and 31 percent negative.
There are clear correlations between diversity and business performance. Analysis of 2019 data shows that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity within executive teams were 25 percent more likely than companies in the fourth quartile to have above-average profitability (up from 21 percent in 2017 and 15 percent in 2014).
The greater the representation of gender diversity, the higher the likelihood of outperformance. For instance, companies where more than 30 percent of the executives are women were more likely to outperform companies where this percentage ranged from only 10 to 30. The most gender-diverse companies see a substantial differential likelihood of outperformance—48 percent—over the least gender-diverse companies.
The business case for ethnic and cultural diversity is also strong: in 2019, companies in the top quartile bested those in the fourth quartile by 36 percent in profitability. Notably, the likelihood of outperformance continues to be higher for diversity in ethnicity than in gender.
Progress in building diverse workforces remains stubbornly slow.
Despite employees’ support of diversity, there are high levels of negative sentiment on inclusion—namely, equality, openness, and belonging—particularly around equality and fairness of opportunity.

Circular, white maze filled with white semicircles.

Introducing McKinsey Explainers : Direct answers to complex questions

Even during a crisis, when leaders might be tempted to shelve DEI efforts to ensure the company’s financial survival, there is value to prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the words of McKinsey’s Bryan Hancock from McKinsey Talks Talent : “D&I is good business. It doesn’t have to be at the expense of financial outcomes. . . . This isn’t an issue where leaders can say, ‘We can’t do diversity right now, because we’re under a lot of pressure.’ Diversity is one of the things you’ve got to be mindful of in every context.”

What other benefits can organizations realize from inclusion and diversity?

In addition to profitability, there are five key domains in which inclusion and diversity can significantly affect an organization’s overall performance:

Winning talent: Organizations that monitor the demographic profile of their workforces are better able to retain top performers while making sure that diverse talent isn’t lost.
Improving the quality of decision making: Diversity brings multiple perspectives to the table during times when enhanced problem-solving skills and vision are needed.
Increasing customer insight and innovation: Diverse teams are typically more innovative and better at anticipating shifts.
Driving employee motivation and satisfaction: Research in Latin America showed that companies that are committed to diversity are 75 percent more likely to report a pro-teamwork culture.
Improving a company’s global image and license to operate: Companies that can maintain or increase their focus on inclusion and diversity during crises are poised to avoid consequences such as struggling to attract talent or losing customers and government support.

How can organizations foster an inclusive workplace?

For companies looking to bolster inclusion and step up their DEI efforts more broadly, five areas of action stand out :

Ensure that diverse talent is well represented.
Strengthen leadership accountability and capabilities.
Be fair and transparent, enabling equality of opportunity.
Promote openness and tackle microaggressions, bias, and discrimination.
Foster belonging through unequivocal support for all the ways diversity manifests.

A McKinsey survey about inclusion at work and how to address organizational barriers to it offers unique insight at a more granular level. The research finds that respondents of all backgrounds encounter barriers to feeling included—and that women, respondents who are ethnic and racial minorities, and those who identify as LGBTQ+ encounter additional challenges.

A few key data points from the survey add nuance about the lived experiences of employees in workplaces, inclusive and otherwise:

Employee engagement is strongly linked with a sense of inclusion. Those who feel very included are more likely than others to say they feel excited by and committed to their organizations.
Nearly 40 percent of respondents say they have turned down or chosen not to pursue a job because of a perceived lack of inclusion at the organization.
Over a third of respondents say their organizations don’t put enough effort into creating a diverse, inclusive environment (while only 6 percent say too much is being done).
A resounding 84 percent of respondents say they have experienced microaggressions at work. More than one in four say they have needed to correct others’ assumptions about their personal lives, for example. High levels of respondents have experienced everyday slights rooted in bias, such as not receiving credit for their ideas, being asked to speak as a representative for a group of people like themselves, or being coached to communicate in a way that feels inauthentic.
Looking only at LGBTQ+ respondents, 37 percent say they have had an uncomfortable experience coming out to colleagues in the preceding month.
Among respondents who identified as racial or ethnic minorities, 40 percent of those who indicated they have discussed identity-related issues at work in the preceding month say they have felt at least slightly uncomfortable in those situations.

To serve these workers better, organizations can pay attention to four main factors associated with employees’ inclusion:

Diverse, inclusive leadership: The presence of diverse leaders at an organization, as well as an organization’s focus on inclusive leadership, are correlated with individuals feeling more included.
Meritocracy and initiatives to increase fairness in performance evaluations: A meritocratic company culture is strongly associated with a sense of inclusion.
Sponsorship: Respondents who say colleagues at their organization have gone out of their way to create professional-advancement opportunities for them are also more likely than others to feel a strong sense of inclusion.
Substantive access to senior leaders: More than half of all respondents say that meaningful interactions with senior leaders have aided their career advancement.

Learn more about our People & Organizational Performance practice.

What is intersectionality?

Intersectionality, a term coined by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 , refers to the ways different parts of one’s identity intersect or overlap with one another. For instance, gender is one aspect of a person’s identity, but so are sexual orientation and race. A Black woman who is queer, or a White woman who has a disability, may take a perspective that acknowledges how those different aspects of their identity overlap or intersect. McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2021 report , for instance, found that LGBTQ+ women, as well as women with disabilities, are much more likely than women overall to experience microaggressions on the job.

Acknowledging intersectional identities can strengthen companies and communities more broadly. “Everyone deserves to feel empowered across all aspects of who they are,” says McKinsey senior partner Guangyu Li . “It shouldn’t be left to any individual community to defend itself. It’s in our collective interest to show up for each other with concrete action and to come together in solidarity.”

Allyship is a concept that is closely related to intersectionality. An ally aligns with people in the minority to help foster equitable and inclusive opportunities for all. In corporate America, White women, for instance, may take allyship actions such as mentoring women of color, advocating for new opportunities for them, and actively confronting any discrimination they might face. However, there is a notable disconnect between the allyship actions that women of color say are most meaningful and the actions that White employees prioritize—suggesting opportunities for recentering efforts around the experience of women of color and other marginalized groups.

What issues are important to women in the workplace?

Women’s representation in the corporate world has largely increased in recent years, but the pandemic has affected their participation in the workforce. It is worth noting that dynamics of gender in the workplace may be regionally specific. While much of McKinsey’s work offers insight into women in corporate America, you can explore additional material on global gender equality , as well as gender diversity in Africa , Canada , Central Europe , France , Japan , the Middle East , and other regions.

The largest study of women in corporate America is Women in the Workplace , conducted by McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.Org. The latest research, now in its seventh year, reflects information from 423 organizations that employ 12 million people, and includes responses from more than 65,000 people surveyed on their workplace experience, as well as in-depth interviews with women of diverse identities.

Findings from the Women in the Workplace 2021 report include the following:

Women’s representation in the corporate pipeline (that is, the journey an employee might take from starting as an entry-level worker to advancing to a spot in the C-suite) has increased since 2016. But women—and women of color in particular—remain significantly underrepresented in leadership.
At every step in the career ladder, women of color lose ground to White women and men of color.
The “broken rung” problem remains a challenge for women, particularly those seeking their first step up from entry level to manager. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 86 women are promoted.
Burnout, stress, and exhaustion continue to affect women more than men. In the past year, one in three women considered leaving the workforce or downshifting their career, a notable increase from levels seen early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Women leaders are doing considerable work to support DEI efforts and employee well-being more broadly, but they’re not necessarily being recognized for it. For instance, employees with women managers are more likely than others to say that their manager has supported and helped them in the past year; women leaders also spend more time than men on DEI work that’s outside their formal job responsibilities. Less than a quarter of companies, though, recognize this work in performance reviews, for example.

To support women in the workplace, companies need to invest deeply in all aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Although there are no quick fixes, there are some steps companies should take to empower women at work :

Companies should put more practices in place to ensure that promotions are equitable. Beyond reducing potential bias in the hiring process, companies need to extend similar rigor to performance reviews.
Organizations need to track representation and hiring and promotion outcomes more fully. A company may track representation for women overall, but does it break those numbers down to look at representation for women on color in particular?
Companies need to double their efforts when it comes to accountability. Only two-thirds of companies hold senior leaders accountable for progress on diversity goals, and less than half consider progress on diversity metrics in performance reviews.
To create a culture that embraces and leverages diversity, companies need to promote senior-level sponsorship, with top leaders fully and publicly supporting DEI efforts, modeling inclusive leadership, and actively participating in training and events.
Spurring high employee engagement will also be crucial. Raising awareness of the barriers that many women face can help, and further training (on bias, antiracism, and allyship) can take employees from awareness to action.
Burnout is on the rise, and investing in solutions to help address this problem will remain a crucial issue for many organizations. In addition to expanding on successful established policies and trying new approaches, companies can track symptoms and establish new norms to improve the everyday experience of employees.

What do we know about advancing racial equity for Black Americans in the US private sector and across society?

Black Americans in the workforce are at a disadvantage; the median annual wage for Black workers is approximately 30 percent, or $10,000, lower than that of White workers, with serious implications for economic security, consumption, and the ability to build generational wealth. They are underrepresented in higher-wage industries and executive roles, and they face lower odds for advancement. Clear racial patterns exist across the US labor force, with nearly half of Black workers concentrated in low-paying healthcare, retail, food services, and accommodations roles.

There are many benefits to righting historical wrongs and realizing the full potential of Black American talent: addressing wage disparities alone, for instance, could propel two million Black Americans into the middle class for the first time.

Doing so will take effort on many levels. Research from the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility suggests some jumping-off points:

Consumer-facing companies that pursue broader racial-equity goals can better serve Black consumers .
Harnessing the power of retail can drive demand for Black-owned brands .
Addressing racial disparities in farming could generate billions in value for the agriculture industry.
Increasing financial inclusion to broaden services for Black Americans could yield $2 billion in potential revenue, and changes in three key areas can help companies make more progress toward racial equity in financial services .
Supporting historically Black colleges and universities can accelerate Black economic mobility .
Understanding Black representation in film and TV could help drive greater diversity.
Building supportive ecosystems for Black-owned business could add $290 billion in business equity.
Emphasizing health equity can activate meaningful change or even help retain talent .

The stories of Black leaders’ journeys can offer inspiration and hope for personal and professional development. Get insight from Jason Wright (president of the National Football League’s Washington Commanders), Stephanie Hill (an executive vice president at Lockheed Martin), and Barry Lawson Williams (the founder of Williams Pacific Ventures).

What issues are important to Latinos in the workplace?

In the United States, Latinos make up 18.4 percent of the population and 17.3 percent of the labor force, and that share is projected to rise to more than 30 percent by 2060. This community faces challenges, and US- and foreign-born Latinos alike remain far from equal with non-Latino White Americans, with Latino Americans earning just 73 cents for every dollar earned by White Americans. They face discrimination in securing financing to start and scale businesses, and they face challenges accessing food, housing, and other essentials.

McKinsey research on the economic state of Latinos in America finds that they are underpaid, collectively, by $288 billion a year. At full parity, though, Latinos could spend an extra $660 billion annually, and Latino businesses could generate trillions in revenue and support millions of new jobs, while also creating new flows of generational wealth. Addressing barriers faced by Latinos in America could make the economy more robust for all.

How can we empower Asian Americans at work?

Asian Americans have contributed to the US economy since the 1800s, yet they have historically been overlooked. This group as a whole is often perceived as the “model minority,” a term that diminishes the unique issues faced by their diverse community. Recently, given the rise in racially motivated attacks on Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, historically unaddressed challenges faced by this group are coming to light , offering a fresh reminder of the need to support and include Asian Americans at work.

In corporate America, Asian Americans are underrepresented in senior leadership roles (as are Black, Hispanic, and Latino Americans). What might help? Recognizing where in the corporate pipeline Asian Americans are underrepresented, mitigating implicit and unconscious bias during promotion and performance evaluations, fostering sponsorship for Asian American employees, and expanding workplace flexibility and support such as paid sick leave.

Learn more about our Public & Social Sector practice.

What does research show about the experiences of LGBTQ+ employees in the workplace?

For LGBTQ+ employees , many workplaces today fall short of full inclusion, even if there is visible corporate support for LGBTQ+ communities. For example, LGBTQ+ women are more underrepresented than women generally in America’s largest corporations. Just four LGBTQ+ CEOs head these corporations—only one woman, and none identifies as transgender. An episode of the McKinsey Talks Talent podcast considers the latest research on the LGBTQ+ experience in the workplace and highlights practical steps for all employees to signal support and boost progress for this community.

Transgender employees face a unique set of challenges. They earn 32 percent less money than cisgender employees ( cisgender refers to people whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned to them at birth). More than half of transgender employees say they are not comfortable at work, and they report feeling less supported by managers. These strong feelings of exclusion have significant economic implications: greater transgender inclusion in the workforce through wage equity and increased employment could boost annual consumer spending by $12 billion a year. To help address the issues, companies can be intentional in recruiting (for example, by asking applicants what pronouns or names they prefer to use) or offer trans-affirming benefits, among other actions.

How do different industries approach diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Different industries may well need to take different approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion, depending on the composition of their workforces. Several articles offer insight into those industry-specific dynamics, especially with regard to gender diversity:

Companies can repair the broken rung on the career ladder for women in technical industries and roles .
Organizations can work to close gender and race gaps in the US financial-services sector .
Voices from the fashion industry on diversity offer insight on what actions might be most meaningful for creating more inclusive workplaces.
Organizations can make traveling in cities safer and more comfortable for at-risk groups .
The COVID-19 pandemic hit the education space hard; as the recovery continues, ensuring that education is equitable and inclusive will be vital.
In the public and social sectors , women are increasingly represented, but they are also feeling burned out—a few actions can bend the curve.
Consumers are expecting more from brands than ever before— here’s what retailers can do to meet DEI needs .
Private equity can help catalyze DEI efforts to transform the global business community and improve returns.
In media and entertainment , women remain locked out of top roles.
While women in healthcare and life sciences have made progress, they remain underrepresented at senior levels.
Research from the oil and gas industry suggests actions for the sector to consider to help attract and retain women.
Women are leaving the mining industry . Here’s why—and what companies can do about it.

Learn more about our Technology, Media & Telecommunications , Financial Services , Travel, Logistics & Infrastructure , Education , Public & Social Sector , and Healthcare Systems & Services practices.

For more in-depth exploration of these topics, see McKinsey’s collection of insights on diversity and inclusion . Learn more about Diversity, Equity & Inclusion consulting at McKinsey—and check out DEI-related job opportunities if you’re interested in working at McKinsey.

Articles referenced include:

“ Being transgender at work ,” November 10, 2021, David Baboolall, Sarah Greenberg, Maurice Obeid , and Jill Zucker
“ Women in the Workplace 2021 ,” September 27, 2021, Tiffany Burns , Jess Huang, Alexis Krivkovich , Ishanaa Rambachan , Tijana Trkulja, and Lareina Yee
“ The economic state of Black America: What is and what could be ,” June 17, 2021, Shelley Stewart III , Michael Chui , James Manyika , JP Julien , Vivian Hunt, Bob Sternfels , Jonathan Woetzel , and Haiyang Zhang
“ COVID-19’s impact on Asian American workers: Six key insights ,” May 6, 2021, Grace Hua, Jess Huang, Samuel Huang, Lareina Yee
“ The elusive inclusive workplace ,” March 23, 2021, Bryan Hancock and Bill Schaninger
“ Diversity wins: how inclusion matters ,” May 19, 2020, Sundiatu Dixon-Fyle , Kevin Dolan, Vivian Hunt, and Sara Prince

Want to know more about diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Diversity wins: How inclusion matters

The elusive inclusive workplace

Portrait of a mature businesswoman having a meeting with her team in a modern office

Women in the Workplace 2022

Free PDF: The 4 questions every SOP must answer → Master’s or PhD

Diversity Statement 101: An Essay Guide for Champions

By Jordan Dotson
Updated: March 1, 2023

The Diversity Statement, and its close cousins the Personal History and Personal Contributions essays, might be the hardest part of graduate applications. The prompts are so vague and open-ended. They often make applicants shudder.

What am I supposed to write about?

What if I’m not a minority?

Is it okay if I write about my illness and how this lowered my GPA?

For many students who belong to underrepresented populations, these essays often seem patronizing. “How dare you use my identity to pad your demographic stats,” they think. And they’re not entirely wrong. There is a degree of stat-padding involved, though the intentions are noble.

For other students, those who have dealt with physical illness or personal tragedies during their undergrad careers, these essays are an opportunity to show what they’re truly capable of. “I am not defined by my tragedies,” they say, “but how I overcame them.”

For other students, those who sailed through their youth without calamity, these essays can be daunting. They read that word “diversity” and think it doesn’t apply to them. They focus on the apparent socio-political narrative, without recognizing how they’ve positively contributed to communities in which they belong.

For all of these students, the Diversity Statement can be a tricky monster.

Luckily, the Diversity Statement is still an act of storytelling. And as the timeless lessons of narrative structure teach us, all monsters can be conquered by a champion.

This is the key to your Diversity Statement and other personal essays: you must become a champion.

It’s not the story of how difficult or disadvantaged your life has been. It’s not a pity party or an excuse for your (perceived) failures. It’s the story of how you took the resources you’ve been given, and became a champion who makes the world (and university campuses) a better place to live.

Let’s find the champion in you, friend.

What Does “Diversity” Mean?

If you want to succeed with your grad applications, your diversity statement will have little to do with race, gender, religion, or sexuality labels . Instead, it will have everything to do with the ways you’ve chosen, as an individual, to make the world better.

This is why these essays are sometimes called “Personal Contribution” statements. They’re about how you grew and changed and succeeded and made your community different .

Think that simply being a Buddhist orphan will help you get into grad school? Wrong. (Though it might help you get into a monastery.)

But what if you’re a Buddhist orphan who’s taught meditation on campus for three years, who sweeps the steps of Los Angeles’s Hsi Lai Temple every summer, and who mentors other orphans in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, all while earning a 3.7 GPA in Neuroscience and working two years in a lab researching the effects of mindfulness on depression?

One of these is different from the other.

One says, “This is who I am.”

The other says, “This is what I do.”

The funny thing is, the impact of this story has little to do with our fictional student’s demographic label. Instead, it has everything to do with what she’s accomplished. As a thought exercise, imagine that instead of a Buddhist orphan from Los Angeles, she’s a white, heterosexual son of Baptist doctors from Austin, Texas.

This doctors’ son surely has a story. Perhaps it was an impactful teacher. Perhaps his parents resented him for it. But either way, this young man became a certified meditation teacher, worked in his community for years, mentored disadvantaged children, and studied hard while conducting meaningful research.

As long as the stories are heartfelt and real (and not the gimmick of a child of privilege seeking an advantage), the admissions committee will recognize it. They’ll know one thing for certain about either student: they’ll make a beautifully positive impact on a new graduate campus.

Just remember this:

If you want to write about identity labels in your Diversity Statement, it’s not about whether you are diverse. It’s about whether you’ve contributed to a more diverse world.

The Adversity Elephant in the Room

Students with “adversity stories” often get ridiculously good admissions results…but only if they’ve truly excelled in school. Why?

Consider two NYU classmates. Both have 3.8 GPAs and equal GRE scores. Both have published Political Science papers and submit excellent LORs. Both have years of volunteer work in public advocacy. Both apply to the same grad schools.

One, however, comes from an upper class NYC family. She went to a ritzy private high school. Her father is a Columbia professor and her mother an investment banker. The other student was a political asylee from Egypt. As a child, she saw family members murdered at gunpoint. She fled to America with her siblings, never saw her father again, lived in poverty, and learned English in public school.

Yet, both students achieved the same results. Different inputs, exact same output. Both are magnificent scholars. Both will get into grad school and succeed. One, however, had to work a lot harder to get those results, and for this, she will be rewarded.

When we talk about diversity, it’s not our applicant’s label as an immigrant first-generation college student that makes her special. It’s that she succeeded when all the odds were against her. We know that both of these students will succeed. But one of them, we know, is absolutely invincible.

Now, if our political asylee friend had a 3.4 GPA and no publications, would she get the same admissions results? Almost certainly not. She’ll still get admitted, but not at the most rigorous and competitive programs, or at least not all of them. In this case, the inputs are different, but so are the outputs. The NYC girl starts to look more capable of succeeding in intense graduate-level work.

It’s a complex issue with lots of nuance, and admissions committees take great pains to consider the true potential of every applicant. For this, we should be thankful for the opportunity to tell our story in a Diversity Statement or Personal History. But in the end, it’s a matter of how our “story” compares to the stories of others with similar academic success.

The “Upward Trending GPA” Trap

Many applicants use the Diversity Statement or Personal History to explain obstacles in their pasts that led to less-than-perfect academic performance. Perhaps they dealt with mental illness for one bleak semester. Perhaps they’re a member of the LGBT in an antagonistic religious community. Perhaps they grew up with abusive parents or a misogynist lab colleague made their life a living hell.

Often, when these applicants seek help online, they receive heartwarming advice:

Own your story. It’s who you are and doesn’t reflect your future. But be sure to show the upward trend in your GPA over time. This shows you have overcome those obstacles.

While this advice is correct, many students focus on the first part and make mistakes with the second.

For applicants who maybe have a modest 3.2 GPA, it’s tempting to blame adversity for our lack of success. “This doesn’t reflect my true potential,” they imply . “If I wasn’t a victim, I’d have achieved so much more.” Then they promise that they’ll do better if admitted to the utopia of graduate school.

Yet, this is only a promise. It provides no proof that the future will be different. While admissions committees will certainly sympathize with these candidates, we can’t ignore reality: grad schools aren’t charity organizations. This is still a student with a lower GPA who hasn’t yet proven that he can succeed in the greater challenges of grad school. After all, the GPA is the only verifiable info in the essay.

By using your adversity to justify a lower GPA, you force the reader to focus on the GPA as the final result. You make them double-check your transcripts to see how bad it really is.

Instead of showing yourself to be a champion, you’ve shown yourself to be someone who needs to be saved. In this case, the grad school is the hero, and you’re begging them to save your life.

It’s not a good look.

Thus, the key to being a champion is to never focus on the bad stuff at all . Seriously. Never describe it in any detail. Never paint yourself as a victim. Instead, tell the story of how adversity transformed you into someone who’s made a real and verifiable contribution to the world .

Compare the following two students:

“During sophomore year, I chose to abandon my orthodox Muslim upbringing. The struggle was unbearable, I separated from my family, and depression caused me to earn a 2.4 GPA for two semesters. However, I am proud to have made this decision. Now, I am confident that my GPA does not define who I am, and I feel ready and eager to achieve my full potential.”

“As someone who faced the trauma of severing ties with a deeply orthodox family, I am proud to have spent so many weekends volunteering with Recovering from Religion. In the last three years, I have spent countless hours with young women like me. We have shed tears together. We have provided counseling, academic tutoring, and job placement services. Today, as I graduate on the Dean’s List, I do so alongside an army of strong women who have taken back their lives and found faith in one another.”

One of these students is a champion. The other seems like she might be a tad overconfident.

As one dear friend of mine put it on Reddit , people love Batman for his crime-fighting skills, not because of how much it sucks to be an orphan.

Pro Tip: Leave the GPA stuff in your SOP. But even there, only mention your much higher major GPA or the GPA from your final, better semesters. As professional salespeople teach us: “Never give them a reason to say ‘no.’”

But isn’t this just an essay about volunteer work?

No. Not always.

For students who’ve gone through difficult episodes that lowered their academic performance, they don’t need years of volunteer work to prove themselves a champion. Instead, they need to focus on the results of their transformation , and how it’s made them a better scholar.

(You know all heroes must go through a transformation, right?)

Once, I worked with an uber-successful Engineering applicant. He was admitted to multiple top master’s programs despite a period during undergrad when he was hospitalized due to serious mental illness and saw a massive drop in his GPA.

We know that mental illness is a “ Kiss of Death ” in grad applications, right? We also know that cataclysmic grades are usually the ultimate kiss of death. So, how did this student succeed?

In his Personal History, the student was very careful in describing his issue. It wasn’t a “mental illness,” but a “personal health challenge.” When he mentioned this, he didn’t give it more than a few words . He didn’t want the committee focusing on his problem, nor on the two bad semesters it caused. Instead, he wanted them focusing on what came after.

He said this temporary setback allowed him to concentrate on what he could control …his academic career. He described the rigorous time-management methods he learned. He described the egregious amount of time he spent in his professors’ office hours. He explained how he developed the habit of referencing course materials against other textbooks, often unassigned, and how this led him to the curious discovery of his thesis topic. Most importantly, he pointed out how these skills made him a Dean’s List student for his final four semesters, with a perfect 4.0 in Engineering courses .

In the end, he wasn’t a student recovering from a traumatic episode. He’d already recovered. Now, he was a 4.0 engineer who was obviously ready to succeed even further. His traumatic episode didn’t make him a victim. It was an early chapter in the story of how he transformed into a champion.

The 3 Sections of a Champion Diversity Statement

Inciting Event or Status Quo (1 paragraph)
Gradual Journey Forward and Transformation (2-4 paragraphs)
Living as a Champion Today (1 paragraph)

The key to becoming a champion is to show your transformation occurring gradually over time. This never happens immediately. There is never one fierce decision to change.

If a student says, “the day my father died was the day I decided to become a cancer researcher,” then we don’t believe them. It’s childish. No one can just decide to become a cancer researcher. That takes a thousand small self-discoveries and decisions over years. First they must decide to study medicine. Then they take a cancer-focused class with an inspiring teacher. Then they discover a talent for biostatistics. Then they join a lab where they begin to realize they can truly be a professional researcher.

This slow, gradual transformation is the real story of your essay. By encapsulating this journey in a frame narrative, one that provides a theme for the story and ends by emphasizing your successes and preparedness for the future, you craft an essay that will resonate deeply in the minds of the admissions reader.

1. Inciting Event or Status Quo (1 paragraph)

In this brief, one-paragraph section, you establish the world in which you’ve transformed (and perhaps helped others transform as well). You might describe a tragedy in your life. You might describe the difficulties of growing up in an immigrant family, with parents who never went to college. You might not have experienced major difficulties yourself, but perhaps you’ve witnessed the difficulties others faced, and did what you could to make things better. In a professional, straightforward, mature, unemotional, and completely non-melodramatic tone , you describe that world here.

Appalachia is a beautiful place, though not everyone agrees. This is something I often discussed with my father, a coal miner in Eastern Kentucky, after my mother died. Where we maintain a quiet pride in our landscape and culture, the world outside often paints a different picture. They point to the opioid epidemic. They call our people hostile and uneducated. And in some ways, they are correct. Like many locales throughout the nation, the twenty-five million inhabitants of Appalachia have their own problems. Yet, these problems do not reflect the world in which I was raised.

2. Gradual Journey Forward and Transformation (2-4 paragraphs)

This section will make up the bulk of your essay. Even though I hate “autobiography” SOPs , this longer section of your Diversity Statement will show a chronological journey through time. For most students, this is easy. You don’t need to worry about fancy structures or writing techniques. You just tell your story, all the while remembering the overarching theme. In the example above, we know that the author is going to tell us a story about growing up in rural Kentucky, and how the difficulties gave him strengths that make him a scholar with incredible potential today.

When I left home to attend Georgetown University, I often felt dismayed by how freely my educated classmates mimicked my accent, mouthed a banjo melody, or asked if I grew up in a trailer. (I did.) Occasionally, a classmate with a proclivity for hiking would speak beautifully of the Appalachian Trail, a sentiment I share, though the AT lies three hours away in Virginia. No one ever mentioned the way hundreds of people will stand for hours at the church steps on a hot Saturday, waiting to pay respects to the wife of a fellow miner who has died. No one knew that in my high school, African-American, Latino, Indian, Filipino, Native American, and Korean students roam the halls (as well as one Californian who was the true fish out of water). Few knew that the banjo evolved from the stringed West African akonting.

In many ways, these misunderstandings inspired me to work even harder these past three years, though hard work has never been a problem for me. After spending two summers toiling full-time in the same coal mine as my father, Biostatistics final exams, lab work, and waiting tables on weekends are a pleasure. In fact, it sometimes makes me feel guilty. While I collect tips or compare effects of FLASH radiation therapy, I know my father is ignoring his bad back and arthritic knees, on the night shift, but will still rise to attend church in the morning. What have I done compared to this?

3. Living as a Champion Today (1 paragraph)

In this final section, we arrive at “the point” of your Diversity Statement: that everything you’ve done in life, all you’ve been through, has made you a better candidate for graduate school. You aren’t lamenting the difficulties of your life. You aren’t simply labelling yourself as a member of a disadvantaged community. You’re proving that all this has made you better. Here, you might describe community service and how you’ve given back to the world. But, most importantly, you’ll state why these efforts will help you succeed in your master’s or PhD.

Yet as difficult as these realities can be, I know that they will only make me a better student and lab partner at Harvard. I have been fortunate to work as a community ambassador for cancer awareness in both Eastern Kentucky and Northern Virginia. The people with whom I work come from a range of backgrounds, but all share the same struggle, the same one that killed my own mother eight years ago. None of them ever care about my accent. They only appreciate that I am there to serve, just as I will in the classrooms and laboratories at Harvard. Today, I am certain of my readiness to stand alongside researchers of any culture or social class, in pursuit of the scientific goals that most benefit the community around us. In doing this, I will honor my mother, my father, my university, and the land in which I was raised.

A Note on Tone

As I said earlier, you will write in a professional, straightforward, mature, unemotional, and completely non-melodramatic tone . This isn’t a creative writing exercise. It’s not a screenplay. It’s an exercise in clarity and honesty. Don’t paint pictures of the difficult scenes in your life. By telling the story straight, you’ll sound more confident – more like a graduate scholar.

A Note on Time

If the Statement of Purpose is about the future , the Diversity Statement is about the past .

Most universities only want to know what you’ll accomplish in the future. They only ask for an SOP, which is 100% academic, a logical argument for why you’ll make a great chemist, data scientist, or financial engineer.

But those universities who ask for a Diversity Statement or Personal History…they do want to know about your past. This helps them contextualize your future. By seeing how well you understand yourself, they can better determine how valuable you’ll be as a member of their community.

When considering how these two essays work together, think of them like this:

Conclusion on the Diversity Statement

Whatever we call them – Diversity Statements or Personal Contributions – these essays are tricky for everyone. As you begin writing yours, please don’t think you need to fit into some kind of precut mold. Don’t think that grad schools only seek students who fill a demographic quota. Instead, see this as an opportunity to let your individuality and contributions shine. You aren’t beholden to identity labels or the community in which you grew up. You aren’t a failure because of a few dark days, nor are you less attractive as a scholar because your life has been comparatively smooth.

We all have issues to work out. We all have an identity formed in the crucible of our unique experiences. What matters is only that you changed, grew, evolved, transformed, and have now become someone who’s capable of making a wonderful impact on the world. Someone who’s willing to be a champion. Even if your efforts are quiet, even if the best you can do is remain open-hearted and respectful to everyone you encounter in the classroom or lab, you can be on the side of the champions, and there will be a spot in grad school for you.

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Shaping the future of work: the role of diversity statements in job applications

Jun 01, 2023

Freelance writer

In the sea of job applications, standing out from the crowd can feel daunting. However, there’s a new tool in the modern jobseeker’s kit that can help set you apart: the diversity statement. As our global society becomes increasingly diverse, organizations are placing a premium on fostering inclusive environments. Consequently, a well-crafted diversity statement can play a pivotal role in your job application and interview process.

A diversity statement is a powerful personal essay that allows you to share your unique experiences and insights about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). More than just an add-on to your cover letter and resume, this statement can illuminate your commitments to DEI, highlight your understanding of the barriers in the current job market, and showcase how you can contribute to an equitable and diverse workplace.

Because including a diversity statement is not always required in an interview process, and is a relatively new way for applicants to showcase themselves, the guidelines for perfecting it aren’t so obvious. Luckily, we’ve done the research for you and asked some DEI experts to weigh in and give some tips and insights for creating the best diversity statement possible.

Crafting your diversity statement

Before delving into the specifics of writing a diversity statement, it’s crucial to understand a few fundamental considerations. A well-written diversity statement should clearly define your understanding of diversity and how it has shaped your personal and professional journey . It should offer concrete examples from your past roles or experiences where you’ve contributed to fostering diversity and inclusion. Moreover, it should delineate your future plans to further nurture DEI values in your career .

Clarify what you mean by diversity

You may or may not define your terms in the actual statement itself, but it should be clear what you mean by diversity and how it relates to you and your personal journey. What does diversity mean to you personally? How has the concept of DEI been incorporated into your personal or professional past?

Share relevant past experiences

Including specific ways in which you have helped a company develop or have grown yourself in a previous role or experience should be a main talking point in your diversity statement. This is a good way to avoid seeming as if you are generalizing, which might come across as disingenuous . Why are you committed to diversity? What kind of life experiences prompted your commitment?

Include plans for the future

Another way to be specific in your diversity statement is to explain how you plan to use past experiences to grow even further. This demonstrates not only an understanding of diversity in the workplace but a future commitment to learning and expanding both personally and professionally.

The benefits of creating a diversity statement

Renowned throughout education circles for its commitment to diversity, Shenendehowa School District in New York houses its own Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. It’s focused on preserving equity and fostering diverse and inclusive environments where every student feels connected , ensuring the provision of an anti-bias and anti-racist education. Dr. Elizabeth Wood, the Assistant Superintendent of Shenendehowa Central School District, is considered a leader in her field when it comes to DEI in the workplace. She shares her insights on what applicants can include in their diversity statements to stand out in the interview process , as well as some tips and background on the importance of diversity statements in the hiring process.

Showcase your values concretely

Value alignment is more important than ever for job hunters across the US, and by including a diversity statement in your application, you can highlight your values from the get-go. It helps you show employers early on what’s important to you . “It reveals important information about the humanity, character, and commitment of the candidate,” Dr. Wood states. If you’re looking for a company that supports DEI initiatives and this is a non-negotiable for you, a diversity statement could be exactly what you need.

Set yourself apart from the competition

It’s no secret that today’s job market is fiercely competitive. Every single applicant is looking for a way to stand out from the crowd. Diversity statements can help you do just that. However, Dr. Wood recommends not relying solely on the statement to set yourself apart : “I look for service to DEI organizations or accomplishments listed on the resume that highlights diversity,” she explains. “Statements on the application or resume are important too if they indicate more than a trite or superficial commitment to DEI.”

Additionally, Dr. Wood says it’s important to create a statement that is relevant to the field in which you’re applying , and to proceed with care and attentiveness when it comes to diversity. “You can only do this if it’s sincere and doesn’t inappropriately stereotype a cultural group,” she shares.

Including a diversity statement in an application can be a great way for a potential candidate to stand out and showcase their commitment to DEI, by sharing both relevant past experience and future goals. It’s important for applicants to be honest , both about where they are coming from and how they wish to contribute.

The impact of a diversity statement

A compelling diversity statement has the potential to transform your job application from a simple document to a dynamic representation of your personal and professional commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is a platform to not only relay your beliefs and experiences but also project your future vision and intentions of fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace environment . As we navigate through an increasingly diverse global society, your understanding and engagement with DEI principles can mark you as a visionary and empathetic leader in your field.

Remember, a diversity statement is not just a trendy add-on. Instead, it’s a powerful tool that can resonate with prospective employers, demonstrating your sincerity and dedication to building an inclusive world.

Key takeaways

Define diversity: Start by clearly defining what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to you. Make it personal, sharing how these concepts have been part of your life journey and why they matter to you.
Highlight past experiences: Illustrate your commitment to DEI by sharing specific experiences where you have promoted diversity and inclusion, whether in previous roles, community service, or personal life.
Map the future: Show your commitment isn’t just rooted in the past. Share your plans for promoting DEI in the future, showcasing a proactive attitude towards continuing your growth and contribution in this field.
Align your values: Use your diversity statement as a platform to highlight your values. Show potential employers that you prioritize DEI and are seeking a workplace with similar commitments .
Stand out authentically: Make your diversity statement a standout feature of your application. However, ensure your commitment to DEI comes across as genuine and deep-rooted, not superficial or clichéd.
Respect cultural differences: In your efforts to display a commitment to DEI, be cautious not to stereotype or misrepresent cultural groups. Be respectful, understanding, and mindful of cultural sensitivities.

A well-crafted diversity statement can be a competitive edge in your job application, setting you apart as a forward-thinking, empathetic candidate who understands the value of DEI in the modern workplace. Use this tool wisely, and it may become the key that unlocks your next career opportunity.

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Ellin’s Top 7 Tips #5 – How to Write about Diversity and Inclusion

May 17, 2023

Include your experience with DEI
Show allyship
DEI takes lots of forms
Limited DEI experience? Don’t let that stop you.
Promote DEI on campus
Always be authentic
Show long-term commitment
Get expert help

UPDATE: This article was originally posted on August 24, 2022. It has been updated with new information and tips below.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been shifting ever more into the public spotlight after movements like #blacklivesmatter and #MeToo rocked the Internet. Awareness, interest, and support for DEI movements across the globe are gaining long-awaited momentum and fueling a drive for proactive change across communities, industries, and institutions.

Top business schools have also become more focused than ever on connecting with people who have a track record of supporting DEI initiatives and a passion for making spaces more inclusive. More than ever, experience with DEI has now become a central part of your MBA application . In fact, many schools have a specific essay question dedicated to learning about your involvement with diversity.

Whether you belong to a marginalized group yourself or have spoken out for others who do, it is essential that you include these valuable stories in your MBA admissions essays. To help you answer questions focused on DEI effectively, we have compiled our top tips for handling these topics below!

Discussing DEI Tip #1: Include your experience with DEI

If you have experience as a member of a marginalized group or supporting those who belong to marginalized groups, there is no question: you will want to discuss those experiences when applying for your MBA.

Some elite business schools even have questions specifically targeting your experiences with diversity and inclusion . For example, take a look at MIT ’s interview essay question that all candidates are required to respond to for the 2022-2023 application cycle:

In 250 words or less, please describe how you, as a member of the MIT Sloan community, would work to create a campus that is welcoming, inclusive and increasingly diverse. Details for submitting your response will be included in the interview invitation.

With prompts like this, there is no doubt that business schools today want to hear about your experiences with inclusion . However, many schools do not have a dedicated question for talking about DEI. Does that mean they do not want to hear about these experiences? Not at all. Even if your top-choice business school does not explicitly ask about DEI, you definitely want to highlight your experience in your application essays .

That is because – implicitly or explicitly – your business school is highly interested in that aspect of your profile.

Not only do including these stories reveal that you are dedicated to improving equity in your communities – just like they are! – but, more than that, stories featuring DEI can convey other important values , like empathy, a drive to take initiative, fine-tuned interpersonal skills, a global mindset, and a record of community engagement.

So, whether or not they ask, you definitely want to tell your future MBA program about your experiences with DEI.

Discussing DEI Tip #2: Show allyship

I f you belong to a marginalized group yourself, you are probably no stranger to experiencing bias and discrimination. You may have even had many experiences that revolved around battling stigma or fighting for recognition. Beyond that, maybe you have spoken out to join larger discussions in your community, interfaced with others who have more privileged backgrounds, or actively worked to build inclusive spaces. If so, your experiences with DEI should definitely not be left behind in your MBA application.

However, you do not have to belong to a marginalized group to be passionate about promoting DEI. On the contrary – many candidates choose to discuss their experiences with allyship.

As stated in the Harvard Business Review, allyship means supporting those who experience societal marginalization:

“We view allyship as a strategic mechanism used by individuals to become collaborators, accomplices, and coconspirators who fight injustice and promote equity in the workplace through supportive personal relationships and public acts of sponsorship and advocacy. Allies endeavor to drive systemic improvements to workplace policies, practices, and culture.” – Harvard Business Review

As discussed in the article, there are many ways for leaders to show allyship . Beyond self-education about racism, sexism, economic privilege, and other topics, as well as seeking and accepting feedback about one’s behavior, allyship can be expressed in a multitude of ways. This can include becoming a trusted advisor for someone experiencing bias; watching out for and intervening against bias and discrimination, and creating safe spaces and communities to promote discussion, awareness, and proactive activism of inclusion and equity.

Whatever your experience with DEI – direct or indirect – if you are passionate about equity, you should definitely use your MBA essays to discuss your drive to make inclusion front and center. Whatever your experience with the subject, be sure to include the action steps you took to support yourself or others and what you learned about inclusion in the process.

Discussing DEI Tip #3: DEI takes lots of forms

When we think of creating inclusive spaces, many jump immediately to supporting prominent groups, such as people of color, underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, members of the LGBTQI+ community, or women . Showing your support for these groups is excellent! However, diversity, equity, and inclusion go far beyond these communities.

For example, you may be passionate about educational equity. Many who cannot afford or do not have access to educational opportunities become marginalized as both students and adults. Showing how you have helped those who did not have the privilege of a quality education gain more equal opportunities is a surefire way of demonstrating your commitment to inclusivity.

Similarly, you have no doubt made experiences involving economic disparity. Unfortunately, the wealth gap has expanded worldwide in recent decades – a trend that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic – leading to an increase in poverty and a growing class of people struggling daily to make ends meet. If you have helped increase economic equity , discussing those experiences can be a great topic for your MBA essay.

Similarly, ableism remains a common issue throughout society – and many people are unaware of ableist privilege as they turn a blind eye to infrastructure that they can take for granted. Using your MBA admissions essay to talk about how you have helped make communities and spaces better for people with disabilities can also be a great way to focus on DEI. Moreover, talking about activism for those suffering from mental health disorders can also reveal your support for those who society often leaves behind.

Furthermore, promoting diversity spans country lines and cultural borders. Sadly, xenophobia is all too common in every country on the planet as some fear losing touch with longstanding traditions and nationalism continues to be on the rise. In our globalized environment, speaking out for or acting to support foreigners is an essential part of creating inclusive spaces.

Of course, these examples are by no means comprehensiv e. All the more reason to remember that marginalization affects all kinds of people in every community.

Discussing DEI Tip #4: Limited DEI experience? Don’t let that stop you.

Even if you have very limited experience with DEI or are just beginning to become aware of the social injustices that plague our planet, that need not limit you. You can still discuss your drive to make a change to help increase diversity around you.

For example, you can include your drive to lead DEI efforts as a future professional!

As you may know, all business schools look for candidates with clearly-defined goals . As such, your goals essay is a central pillar of your application for many top MBA programs. Of course, a key part of your goals essay is not only your goals themselves but your vision for impact .

Your vision for impact goes beyond your goals to show deeper reflection and motivation for your professional trajectory by stating what you hope to change or achieve in each position as a future leader. While this often has to do with disrupting or improving a specific aspect of your professional field, it can also involve your commitment to making workplaces better for both employees and customers .

In fact, making inclusion or diversity an explicit part of your vision for the future can be a great way to emphasize your passion for the topic. For example, you could be driven to focus on ensuring that hiring practices support marginalized groups, creating work groups to discuss and prioritize diversity efforts, or shifting company branding to make sure everyone feels spoken to.

Remember though – the key to a strong goals statement includes showing your motivation for your goals as well as your area of impact, so you must ensure this is clear throughout your essays even if you have limited DEI experience.

Discussing DEI Tip #5: Promote DEI on campus

But hold on – you don’t have to wait until graduation to start advocating for inclusion! Instead, you can also show the adcom that you know that you don’t plan on staying idle when it comes to DEI by discussing how you plan to engage in social justice initiatives while earning your MBA .

Another key value for all business schools is community, so you want to be sure to show what you plan to contribute to the program that is giving you the tools you need to succeed. While there are lots of ways to do so , supporting DEI initiatives on campus is a great way to get involved.

Not sure where to start? Take a look at these examples!

Inform yourself about your program’s DEI offerings and mission statement and help spread the message to other students
Provide academic support to marginalized groups at your bschool or local public schools
Join one of your institution’s DEI initiatives, such as Emory’s Black MBA Association or LBS’ Out in Business
Start a new, unique DEI initiative or club
Create a program within the local community to promote or support DEI
Network with local businesses about the value of DEI
Support your peers’ DEI challenges and concerns, for example, through NYU’s Wellness Exchange
Establish programs for monitoring, measuring, and integrating DEI measures on campus

However you decide to use your strengths to promote DEI during your MBA and strengthen your business school community, discussing your intentions to equal the playing field for your fellow classmates and campus affiliates is a must-have for your MBA application.

Not sure how to discuss initiating DEI in your future MBA program? Or how to do so within the often limited word count ?

If you are looking for help, don’t hesitate to check out our MBA Resource Center! There, you can find dozens of past successful essays and detailed brainstorming worksheets to help you plan out a winning essay. Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join !

Discussing DEI Tip #6: Always be authentic

Although it goes without saying, I am going to say it anyway. If there is one thing you should NEVER do, it is embellish or fabricate a passion for diversity or inclusion.

In other words, you should only discuss your commitment to DEI if you are, in fact, committed .

With diverse applicants from around the world with years of experience, MBA admissions committees will spot insincerity in a heartbeat . More importantly, inauthentically claiming to drive change is deeply disrespectful to the millions of marginalized people, allies, and advocates who are struggling to create a better future for us all.

So, if you are not truly committed to inclusion, leave it out of your MBA application essays entirely.

Discussing DEI Tip #7: Show long-term commitment

To really underline your commitment to promoting inclusive spaces, there is no better way to convince the adcom that you mean it than showing a pattern of commitment .

By showing how you have advocated for DEI in the past and connecting those experiences with how you plan to do so in the future, on-campus or beyond, you reveal to the admissions committee that DEI is not just an interest but a fundamental value .

Make Sure Your Essays Get You In

We no longer live in a world where individuals, businesses, or industries can ignore the needs of those who suffer from inequity. Moreover, it is essential that each does their part to support, uplift, and empower those who do.

Of course, eloquently and effectively communicating your experiences with DEI can be challenging. That’s why Ellin Lolis Consulting is here to help! From helping you understand how DEI fits into your personal brand to understanding the type of impact you intend to make, we have extensive experience helping candidates tell stories that land them an interview with their top MBA programs.

That’s why many candidates turn to us to help put our 98.9% acceptance rate and personalized approach to work for them .

As our client (and Columbia Business School grad) Elisa said, “Ellin Lolis MBA Consulting helped me clarify my goals for the future and communicate those ideas effectively in my various essays. I’m confident that their editing suggestions helped me present myself as the best candidate I could be, which led to acceptances at every school to which I applied.

I would highly recommend Ellin Lolis as they were fantastic at helping me flesh out ideas I had in my head in a way that would make the most impact with an admissions committee. I also appreciated the personalized approach.”

So click here and put our expertise to work for your application!

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Diversity in the Classroom: Teaching, Types, and Examples

School children sit on the floor and listen to their teacher read a storybook.

Learning about and understanding diversity in the classroom can enhance the perspective of both prospective and developing teachers in many ways as they engage with the realities of today’s classrooms.

First, today’s teachers are likely to confront a range of different types of students—students with different socioeconomic backgrounds, different learning abilities/disabilities, and different ethnic or religious identities. Second, working effectively with classroom diversity is critical to promoting educational equity and optimizing both access and outcomes. Third, learning about diversity and developing strategies for working productively with those who are different entails short- and long-term benefits for students. Finally, diversity in the classroom is a teaching tool and opportunity for educational enrichment in itself.

Explore the impact of diversity in education, why diversity matters for students, and how teachers can foster diverse and inclusive learning environments.

Educational Equity

Educational equity refers to the idea that every student should have access to the necessary resources to reach their full academic potential.

Without educational equity, academic success is significantly more difficult for some students. Systemic barriers—such as housing insecurity, inadequate nutrition, and underfunded classrooms—continue to prevent students from reaching their full potential. Certain groups of students do not receive the same educational opportunities and accommodations as their peers. This can lead to a lack of diversity in the workforce, barriers to social mobility, mental health issues, and increased poverty.

When students from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to the same resources and opportunities as their more privileged peers, they are more likely to succeed academically and professionally. Educational equity is important because it prioritizes all students having the opportunity to reach their potential, regardless of their identity or circumstances.

Diversity, Culture, and Social Identities

Diversity in the classroom refers to differences in social identities. A person’s age, race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, and nationality all comprise a person’s social identity. Our identities are intersectional and overlapping, and many aspects of our identities change over time.

Types of diversity that can be present in the classroom include:

Ability diversity : This includes differences in students’ physical, mental, and learning abilities.
Age diversity : This includes differences in students’ ages.
Gender diversity : This includes differences in students’ gender identity and expression.
Ethnic diversity : This includes differences in race, ethnicity, national origin, and languages spoken at home.
Religious diversity: This includes differences in belonging to and identifying with the values and/or practices of a particular religion or sect.
Socioeconomic diversity : This includes differences in income, education levels, occupations, and housing security and stability with regard to students or their families.
Experiential diversity : This includes differences in students’ life experiences, such as immigration, military service, adoption, or foster care.
Sexual orientation diversity : This includes differences in students’ sexual orientations.
Geographic diversity : This includes differences in students’ local or regional identity and experiences based on where they live, learn, and play.

Diversity in the classroom is not limited to these examples. Individuals can belong to multiple social groups at the same time. Note that diversity is not only about visible differences. Along with the last three categories above, differences in learning styles, personality, mental health, and more are often present without being visible.

Why a Diverse Teacher Workforce Matters

Diversity in the classroom is not limited to the student population—it includes teachers, too.

The teacher workforce that supports elementary students is far less racially and ethnically diverse in the US than the students they teach, according to data published in 2021 by Pew Research Center. While the share of Asian American, Black, and Hispanic teachers has increased over the past two decades, this minor increase has not kept pace with the rapid diversification of the general US population.

For example, Pew reports that between 2017 and 2018 (the most recent study based on National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data):

79 percent of US public school teachers identified as non-Hispanic White, whereas only 47 percent of all public elementary students identified this way.
9 percent of US public school teachers identified as Hispanic, whereas 27 percent of public elementary students identified as Hispanic.
7 percent of US public school teachers identified as Black, whereas 15 percent of public elementary students identified as Black.

Recent empirical studies show evidence for improved learning outcomes for students who have teachers from the same racial and/or ethnic groups. According to findings synthesized by Brookings Institute in 2022, students who had a same-race teacher tended to experience educational benefits such as:

Improved test scores
Improved course grades
Improved working memory
Better attendance
Better interpersonal self-management
Higher likelihood of taking an advanced math class
Higher likelihood of being selected for a gifted and talented program
Higher likelihood to graduate from high school
Higher likelihood to intend to enroll in college

Diversifying our educational system must therefore include increasing the representation of teachers who belong to different racial and ethnic communities. Students of color deserve to have the opportunity to learn from teachers who may share similar cultural experiences as them.

Teaching Diversity in the Classroom

Valuing inclusion in the classroom can help to create a more respectful learning environment for everyone.

Students can be taught as early as pre-school and elementary school how to use accurate terms to describe their own social identity. For example, a child can proudly affirm that they are both Black and Korean American, having a mother who is a Black woman from Chicago and a father who is a Korean man from Busan. Likewise, a child can proudly affirm simply having two mothers or two fathers.

Students should also learn to celebrate and respect people from cultures different from their own. Diversity is crucial for elementary school students to learn about because it helps them to appreciate the differences among people and cultures. In a rapidly diversifying world, students deserve educators and educational resources that teach diversity in the classroom and affirm the importance of inclusion, respect, and justice for all.

Learning about diversity from an early age can lead to more inclusive and respectful interactions with others and can also help students develop a sense of empathy and understanding for people who may have different experiences or perspectives.

Kids often express a natural curiosity toward the food, sports, art, clothes, children’s books , games, toys, and dances of different cultures. This openness and enthusiasm for learning from and about people who are different is something teachers must encourage and nurture.

Students who learn to appreciate and support members of diverse groups as children can grow up to be strong leaders of diverse and inclusive communities.

Contribute to the Ongoing Effort to Diversify Education

With the right teaching tools, educators can foster diversity and inclusion for the next generation of students. The significance of diversity in the classroom takes its impetus directly from a historical context where many classrooms were not diverse–either by political fiat or teaching philosophy–but its impact and its mission lies in promoting equity and positive outcomes for today’s students.

If you’re interested in an enriching career as an educator who embraces the mission of using diversity in the classroom as an educational opportunity, American University’s online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and online Master of Education (MEd) in Education Policy and Leadership programs may be a great next step for you. We prepare graduates with the tools they need to approach the diversity landscape in education with an informed perspective and teach students from diverse backgrounds.

Start pursuing your goals in education with American University.

How to Be a Better Teacher in 2023

Teaching Anti-Racism in the Classroom: Strategies for Educators

Anti-Racism in the Classroom: Tips and Resources for Teaching About Racism

American Psychological Association, The Benefits of Diversity Education

Brookings, “It Matters Now More than Ever: What New Developments Say about Teacher Diversity and Student Success”

Edutopia, “A Troubling Lack of Diversity in Educational Materials”

Education Trust, “Educators of Color Make the Case for Teacher Diversity”

Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics, “What is Religious Identity?”

National Equity Project, Educational Equity Definition

Pew Research Center, “U.S. Public School Teachers Much Less Racially Diverse than Students”

ProAct Indy, Why is Diversity Important in Schools?

New America, “The Representation of Social Groups in U. S. Educational Materials and Why it Matters”

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Diversity — Why Diversity is Important:

Why Diversity is Important:

Categories: Diversity

About this sample

Words: 683 |

Published: Jun 17, 2020

Words: 683 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Works Cited

Department of Defense. (2018). Report to Congress on Diversity and Inclusion in the Armed Services: Fiscal Year 2017. Retrieved from https://media.defense.gov/2018/Aug/10/2001951949/-1/-1/1/FY2017-DOD-DIVERSITY-AND-INCLUSION-REPORT.PDF
Ely, R. J., & Thomas, D. A. (2001). Cultural Diversity at Work: The Effects of Diversity Perspectives on Work Group Processes and Outcomes. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46(2), 229–273.
Herring, C. (2009). Does Diversity Pay?: Race, Gender, and the Business Case for Diversity. American Sociological Review, 74(2), 208–224.
Morrison, A. M., & Von Glinow, M. A. (1990). Women and minorities in management. American Psychologist, 45(2), 200–208.
National Defense University Press. (2017). The Importance of Diversity in the Military. Retrieved from https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Portals/68/Documents/stratperspective/inss/Strategic-Perspectives-28.pdf
Parker, A., & Hackett, C. (2011). Diversity in organizations: Where are we now and where are we going? Human Resource Management Review, 21(2), 93–104.
Pelled, L. H., Eisenhardt, K. M., & Xin, K. R. (1999). Exploring the Black Box: An Analysis of Work Group Diversity, Conflict, and Performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(1), 1–28.
Roberson, Q. M. (2007). Disentangling the Meanings of Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations. Group & Organization Management, 32(3), 371–390.
Thomas, D. A. (1990). The Inﬂuence of Race and Racial Identity in Psychotherapy: Toward a Racially Inclusive Model. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 27(2), 190–196.
Worley, J. A. (2005). Diversity Management in the U.S. Army: What is it and Where is it Headed? Retrieved from https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA436931.pdf

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Cultural Diversity Essay: Topics, Tips, & Example

Benefits & challenges of cultural diversity.

💡 51 Essay Topics
📑 Outlining Your Paper
✍️ Essay Example

🔗 References

🎎 cultural diversity essay: the key issues.

What does cultural diversity mean? That’s what we need to understand before we start writing. Cultural diversity is when several cultures are mixed.

The picture contains cultural diversity definition.

Take America, for example.

You can taste a vast number of national cuisines. Or you can hear a lot of national music. All that is due to different cultures co-existing here together.

Cultural diversity can be confused with multiculturalism. The first concept means the way society deals with multiple cultures in one place. The second one assumes that the more cultures interact, the better. And there are many ways this interaction can go.

The picture lists the two types of multiculturalism theories.

There are two main theories of multiculturalism :

The melting pot theory. That holds the idea of different cultures “melting” together. They lose their individual features completely, forming one single culture. The situation with American immigrants shows this pretty well.
The salad bowl theory. The less grim theory describes not full but partial cultural losses. The cultures here don’t cease to exist in order to become one. They rather co-exist, keeping their uniqueness intact. Sounds great, but it leaves more room for discrimination and conflicts.

Cultural diversity is an issue that affects several aspects. Mostly education, business, and the economy in general. And every issue has its pros and cons. Here are some good things and challenges that cultural diversity can bring to a business company.

Cultural diversity benefits:

More competitive teams
More markets available
New cultural horizons
More creativity
More skills

Cultural diversity challenges:

Risks of misunderstandings
Problems with productivity
Risks of unhealthy competition
More stereotypes
More red tape
Diverse cultures – diverse teams. And diversion in a group leads to more perspectives on issues the team faces. It keeps the atmosphere fresh and competitive. And as long as you keep this competitive spirit healthy, you are good to go.
More cultures – more markets available. Diverse companies have more information about foreign markets. Thanks to the fact that for some employees, foreign markets are not foreign at all. As a result, you are less likely to create an offensive ad or product.
More diverse – more attractive. Trying to find employees with different cultures can be beneficial. You may find a hidden talent for your company. And attract new applicants by opening new cultural horizons.
More diversity – more creativity. An international team focuses on different experiences in one place. And such a team always comes out with a stream of fresh ideas.
More diversity – more skills. People with different cultural backgrounds have different skill sets. With that, your company would have way more possibilities. Coming up with a new product or service will become a much easier task.
Different cultures – different etiquette. Business etiquette is something that differs from culture to culture. It can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or conflicts within the team.
Different people – different ways to work. Workers from Europe are used to the idea of individuality. Asian employees tend to work as a single organism. Now imagine what happens if you make these folks work together. Correct, a lot of problems with productivity that you’ll need to solve.
More cultures – more competition. And as we said before, you always need to keep this competition in check. Once it stops being healthy, you will have some voices of the team silenced. And some others will become needlessly loud.
More cultures – more stereotypes. And stereotypes can lead to barriers between employees. You don’t want your team to fight over nationality issues. So, you should prepare to fight possible prejudices that can occur.
More foreigners – more red tape. This is a purely practical problem. Law that covers foreigners’ work conditions can be tricky to follow. Additional expenses, necessary documents, and accommodation. All of this need attention, so make sure to give it.

💡 51 Cultural Diversity Essay Topics

Making a cultural diversity essay topic is easy and complicated at the same time. The vastness of the issue gives a lot of possible options. But choosing the option you want can be a bit tricky. Here are some ideas for a possible topic.

Cultural diversity now and in the medieval ages.
Multiculturalism is the best way to handle diversity in cultures.
What misunderstandings can occur between Asian and European business people?
Tensions between the British and the French: roots and misconceptions.
Can cultural diversity be unethical?
Possible alternatives to a multicultural society.
The importance of language in forming a culture.
What are the musical tastes of different cultures?
Women in Muslim societies: the kingdom of strangers.
Art as a source of cultural knowledge.
Hispanic American diversity.
Creating a culturally diverse company in America and China: compare and contrast.
Diversity & discrimination of women in the workplace.
Traditional music as a way to know the culture.
Aboriginal and Chinese Australians: cultural diversity.
Cultural diversity as a business practice.
Diversity at the workplace: problem and importance.
The myth of Irish people being drunks.
The ethnic diversity in the U.S. metropolitan areas.
The role of women in different cultures.
Cultural movement: hip-hop-related films.
Comparing the most and the least diverse countries in the world.
Issues of cross-cultural communication.
Integrating refugees into society and the way to do it right.
Women and economics: historical and or cultural change.
The role of the Internet in cultural diversity.
Cross-cultural communication and barriers.
Studying abroad. What to prepare for and how to adjust your cultural background.
Socio-cultural contributions to gender roles.
The American and the Chinese take on education.
Universalism vs. cultural relativism in human rights.
The vital role of cultural heritage.
Intercultural and cross-cultural communication research.
The connection between globalization and cultural diversity.
Family, cultural legacies, and identity formation.
Different attitudes towards children in different cultures.
Cultural and traditional values’ importance in society.
The wrongs of The Melting Pot theory.
Different aspects of intercultural nonverbal communication.
The art of making a gift in different countries.
Chinese culture and cross-cultural communication.
The biological necessity of cultural diversity.
Intercultural relationship and communication.
Cultural diversity in healthcare.
Intercultural assumptions, prejudices and viewpoints.
How to promote cultural diversity in schools? The right and the wrong ways.
Multicultural competence and cultural identity.
Diversity awareness is a part of any rational mind.
Cross-cultural differences and interactions.
The issue of some cultures being violent.
Food anthropology as the study of food in diverse cultures.

Need more ideas? You are welcome to use our title-making tool !

📑 Cultural Diversity Essay Outline

Every essay needs planning first, and you will need an outline for that. An outline for an essay on cultural diversity has a lot in common with any other essay layout. Let’s see an example of one.

Cultural Diversity Essay Introduction

The introduction serves 3 goals:

grab readers’ attention,
provide them with a thesis statement,
give background information.

The introduction leads your audience to the topic and gives an overall impression of the following text.

An introduction usually includes:

Background information. Information that the reader needs to know before going deeper into the essay.
Hook. Serves an attention-grabbing purpose. A hook is usually a controversial or intriguing statement that makes the reader interested in further material.
For example: “All Irish people are drunks, and all French people like to surrender, right? Wrong.”
Thesis statement. A thesis gives the general idea of the whole essay. This one can be a huge pain to make. Shortly speaking, it must be concise, brief, and open for discussion. For example:

“While cultural diversity creates a lot of problems, multiculturalism that encourages every culture and discovers new ways to fight prejudice can be the best solution.”

Cultural Diversity Essay Body

The body of an essay is the most significant part of it. In a 5-paragraph work , your body will consist of 3 paragraphs. Each should describe one of the arguments you used to support your thesis.

Cultural Diversity Essay Conclusion

It’s the last paragraph of your assignment that sums up all the text above. You don’t need to add anything new in a conclusion . Just restate your position and show how your arguments helped you prove it.

✍️ Cultural Diversity Essay Example

And finally, let’s take a look at a complete sample of a cultural diversity essay.

Taking note of the disparities in ethnicity, income, health, locations, and education between the two groups described in the foregoing discussions, one cannot fail to recognize the importance of cultural competence in providing various services, including food services to different ethno-cultural groups in the U.S. society. To achieve cultural competence in a food service organization, it is imperative for food service directors to make various accommodations in the workplace. Making culturally competent accommodations in the workplace is essential for a number of reasons listed in the below paragraphs.

The number of aging Americans is projected to increase by the year 2030, and, according to the Healthy People 2010 report, there is a need to eliminate disparities in service delivery by encouraging outreach to the underserved populations, including those in economic need, minorities, and elderly people (85 years and over) (Reppas, Rosenzweig and National Policy and Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging, Florida International University par. 3). As a result, nutrition programs form the basis for promoting health, and therefore it is important for food service providers to promote the provision of culturally competent services through acquiring and training culturally sensitive staff (Reppas et al. par. 4).

Most importantly, there is a need for food service staff and volunteers, especially those serving the elderly population, which comprise people from diverse cultures, to have relevant cultural competency skills, such as compassion, respect, and empathy to ensure that their services are appreciated and valued by the primary customers (Reppas et al. para. 4-6).

Today’s business culture demands that an organization recruits and retains a diverse workforce by creating an environment that accommodates and values the employees’ knowledge, values, beliefs, culture, and skills. This can be achieved through integrating culturally competent values into the organization’s mission, business strategies, and vision. As a result, this move will encourage employees to share their ideas, skills, and innovations, which will contribute to the success and growth of the entire organization.

A culturally diverse workplace encourages equity and increases staff skills in different departments, especially customer care where language skills and cultural competence are imperative because of the need for the staff to understand and communicate efficiently with the primary customers. In a culturally diverse environment, employees are given the opportunity to interact and learn from their colleagues. This experience exposes them to new ideas and skills for decision making, which will result in responsive service delivery to people from different cultures.

And with that, all that is left to do is wish you good luck on your assignment. By the way, if you’ll need to make a title page for your cultural diversity essay, you might want to use our title page generator .

Let us know which part of the article you found the most useful, and have a great day! Thank you for your time.

❓ Cultural Diversity FAQ

What does cultural diversity mean.

Cultural diversity is a situation when several cultures co-exist together. The bigger the number – the more diverse community is. The term can include representation and acknowledgment of each culture.

How to promote cultural diversity in schools?

Promoting diversity in a school can be achieved in various ways. Hiring a diverse team of teachers or organizing student meetings. Having regular open conversations on inequality is also a good idea. All of that can contribute to the cause significantly.

How to promote cultural diversity in the workplace?

Diversity in the workplace can benefit from different things:

Forming multicultural teams.
Encouraging less represented cultures.
Hiring mentors to work the issue through.

How do you promote cultural diversity in early childhood?

Letting your child interact with members of different cultures can be incredibly beneficial. It will erase any possibility of forming a prejudice. The market lately is blooming with children’s literature covering diversity issues. Make sure to use it well.

Cultural diversity – UNESCO
The Importance of Diversity in the Classroom | Drexel University
Multiculturalism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Culture and diversity – NSW Department of Education
What Is Multiculturalism? Definition, Theories, and Examples
Multiculturalism | Definition, Impact, Challenges, & Facts

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Home / Essay Samples / Sociology / Diversity / What Does Diversity Mean to You: Exploring Personal Experience

What Does Diversity Mean to You: Exploring Personal Experience

Category: Sociology , Life
Topic: Cultural Diversity , Diversity , Personal Experience

Pages: 2 (814 words)

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What Does Diversity Mean to You: My Experience

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What Diversity Means to Me

Danielle M​oore '17

Charis Redmond '17

Clint Cowan '16

Josh Burk '16

Dana Wallace '16

Philip Hurst '16

Read more about what students say about diversity at UVA Law .

How to Write a College Diversity Essay – Examples & Tips

What is a diversity essay for college?

Diversity Essay Examples and Topics

How does diversity make you who you are as a person or student?

How has your identity or background affected your life?

How will your diversity contribute to the college campus and community?

Tell stories about your lived experience

Diversity Essay Sample Prompts From Colleges

Diversity Essay Sample #1: University of California

Diversity Essay Sample #2: Duke University

Diversity Essay Sample #3: University of Washington

Diversity Essay Sample #4: University of Michigan

Frequently Asked Questions about Diversity Essays

What is most important to focus on in my diversity essay?

How long should a diversity essay be?

Prepare your college diversity essay for admission

Which program are you applying to?

Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

How to show you can add to diversity

Want our advice on how you can best show diversity?

Working on your diversity essay?

What does diversity mean to you? Sample interview answers & more

7 sample answers to “What does diversity mean to you?” interview question

Think out loud, explain your thought process

Do not be afraid of a philosophical answer

What is diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Get to know and directly engage with senior McKinsey experts on diversity, equity, and inclusion

What are the differences between diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Why is diversity in the workplace important?

Introducing McKinsey Explainers : Direct answers to complex questions

What other benefits can organizations realize from inclusion and diversity?

How can organizations foster an inclusive workplace?

What is intersectionality?

What issues are important to women in the workplace?

What do we know about advancing racial equity for Black Americans in the US private sector and across society?

What issues are important to Latinos in the workplace?

How can we empower Asian Americans at work?

What does research show about the experiences of LGBTQ+ employees in the workplace?

How do different industries approach diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Want to know more about diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Diversity wins: How inclusion matters

The elusive inclusive workplace

Women in the Workplace 2022

Diversity Statement 101: An Essay Guide for Champions

What Does “Diversity” Mean?

The Adversity Elephant in the Room

The “Upward Trending GPA” Trap

But isn’t this just an essay about volunteer work?

The 3 Sections of a Champion Diversity Statement

A Note on Tone

A Note on Time

Conclusion on the Diversity Statement

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Shaping the future of work: the role of diversity statements in job applications

Crafting your diversity statement

Clarify what you mean by diversity

Share relevant past experiences

Include plans for the future

The benefits of creating a diversity statement

Showcase your values concretely

Set yourself apart from the competition

The impact of a diversity statement

Key takeaways

More inspiration: Applying for jobs

Lost in translation: Decoding bizarre job descriptions

Nailing your job search: Writing a to-don’t list for success

Maximizing your references: Turning recommendations into opportunities

Love bombing: Are overenthusiastic recruiters friends or foes?

Invisible disabilities and the job hunt: Should you bring it up?

The newsletter that does the job

Looking for your next job opportunity?

Ellin’s Top 7 Tips #5 – How to Write about Diversity and Inclusion

Danielle Moore '17