Josh Sloan

Living in a particularly homogenous community consisting of predominantly white Jews, the diversity mentioned in the articles “In Queens: A Melting Pot, and a Closed Book” by Adam Ellick and “The Meltingest Pot” by Suketu Mehta are relatively foreign to me. When I was admitted into the Macaulay Honors College and given the opportunity to dorm, I immediately took the opportunity. It was in this new community that I was truly introduced to diversity.

The ethnic boarders and barriers spoken about in the article by Ellick are the furthest things from reality in the Macaulay dorms. Despite being a minority as a religious Jew, I was embraced as a Macaulay student and began constructing friendships with people of all backgrounds. I am grateful for the welcoming personalities of the Macaulay dorms inhabitants and even more appreciative due to this not being the case universally.

A good friend of mine lives in Flushing, Queens a place that epitomizes ethnic segregation. The other night, as I was picking up Chinese food from a restaurant down Main Street, I was exposed to a blatant cultural boarder. My friend lives in a densely populated Jewish community where spotting anyone from a different background is highly unlikely. As I drove down Main Street, there was no gradual transition from Jewish community to China Town, but a dramatic shift from primarily all Jews to a community of mainly Asian descent.

This revelation had a profound impact as I internalized and cogitated on what I saw. This example of homogeneity reminded me of the isolated feeling I felt growing up in a Jewish community; a somber and insignificant feeling. My background and personal experience have led me to be extremely gratified with my choice of dorming at the Macaulay dorms and I haven’t looked back since.

Josh Sloan