"When I first came here, I remember wishing that I was blonde, light-skinned, and taller. I literally looked at myself in the mirror in my room, looked at my skin, and thought, 'I'm so brown.' 

I realized I had two decisions. One: I could reject my culture and skin color and conform to my desire to assimilate to Whiteness. Two: I could embrace who I am, the color of my skin, and really learn more about why I feel this way and why other students might feel this way."