Expectations, when in form of prejudice, are hard to overcome.  We sometimes feel as if we are obligated to be a certain way, act a certain way and look a certain way, and sometimes, society agrees, making it all the harder to surpass.

Since we attend an international school and are constantly learning in a culturally diverse environment, we ISB students may have a better appreciation of all cultural differences.

However, that is not to say that prejudice and expectations are completely non-existent, especially when being out of the Nichada “bubble”.  When leaving an environment as safe and understanding as ISB and entering “the real world”, assumptions and expectations may arise.

People may expect you to be an outstanding athlete if you are black and if it turns out athletics are not your strong suit, they might be disappointed.  People may also expect you to be naturally intelligent if you are Asian or they might expect you to be amazing at soccer if you are Brazilian.  All these expectations, however, are examples of stereotypes.

A stereotype is an oversimplified idea of something; it is not reality.  We should not let expectations limit us, because the world is a beautiful place that presents itself with millions of marvelous opportunities.  We all have the right to explore those opportunities and discover who we want to be and what we are passionate about, instead of restricting ourselves to pursue something that we feel forced to follow.

That is the key to overpowering expectations: simply being you.  Thankfully, ISB is an environment where everyone has the opportunity to try whatever he or she personally desires.  We are not restricted or bounded by anything at ISB, which is perhaps why we are all so open-minded and so embracing of our diversity.

That open-mindedness and understanding of human kind is something we should all treasure and bring with us for the rest of our journeys.  It is an understanding that not all human beings have reached yet.  An anonymous source explained that “before, at (their) public school, people assumed that (their) parents were terrorists because of where they came from, but here at ISB, no one has ever mentioned anything like it,”

Assumptions like those could really affect someone’s confidence and restrict their opportunities. The person others expect them to be may be someone full of negative aspects, when in reality, it is only an assumption, and they are very likely to be completely different than what they were perceived as.

Here, it doesn’t matter where you come from, what you look like nor what you do, because the only expectations that we hold of each other is to be a supporting member of a school that embraces diversity.

Carol Zeitune