by Kevin Ho

I grew up in China, where, on the outside, everyone was the same. We all had dark hair and yellow skin, spoke the same language, and practiced the same customs. At age four, I moved to America, and everything changed. Suddenly, most of the people around me didn’t look like me anymore. Moving to the United States made me more aware of my own heritage and culture, and immersed me in the traditions and customs of my friends.

Over the years, I’ve come to better understand the importance and benefits of tolerance and diversity. As a second grader, I often traded my Chinese dumplings for my friend’s Indian naan; as a high school junior, I traded childhood stories with a friend who fled Serbia with her parents during the Bosnian War. And I’ve always remained dedicated to the things that gave me those opportunities: tolerance and understanding.

Model United Nations really changed my view of tolerance from fun and interesting to necessary and important. Originally a provincial math geek, I read more and learned more as a delegate dealing with issues ranging from small arms proliferation to discrimination against HIV/AIDS victims. Through Model UN, I began to understand the international community and the need for people of all backgrounds to work together. As a junior, I wanted to extend the lessons that I had learned to the incoming sophomore class. After being selected as a GA Mentor, I carefully advised each member of my thirty-person delegation on policy issues, research, and preparation. I revised each delegate’s position papers, guided newcomers through online databases, and made myself available to answer any questions. This year, serving as our club’s Secretary-General, I created a video guide to introduce the new sophomores to how the United Nations works to solve problems and create resolutions. I organized the committees for each conference we went to, matching delegates with topics that they would enjoy and excel in. At each conference, I was proud to see how much every delegate grew.

As Vice President of East Brunswick High School’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter this year, I helped to plan a mock same-sex wedding to celebrate the legalization of civil unions in New Jersey and to educate the student body on the freedoms of homosexual couples. We collaborated with the Gay and Straight Peers club to orchestrate a wedding ceremony complete with a judge, two brides, live music, cake, and confetti. Afterwards, we discussed the injustices faced by homosexuals in America and gave the “newlyweds” gifts representing milestones in gay rights. Although we initially expected a small turnout, the entire room was packed – over one hundred people, including parents and teachers, attended that day.

Building upon our success, we held a nighttime event to educate our fellow students on unjust racial profiling in America. I conceived of the centerpiece of the event, an interactive game, from scratch. We created a Monopoly-like board, complete with “Guantanamo Bay,” “Jail,” and “New Jersey Turnpike” spaces, then constructed models and created rules and presentations to go with each. I further oversaw the creation of race-based identity cards, which were randomly given to each guest and used to determine how he or she would be treated during the game. It was pretty crazy, and had never been done before, but in the end it worked – everyone loved the Patriot Game, as we called it, and had fun while gaining an understanding of a pressing concern for all Americans.

Tolerance and understanding have enriched my mind and provided me with a good life in America. Now, all I want is to give back.