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Giving everyone a seat at the table: The importance of diversity at IE University

One of IE University’s distinguishing features is its diversity. With students from all around the world, our community is made up of countless stories, backgrounds, cultures and languages

This plethora of nationalities and experiences not only makes our community more open-minded as we discover new ways of thinking and looking at the world, but it also enriches our learning experiences. In this blog post, Laura de Lima, a student from the Bachelor in Behavior and Social Sciences tells us what diversity means to her and the value this brings to life at IE University.

I was born in Cali, Colombia, where I lived throughout my entire childhood. I came to Spain at the age of 18 to start my Bachelor in Behavior and Social Sciences at IE University. I have just begun the third year of my studies, and I am extremely excited to find out what I’ll discover over these next two years.

I decided to study behavior and social sciences because of my curiosity for people. I wanted to understand how we behave and why, what are the drivers for our thoughts and actions, and what can be done to impact these behaviors in a positive way. I was constantly intrigued by various situations and behaviors, and this led me to pursue this field of study with such enthusiasm.

In addition, having grown up in Colombia, I believe diversity is a beautiful aspect of culture. The beauty of our culture lies in its diversity—in more ways than one. There is diversity in the country’s flora and fauna, the ethnicities and identities of our people, our traditions, and the cultural origins of our community. Among all these differences in the country, there is a huge ethnic and linguistic diversity. Colombia is home to a vast variety of traditions, beliefs, and ideas—from the Afro-Colombian communities in the Caribbean, to the mestizo groups in the Andes and the indigenous populations in the Amazon. I have always thought of this diversity as one of Colombia’s strongest attributes, and as something we should all be proud of.

When I arrived at IE University, I knew I was faced with a fantastic opportunity to understand diversity even better. I discovered a community that publicly embraced its international diversity, featuring people from all backgrounds and with all kinds of stories to tell. I feel that IE University strives to be a place where people not only understand but value diversity. We can all be proud of the international community we are a part of.

In this regard, I believe diversity is not just about having different people in the same room. It’s about giving everyone a seat at the table and allowing their voices to be heard and acknowledged. The fact that we have so many people from so many different places is fantastic, and we must ensure that we build and strengthen a community that is diverse, inclusive and gives every person a chance to tell their story.

As I mentioned before, I am a very curious person—especially when it comes to people. For this reason, diversity is something that I find very exciting. I enjoy learning about where other people come from, what their countries are like, what they think about the world and much more. One of the things I enjoy most about studying at IE University is having the opportunity to learn from others in the community and discover the many different perspectives that are all around me.

I truly believe that not only do we need to preserve our diversity, but we should leverage it constantly. Our strengths as an international community lie not in what makes us all the same, but rather those aspects that make us all different.

Through diversity, we can take advantage of what each person has to offer by actively recognizing the value in everyone’s background, story, ideas and ways of thinking. This inclusion is what I believe should push the IE University community forward: to be more creative, more innovative and more appreciative of our respective differences. When we recognize and value each person in our international community, we are open to new ways of understanding the world around us and discovering new ways of interacting with it.

I hope that IE University can continue to give students the international experience that many of us enjoy so much. I am optimistic that, as a community, we can and should be inclusive of all our members so we can take full advantage of our university’s amazing diversity.

Joining IE University means joining an international community of students, professors and entrepreneurs who are united in breaking boundaries while building an inclusive and perspective-enhancing environment. As a key driver of innovation, diversity allows us to examine any given challenge from a range of different perspectives and experiences, preparing us to tackle the world’s biggest and most pressing issues. By working together, there’s no limit to what we can achieve.

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