Pre-Soliya reflection

• Cognitive Maturity :

We were introduced to microaggressions through a video titled What kind of Asian are you ? which portrayed an interaction between two people in which a normal question carried assumptions about someone’s cultural identity. From this video, I learned that microaggressions could be subtle comments or questions that communicate stereotypes or make someone feel excluded. We then participated in an activity where we shared examples of how microaggressions could look like in an everyday conversation. This activity genuinely changed the way I communicate. for example, during a conversation with Emmanuel, I caught myself about to say that I had “become autistic” when what I meant was that I became socially isolated. After I noticed, I proceeded to choose the more accurate expression instead of belittling a legitimate diagnosis. This moment made me realize how much we normalize some expressions without considering what they imply about other people.

Another activity that had a significant impact on me was Spent which we played during class. Usually, when I hear news about people experiencing some sort of catastrophe, I understand that they are going through hardships but I can never experience the same feelings no matter how much I empathize. With spent being designed to immerse you in the experience, I became more aware of how limited choices can affect one’s life. I want to compare this with a discussion we had in class about what message could be more effective to encourage donations. While that activity focused mainly on messages, I noticed how much Spent succeeded at creating an emotional response convincing enough to drive me to donate. This experience taught me that emotional experiences can make problems that felt previously distant feel more personal. This also helped me understand why certain messages encouraging donations might be more effective than others. While facts can inform us about inequality, emotional engagement can motivate us to take action.

Additionally, during one of our lectures, we discussed how bias can be embedded in search engines. We brought up examples like searching “unprofessional hairstyles” that yielded back Black women’s hairstyles, while searching up “nurses” showed mostly white women. Since then, I have become more conscious with what appears in search engines. After that class, I had to search the origin of the name “Ben” when conversing with friends. The AI overview explained its connection to the Hebrew word “son of”. My immediate reaction was to wonder why the overview did not also mention that ben means “son of” in Arabic as well. That experience made me think more about the bias controlling our search engines which we often overlook.

Binna Kandola’s video Diffusing Bias challenged my understanding of bias further where he explains that everyone has unconscious biases and what is important is whether we recognize and question them. it made me wonder whether my own ambitions influence how I see people. I tend to be very goal oriented where I place a big importance on making the most of my opportunities. I wonder whether this sometimes leads me to interpret people who approach opportunities differently as less motivated even though they might just have different priorities. This made me realize that unconscious bias may influence expectations we develop about other people’s behavior.

Finally, I really enjoyed the garden activity we did to understand intersectionality. During the activity, we explored how different combinations of identities could influence the advantages and disadvantages a person experiences which helped me visualize how different aspects of our identities (gender, nationality, religion, and social background) can influence the opportunities and obstacles we face in our lives. What stood out to me was that privilege is not something we notice directly because the opportunities presented to them may seem normal from their perspective. I also realized that we cannot determine how privileged someone is based on only one aspect of their identity since it made up of multiple characteristics.

I still contemplate how we can recognize biases that operate unconsciously, especially when our own perspectives seem completely reasonable to us. Through Soliya, I hope that hearing people interpret the same issues differently will help me recognize assumptions I might otherwise overlook.

• Intrapersonal maturity:

One thing I have learned about myself throughout this course was that having strong personal values does not mean that my perspective is always objective. I have always believed in treating others the way I want to be treated and I found it at times difficult when people did not follow the same principle. However, learning about identity and bias has made me question whether I sometimes judge people’s behavior according to my own expectations without fully considering their perspectives or upbringing

Something I question about myself is whether the way I intend to present myself is always the way others perceive me. I am someone who values honesty and expressing my opinions. But, I sometimes wonder if my directness is interpreted differently by people from other cultural backgrounds. Additionally, I question how my identity was shaped by my upbringing and how much I have developed through my own experiences.

I expect my identity as an international student studying abroad to influence my Soliya experience because I plan to approach all my interactions with the perspectives shaped by my experiences living abroad. Through Soliya, I hope to become more aware of any assumptions I still hold, especially the ones I may not recognize until someone points them out. I am excited to see if someone disagrees with my beliefs as it will be a learning experience for me. I believe that interacting with people from different cultures will help me distinguish between the values that shape who I am and the assumptions I have developed because of my environment.

• Interpersonal Maturity:

Throughout the course, I have learned that people coming from different backgrounds have different beliefs and identities. interacting with people involves being more mindful of how my words might affect them even when my intention is good. One question I still have is how to respect perspectives that strongly conflict with my personal values without compromising those values. Through Soliya, I hope to learn how to navigate those disagreements.

Trying out for the AUC football team has taught me a lot about interpersonal interactions. Since the trials last a full month, we are often placed in difficult situations where we have to take on positions outside of our usual ones. Most of us are forwards, but sometimes we need to play as defenders or goalkeepers. I noticed that some players prioritize impressing the coach over fairness towards their teammates by insisting on playing their preferred position while expecting quieter and less confident teammates to accommodate them. This experience taught me how easily less assertive people could be overlooked in group settings. It also taught me that being a good teammate is about respecting and recognizing the needs of the others especially the ones who may struggle to speak up.

• Discussions within Soliya:

In case the issue of Palestine or current war in Iran and the Middle East came up during Soliya, I would express myself if the conversation remained respectful and I felt safe enough. However, I know that if I feel uncomfortable or fear being judged, I tend to become shy and just nod to what others say. If I could direct the discussion, I would encourage everyone to share their perspectives respectfully without interrupting or dismissing others like we do in class. I think it is important if we have a facilitator who maintains a respectful environment and ensures disagreements do not turn into personal attacks.