Bangladeshi youths bringing diversity in the US

While you're researching studying abroad, the United States knocks at the door with its unmatched dedication to diversity. What does diversity mean in an educational environment? The US embassy's third session on"Alumni Talk: American Diversity through Bangladeshi Voices," which took place on Thursday ( November 21) at EMK Center, Dhaka, brings the answers.

Featuring inspiring discussion from Professional Fellow alumna Syeda Sharmin Ahmed and YES alumna Raisona Alam who stayed and studied in the United States, the session delved into the multifaceted aspects of diversity in American educational institutions. From cultural inclusivity and academic freedom, the speakers painted a vivid picture of how diversity looks like in the US.

At the beginning of the session, Syeda Sharmin Ahmed, the founder of Clay Station Limited and Fruitsicles, talked about how the core value of community engagement was underscored during her stay in the States, and Raisona Alam painted a picture of how gender equality is often what comes to her mind while talking about diversity in the US.

When speaking about the community of Dhaka and how Clay Station was born, Sharmin Ahmed said, "This community matters to me, I am part of the community. How do I want to live in this community? This question eventually led me to founding Clay Station." Clay Station is an open studio for rejuvenating one's soul-an opportunity for social interaction, creative exploration, and simple hands-on play with clay, as she said.

Sharmin Ahmed delved into her Professional Exchange Program at the University of Oklahoma, where she studied Economic Empowerment and International Business, leaning toward the fact that her then-Pakistani roommate turned into her best friend. To describe how collaborative people are from different backgrounds, she talked about how she made a Sri Lankan friend along the way who created the brand logo without any payments for Fruitsicle, a shop for Handcrafted Gourmet Ice Pops founded by Sharmin Ahmed. She said, "We lived together, cooked food for each other, ate together, and spent lots of time; that's how the bonding was created."

On the other hand, Raisona Alam explained how she lived in Gilbert, Texas during her Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme. She delved into the tight-knit community of the small area of Gilbert, Texas, where 'everybody knew everybody and everybody understood everybody,' as she said.

While diving deep into the collaborative community of the United States, Raisona Alam said she learned to be tolerant and to say, "We can agree to disagree." She further illustrated the view, "I carry that value of agreeing to disagree with me wherever I go, so that makes me a very tolerant person."

She went on to share an anecdote where she kept tolerant of a guy who made sexist comments during a seminar about gender studies. "Very tolerant of different people's opinions," said Raisona, when describing the community of Gilbert, Texas.

Raisona Alam further reflected on the time when she went back to the US last year. She said, "When I told my old friends about going to the US, they became ecstatic. This is so meaningful to me because I went for the YES programme when I was in high school, but there is still a bonding between us. This is how you know that you created an impact on the community."

Sharmin Ahmed also shared the same excitement about the collaborative community of the US. She said how those people still contact her, even asking "What are you doing on your Eid holiday" after making sure it is Eid holiday. She further explains, "They make sure they are communicating well. They thoughtfully asked about what religious values I hold so that the communication remains healthy."

When contrasting Bangladeshi communities with the ones in the US, Sharmin Ahmed said, "I feel like we're not utilising our resources properly." She exemplified how in Bangladesh people don't want to do their colleague's job when they are absent, but in the US, she experienced the workplaces to be more collaborative. She said, "Even if something that's not my job if it is incomplete for someone's absence or anything, I complete that. It sets an example for the others-if the founder and CEO can complete that work, they will try to be more collaborative the next time."

Toward the end of the session, both Raisona Alam and Sharmin Ahmed shared their views on the differences between Bangladeshi education and US education.

Raisona said, "US high schools aren't grade-driven. Yes, to a certain extent, they do care about grades, but they also participate in sports, theatre, and everything else that could turn into their professions. In Bangladesh, when people want to know their future goals, they usually keep only two options with that question-either a doctor or an engineer."

"In America, there are culinary classes, and that's not gender driven. Both boys and girls are taking those courses and figuring out their passions," she further illustrated.

Sharmin Ahmed shed light on how Bangladeshi education depends on memorising a lot of things, US education lets you think creatively. She compared her education at Campbell University in the US and North South University in Bangladesh, saying, "The education system is very different."

After the session, Sharmin Ahmed shared her visions for Clay Station and Fruitsicles with the Financial Express representative. She said, "With Clay Station, I want to reach more children and a broader audience, and I always have a vision of making society plastic-free, which I want to achieve through Fruitsicles. I want a day when everyone will avoid plastics on their own."

This is how our Bangladeshi youth eyes have seen the US diversity and collaborative community. They dive deep into community engagement, become tolerant of others' perspectives, create bonding, and make the workplace more collaborative along the way. We'll have to see when Bangladesh achieves this kind of diversity in thoughts and collaboration.

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