At Lane, it is clearer than 20/20 vision that our school is very diverse.

   Diversity is defined as various kinds or forms. Lane mirrors that definition being diverse ethnically, personality and style-wise.

   Students here originate from all different neighborhoods around Chicago. Some travel miles to get here and others simply just take a walk. When brought all together within the walls of Lane, we end up with a very diverse community.

   Professors at the University of Michigan, University of Washington, and Colgate University “contend that students who interact with diverse students in classrooms and in the broad campus environment will be more motivated and better able to participate in a heterogeneous and complex society.”

   Diversity introduces students to the idea that not everything is black and white; diversity brings color to our society.

   With the way Lane students have all come together from their different backgrounds, we have created an environment that prepares us for the world we enter once we leave the comfort of Lane.

   According to a ranking and reviewing website called Niche, Lane is ranked the third most diverse public high school on a list of 25 other public high schools in Illinois. Lane is ranked higher than schools such as Walter Payton, Lincoln Park, and Northside Prep.

   Out of the top 60 ranked public high schools across the country, Niche ranked Lane as the 40th most diverse.

   International Days are not the only representation of our school’s diversity.

   Walking through the busy hallways during a passing period, one can see various styles, ethnicities, and personalities.

   Before I came to Lane, I attended my neighborhood elementary school, Scammon, and had never been surrounded by so many diverse people.

   At Scammon there were all of these labels for “who you were” and very little acceptance.

   Everyone had to wear a white or school shirt with blue pants, but we did have “Casual Fridays.” Even though they were called “Casual Fridays,” it was hard to be comfortable dressing in a way that you thought suited your personality.

   If your bangs covered your eyes and you chose to wear band tees, you were labeled as a “rocker” or “emo.” If your clothes were “not nice enough” or your pants sagged, people would say you were “ghetto.” But if you wore Hollister or Aeropostale, there did not seem to be a problem.

   An environment like that does not quite radiate with acceptance.

   Everyone was so wrapped around labels like that because they were unaware that diversity was in fact a good thing. What is the point of everyone dressing and looking the same?

   America would not be the great nation that it is without all of the different people that mold it.

   The dominant ethnicity at my elementary school was Hispanic; I was one of the few white students at my elementary school, and there were even fewer students of African American or Asian ethnicities.

   When I got to Lane it was a big change for me and freshman year was an adjustment.

   Sure, high school is an adjustment for everyone and can be somewhat of a fresh start, but Lane offered me much more than that.

   I was accepted for who I was. The diversity enabled me to feel confident in myself while walking in the halls at Lane.

   Instead of people being so quick to throw around labels, I was meeting people of different ethnicities and styles. I was around all these diverse people that gave me a new perspective. You should not be labeled for liking certain things or looking a certain way. I grasped a new understanding of just how diverse the world really is.

   As Dr. Dignam once said, “It just seems like such a microcosm of America in this school.”

   Each year at Lane I gained more and more confidence and I was happy with the person that I had become.

   There is nothing wrong with being different and Lane’s diversity is something that should be appreciated.

   Now it is my senior year and leaving here is going to be bittersweet. Attending a high school that has diversity that goes beyond ethnicity variations is a great life experience.

   Wanting to attend Lane and then getting accepted and choosing to do so is the best decision that I have ever made.

   This school has opened my eyes to so many different things and has given me the environment that I needed to be myself, grow as a person, and have more confidence in myself. For that, I am truly grateful.

   Thank you Lane Tech.