Poly is known as one of the most diverse schools in Long Beach, but are we really living up to that reputation? Diversity is what makes this school one of a kind the main reason why I am proud to be a jackrabbit. Throughout my experience at Poly one thing I have noticed is the decrease in participation of clubs based on culture. After speaking with Poly alumni, many have also seen the drastic decline in cultural representation from when they were once high schoolers. As I freshman, I remember the beautiful dances put on by the Polynesian club and rallies for Latino heritage month.
Now that I am a senior, I can see that there is a struggle to keep these clubs alive. Is it through the lack of publicity? Do students believe expressing their culture is no longer important? Is our workload too heavy to even consider extracurriculars that aren’t STEM related? Or are students in general no longer proud of their heritage? There are so many reasons as to why students shy away from expressing themselves on campus, but there needs to be a change.
I believe that culture is essential to becoming more intune with who we are and is something that should be embraced because it is what makes us unique. Our upbringing has a huge impact on how we view the world around us and allows us to feel involved in a community. Without clubs like: Black Student Union, Lation Empowerment in Action, La Onda, Khmer Girls in Action, we would have limited outlets to express ourselves at school. These clubs allow people of all different ethnicities to come together and celebrate heritage. Together our voices can be heard and we can educate others in a way that feels interactive. It is a chance for us to look at history beyond a textbook and take a chance to make connections within our school community.
Many students feel like they don’t have a community within their school, that school is simply just a place we are forced to go to every day. That doesn’t have to be the case, by joining clubs we can make friends and grow closer to people we see everyday. From personal experience, the more I surrounded myself with others I could relate to, the more driven I felt to do the things I am passionate about. Remember that it is never too late to join a club you are interested in.