Diversity and Inclusion luncheon series Week #2 Amy Chatelain, Ph.D. and Charlesette Foster, M.A. Counseling and Psychological Services Understanding Your Own Identity Multicultural Awareness There are two guiding principles that we must keep in mind: (1) cultural identity is made up of a myriad of aspects, and (2) while we can learn something from generalizations about cultures, we must not allow these generalizations to cause us to stereotype or over-simply our ideas about others. Multicultural Awareness Issues for Academic Advisors, by Leigh Cunningham, 2014 But what about awareness of our identity? Acknowledge yourself as a cultural being In what was have you experienced being advantaged or disadvantaged as a result of your membership to a particular group? How does your cultural identity impact or influence your advising style or approach? You are handed a list of four potential advisees with the following descriptions. Which of these students do you anticipate to be the most difficult for you to work with and which do you anticipate would be the easiest? And why? 1. A 19-year old, White female who is expecting her first child and is hoping to attend medical school. Her parents have recently stopped funding her education. 2. A 20-year old African- American male from North Omaha who recently lost a brother to violence. He has been struggling in school ever since. 3. A 18-year old, first generation Latina who is undeclared and recently failed her first round of exams. She is working full-time to help support her family back home. 4. A 22-year of MTF transwoman majoring in mathematics who plans to begin hormone therapy her last year here at UNL. Counseling and Psychological Services 212 University Health Center 1500 U Street Line to Care: