Last Saturday I woke up at 10 a.m.--an insane hour for many college students during the weekend. Destination? Images of You Conference. It's put on each year by students to discuss topics about diversity. Was I tired? Yes. Was I excited? Yes. Did I expect that it would it change my life. No.

But it did.

I tell you, there was nothing funnier than being in a crowd of over 300 sleep deprived students hoarding over Panera bagels (I recommend french toast w/ honey almond cream cheese) like it's manna from heaven during registration. But once the conference started, it seemed as if we ignored the fact that we would be spending most of our saturday indoors instead of frolicking out on the oval.

The keynote speakers, a rapping duo called "Orange Flash" infused powerful lessons of diversity with their own personal stories to create an unique musical experience. They gave us 10 tips about how to interact with those who are different from us, including take time, try not to judge, and find common understanding. Some of it seemed to be what I have already done, but the way they articulated them gave a fresh insight to why those steps are so important.

There were lots of seminars, including one called "Deconstructing the Dave Chappelle Show", where we discussed the meanings of Dave's controversial sketches within an ethnic subtext. Another titled "The Wall of Oppression", was filled with audio and visual examples of discrimination--a lot which were really intense. Yet my favorite one was "Words That Hurt", because it opened my eyes to the power of language, and often times we carelessly throw words around that could really offend others.

Because it was my first year attending, I didn't know what to expect. However, in retrospect, I'm so glad that I went! Being a student at Ohio State, you are bound to meet people who are different from you. Being at this conference reminded me how it is important to try relate to those who have different backgrounds, so that your world gets a little bit bigger.