PTA Reflections happen annually, promoting the arts. Students from K-12 are encouraged to participate. I have participated every year, beginning in Kindergarten. This year’s theme is “Diversity means…” Below is my entry for Literature, winning 2nd place in the Senior division.
Emily Zheng
The Rainbow in our Lives All around us, people, places, and things give off a radiance that simply says, “I’m different. I’m special. I’m unique.” Uniqueness is what makes our world, what separates the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the chill of the Atlantic Ocean. No matter how you are raised or what you believe in, every one of us on Earth embraces diversity in a special way. Everything around you is something special, a treasure, in its own way. …Such as the colors of the sky. Blue, gray, pink, orange, yellow, red, purple… The sky is a huge, limitless canvas, expanding through the entire universe. Whether the sky has a rainbow streaked across it or whether it is a plain, blue, cloudless sky, it is always a gift to watch, because every second the sky is changing. Colors blend, move and brighten with each other, giving an amazing sight to all those who look at the sky. It’s not a man-made wonder of the world: it’s a part of Earth that’s always there, but never ceases to amaze people. Effortless paintings of bright blue, to a golden peach… All blended in together in an amazing spectacle.
But the sky is not always friendly, with bright colors streaked across a glistening sky. Thunder, rain, hail, and snow are also a part of it. Gray skies illuminate the dark, black clouds that loom overhead and the streaks of bright white lightning that pierce the sky with its electricity. The lightning may frighten us, but we soon understand that it is a fact of nature and that all the darkness will eventually fade away. And the darkness does fade away. A glorious sunrise fills the sky with its golden rays, the soft pink hues, its brilliant texture. A rainbow is streaked across the sky: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. The sky turns to a rich blue with a few clouds scattered artistically around the shining sun. A fresh gust of wind gently blows your face with clean, fresh air.
We humans need the sunrise to pierce our hearts with its warmth, its golden rays, its promise of sunshine. We need that rainbow to come out into our lives, painting our lives with bright colors of hope and love. We cannot live in the darkness, in the hail, snow, and thunder, for the rest of our lives. And we shouldn’t make others live in the darkness either. No matter what color skin you are, your religion is, your height, your weight, and those other trifle details… Inside every single one of us, we are the same. This is why America is the most powerful country in the world. We were founded on the beliefs that all men were created equal. Our country has people of all races, genders, ethnicities, religions, languages, height, and weight. We have fought for equality and now we are in a better society because of it. In America, we use the strengths of every individual to make our world better: scientists to make breakthroughs in the Health industry, politicians to uphold our government, and businessmen to nurture our small business and growing corporations. People of different backgrounds work together to create a better world. In China, most people are Asian. In France, most people are European. In Libya, most people are African. But in America, we don’t have a single majority that completely dominates the rest of the races – we have different types of people everywhere. We Americans open our minds for the good of the community. It is true that our society is not entirely just and welcoming, but when we accept each other for who we truly are inside, our country and our world will turn for the better. We hear the same thunder and we feel the same cold wind biting into our skin. We witness the same sunrise and smell the same refreshing air. We are all human… And that is why we are so diverse. Gender or ethnicity does not make us unique: it’s what’s inside of us that counts. It’s our knowledge and our talent that takes us to where we want to go in life. Be the sunshine, the rainbow, and the bright, blue sky.
Be the blade of grass that doesn’t quite blend in with the others. Be diverse. Be yourself. Because that’s what we all are.
— By Emily Zheng