The Importance of Diversity

"My experience at BUBW-Orlando 2019" by Myadaggarav (Miga) Chuluundorj '19 (Mongolia/IA) 

Winning the Grand Prize

In November all exchange students celebrate a special week called, International Education Week by sharing their culture with those around them. My placement organization, World Link, had a competition regarding this week, encouraging all their students to be creative in the ways they share their culture to leave a lasting memory with Americans. I was excited to share my culture, but I was motivated even more because the grand prize winner would be sent to the Better Understanding for a Better World (BUBW) conference. I wanted to go BUBW because they help students become a better leader and to understand the power of diversity.

So I thought long and hard on how to make my IEW week creative, exciting, and memorable! My favorite activity was translating my traditional Mongolian lullaby “Buuvei” for my choir class to English. I wanted my peers to understand the meaning of the song and I thought maybe in the future they could sing it to their children or to younger siblings and carry on my tradition. I also shared a special hand-shaking tradition and taught my audience the teachings of “Alungoogin Sugaami”, which highlights the importance of teamwork and support. These among other activities I did during the week, earned me the honor of being World Link’s Grand Prize winner!

The Conference

So, on February 20^th, I along with students from 17 other countries attended BUBW in Orlando, Florida. The conference took place inside one of the Disney World’s Magic Kingdom buildings. The main focus of BUBW is to promote world peace and teach the importance of tolerating different cultures. This is right where I wanted to be, surrounded by highly energized students and kind advisors.  

One of the days we went to three different places: a synagogue, a church, and a mosque. I found all three religions interesting. What I found most interesting was although they were different, they all had the same goal – peace. All of them warmly greeted us and answered every question we had. During the visits, I saw the beauty in each religion.

Another part of the conference concentrated on developing our leadership skills. One of the main topics discussed was our location of the conference. The main organizer stated: “Think! Why are we holding this conference in Disney World, and what is the secret of their huge success?” He meant Disney has been so successful because it is now open to all and it promotes diversity.  Many different cultures are represented through Disney princesses alone!

We saw this diversity when we were able to spend a day visiting the Disney World theme parks. My favorite part was seeing the “Happily Ever After” fireworks show in Magic Kingdom.  My childhood dream came true!

On the last day of our conference, we had a banquet where all exchange students presented their country’s cultures. I sang a song in Mongolian, others were dancing, reading a poem, singing, wearing their traditional clothes.  We had an amazing time with each other.  I was astonished how each student had their own universe in their unique culture, and how incredible it was to see so much of the world represented in this one room.

What I Learned

In conclusion, this conference further opened the door to become a better leader. It taught me how to understand and appreciate different cultures and religions. Also, it has inspired me to share with others the benefits of diversity. I believe once the world understands the importance of diversity, this is how we can achieve world peace.

I am thankful for my placement organization, World Link, for allowing me to have this incredible experience. Thank you to CECF, the organizers of BUBW, you have opened my mind and my eyes to so many new ideas. I cannot wait to start sharing them!