I have lived in Chicago all of my life. Chicago is a city with an abundance of culture. Whether it’s the food, the art, or the music the city as a whole is very passionate. Going to the beach with friends or walking around the ledge of Lake Michigan are some of my fondest memories. I was fortunate enough to live in a city with a diverse array of people. I had friends whose heritage were from all over the world. Chicago isn’t only diverse in the sense of the nationalities , but with passions and goals. I know people whose interests vary from being a fashion designer to an author. Being around countless creative individuals only helped me learn to be less adamant and more innovative. Being in college with people from different backgrounds has shown me how much people can be sheltered. Seeing people who have been around the same people their whole life has only made me appreciate Chicago more. Coming into Cornell I wasn't worried about meeting people due to me being used to people with different ideals, while many people who were coming to Cornell haven't been around people with different beliefs than themselves.
With all of the positives that Chicago has to offer, there is a dark side that is daunting. Due to Chicago being relatively compact for a city with over 2 million people, the positives and the dark side often aren't too far from each other. I went to middle school in downtown Chicago. Downtown Chicago has one of the best skylines in the world, but if you walk down 5 blocks in a certain direction you could end up in a very impoverished neighborhood. That has always struck a chord with me because the disparity is so vast, yet is also in the same proximity. I volunteered every Wednesday and Friday at a soup kitchen called the “Lord's table”. There we not only provided food, but also were a resource to help them with basic necessities. I learned a lot from just interacting with the various people that came to the soup kitchen. Mainly learning the constant issues they people have to endure. In most poverty stricken areas there is a lot of gun violence, which Chicago is infamously known for. It's very hard for me to hear all the bad things people say about Chicago due to the violence. A city with so many positives such as its love for its culture and passion gets deemed “Chiraq" or other derogatory names. With the continued efforts of lowering gun violence, I hope one day everyone can see just how amazing Chicago is. All in all, I'm grateful that Chicago was able to open my eyes, rather than shelter me from the real world.