The only label my Guatemalan mother and American father ever gave me was my name. We didn’t view ourselves as Latino or as white; we didn’t even speak the same language all the time. Our Christmas dinners with the rest of the family consisted of mixed languages in our conversations, and despite whether one spoke English or Spanish to the other, everyone managed to understand each other.

In high school, my friends and I defined what I later learned to call diversity. Much like my family, my friends’ names came before their culture. We were all different, yet we shared the same perspective – there were no ethnic boundaries that limited us to the possibilities of creating lifelong friendships and a whirlwind of knowledge outside of what we already knew. I left for Syracuse University believing that this way of thinking was natural for everyone.

During my first days at SU, I realized I was no longer just Christine, but a part of a group I hadn’t previously identified with so closely. I was among the many that felt obligated to stick with ‘my people’ – those of black and Latino descent, for me – although I wasn’t quite sure why I needed to belong to one group. I never analyzed who I belonged with culturally as much as I have as a student here.

‘I never had to walk into school (and say), ‘Yep, I’m Hispanic,” said Kristine Delgado, a sophomore public relations and Spanish major. ‘Coming here I feel like it’s all (people) see.’

And there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging each other’s cultures; I’m proud to be a woman of color, and we should all be proud of our ethnicities. But I decided I wouldn’t let these cultural lines stop me from exploring. Unfortunately, not everyone on campus can say the same thing.

We’ve gotten too comfortable to bother reaching out to the people around us. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be getting to know those we pass by each day. Some of my best friends are people who, on the surface, are nothing like me, but have taken the time to learn more. There is more to a person than what you see on the outside, but it’s up to you to make a move. Make a change. Expand your mind. And who knows? Maybe find a lifelong friend.