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As a professor, my father was able to take advantage of sabbatical leaves,
where he could spend six months to a year at other institutions
advancing his research and specialized training.
Living in different parts of the world and exposure to various cultures
through students helped open my mind to diversity and understanding how and why
people are different due to their cultural and life experiences.
One of my early mentors was a Ph.D. student named Moji Babatunde.
I met him when I was 10 and was initially fascinated with his background and culture.
From a very large family in a small village near Ibadan, Nigeria, he had a pattern of scars
on his face that were purposefully placed to mark him as a member of his tribe.
I was fascinated with his origin, the permanent markings on his face and admired
his success at Cornell University as a scholar.
I often spent Saturday mornings going to work with my dad to help with projects
and to interact with the graduate students. I found learning from people
with varied backgrounds to be fascinating and helped me develop an awareness
and an open mind to ask and learn about different cultures.
Later, I was able to visit the home and University where Dr. Babatunde started his career.
He was the first Animal Scientist with a Ph.D. in Nigeria.
He went on to serve as Dean of Agriculture
and made significant contributions to animal agriculture!
He was passionate, driven, honorable, humble
and spent more time listening than speaking.
This man, very different than me in experiences and appearance,
had a significant impact on my life.
Global Diversity Awareness Month may be ending,
but continue to take time to interact with others who are different than you.
You will gain a better appreciation of others
and maybe you, too, will find a life-long friend and mentor.
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