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“Diversity, diversity, diversity . there goes Hammad again, talking about gender, religion, race and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict!””Geez, Hammad. You are such a mainstream Georgetown student. I’m really surprised you aren’t in The Corp!”y friends are always making these types of comments and asking me how I managed to be passionate about specific issues and a student of color on a predominately white campus, while also being involved in the more mainstream and social groups like New Student Orientation and the Senior Class Committee. My answer is simple: Georgetown has fostered an environment where I could grow in ways I could never have imagined four years ago.In this, the culmination of my Georgetown experience, I reflect on late-night papers, conversations in the common room about everything from interracial dating to the meaning of our Georgetown experiences to whether strippers have no choice in their profession. I remember the student groups I dedicated my soul to: Justice and Diversity in Action, SCC, Students for Justice in Palesine, Young Leaders in Education About Diversity (the list goes on.). I remember “discovering” the Reynolds classroom with my friends (and our claiming to be the first to do so . only to hear 13 more people claim the same thing). From taking four different classes with the same inspiring professor (thanks, Professor Stephen!) to learning from my friends; from studying in Cairo to taking eight Georgetown students to Israel and Palestine; from the juxtaposition of my 21st birthday at The Tombs and breaking the fast during Ramadan in McShain, to dancing in Rangila and coordinating Harakat, I have been blessed with the opportunities Georgetown has provided.In a hospital on a rainy day in January of 1986, I was born in Jerusalem. Everyone was mystified, because in this holy city, never was anyone born bleeding blue. Eighteen years later, it became clear to me what the blue blood meant, and I have been bleeding it ever since. Yeah, I know it makes you want to throw up all over this viewpoint. But I honestly have been blessed in my experience here.In the end, the most valuable lesson Georgetown has taught me is the true meaning of diversity and how to be a “person for others,” by becoming, more specifically, a person for those who have not been as fortunate and whose marginalization has been largely ignored. Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard this theme before. However, I really do think that living by this principle has really allowed me to step back and embrace everything Georgetown has to offer, while always reflecting on what I can do for those less-privileged to make the world a better place.Through my extracurricular activities, community service, academic courses and interactions with students, I have tried to advocate for the marginalized and oppressed, as well as find my own voice in this world. I found that by participating in community service activities, I was able to give back and help others to escape the circumstances that cause them to live their everyday lives under extreme hardships or oppression. Georgetown taught me to always step outside of my comfort zone in order to learn about myself by learning about and understanding those around me.I am a Palestinian-American Muslim immigrant who moved to the United States in 2001, two months prior to Sept. 11. I am not your typical Joe Hoya. However, what I discovered is that by understanding what it feels like to be marginalized and oppressed, I have been able to ignite a passion for issues of diversity and intercultural understanding.At Georgetown, this translated into immersing myself in all that Georgetown has to offer. It’s about being the “admissions brochure shot” table at the cafeteria, because somehow a table of Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Asian, Arab, Latino, white and black students stands out a bit, but isn’t out of the ordinary. Many of the experiences that have defined my Hoya identity cannot be summarized in a paragraph or written on a résumé. It’s being around thousands of gray-shirt-wearing Hoyas singing the fight song. It’s about visiting Center for Multicultural Equity and Access and living on JDA. It’s about walking home really late in the snow. It’s about learning about myself through the different people around me. It’s about spending a semester abroad during our best basketball season and running down the streets of a conservative Muslim country singing the fight song with other Georgetown students – shirtless.Thank you, Georgetown for allowing me to dream big, meet amazing people and remember where I came from. Thank you for reminding me to be a “man for others” and to give back and use my position of privilege to advocate for those who are silenced and marginalized. Thank you for allowing me be myself.Hammad Hammad is a senior in the School of Foreign Service and a former columnist for THE HOYA.”