Many of us find it hard to pass up a good cupcake. Whether you prefer chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry, most of us can agree on the essential qualities that make them irresistible: softness, moisture, and sweetness.
But, a professional baker can attest it's the various ingredients (Sugar, salt, butter, flour, etc.) that make a good, quality cupcake. For example, too much sugar, not enough salt can make an awful cupcake.
That's the model a group of students at Fairfield Preparatory High School used today as they learned the importance of diversity and inclusion.
In a world where many organizations struggle to embrace the importance of racial and cultural differences of those who make up their company, the 9th through 12th grade girls in today's workshop got an early lesson how differences can lead to improvement. They even had honest conversations and learned to take a deeper look at their own prejudices against people different from them.
"I'm going to be honest, I do judge," says one participant.
"Some people can look dangerous."
During a series of exercises and discussions, the girls discovered how they reacted to others based on that person's appearance -- whether they were attractive, what they were wearing; their skin or hair color; their age or what they perceived to be their personalities.
"You shouldn't judge anyone," said some participants after further discussion. "You should get to know them,"
9th through 12th graders, all girls, participate in monthly workshops by Power UP, Inc. The non-profit aims to empower girls through education and exposure to career opportunities in the construction field. Monthly workshops cover a variety of job preps and soft skills, such as financial literacy, diversity and inclusion, communication, problem-solving, and more.