If I had been asked to define diversity 10 years ago, I would have simply defined it as being different; specifically, of different race, gender and age. These beliefs are similar to the main dimensions of Marilyn Loden's Diversity Wheel (Canas & Sondak, 2014). I have considered diversity primarily in the context of my existence in the world around me, and Loden's primary dimensions best describe what I thought of when I heard the term diversity. Fortunately, I have grown more over the last 10 years and I would now define diversity not only as the main dimension of Loden, but I would say that diversity is an acceptance of differences between people and that these differences permeate all areas of life. My mental model is now more in line with the four layers of diversity presented by Anita Rowe and Lee Gardenswartz (Canas & Sondak, 2014). This definition is more inclusive of different types of diversity, especially in areas that are not as visible. I think society as a whole is becoming more tolerant of racial diversity and we are now moving toward greater acceptance of all types of diversity, but we still have a long way to go. I am African American and German and I was adopted at nine months old by a Caucasian couple of German descent. I grew up in the 80s and 90s as the only black kid in my neighborhood and regardless of the racial makeup of my classes, I never really fit in. Everywhere I looked, white faces were staring at me and I was different. My differences defined me. I had “untamed” hair, olive skin, brown eyes, and I loved African music, soul food, and my white parents. I was very different from everyone else in the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, pale-skinned world I lived in. I moved at my own pace... middle of paper ... an overall sense of diversity again and that I need to work harder to better understand other forms of diversity. I believe I am on the right path but I have a lot of work to do to make this paradigm of thinking my reality. Works Cited Canas, KA and Sondak, H. (2014). Opportunities and Challenges of Diversity in the Workplace: Theory, Cases, and Exercises (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Rucker, W. (2002, fall/winter). “A black nation within a nation”: WEB DuBois and the creation of a revolutionary pan-Africanist tradition, 1903-1947. Black Scholar, 32(3/4), 37. Retrieved from https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.csuglobal.idm.oclc.org/ehost Sammaritino, A., O'Flynn, J., and Nicholas, S. (2002). Managing diverse work teams: a business model for diversity management. Retrieved from Diversity Management website: www.diversity-management.cz/tiki-download_file.php?fileId=18