The diversity among the student-athletes at the University of Mississippi has played an important role in the lives of many athletes and in the athletic program as a whole.
Having athletes from different states, countries, and backgrounds has created an atmosphere where the students have a better understanding for people different from themselves.
“You have to have diversity, especially in athletic atmospheres because it's gonna push you as an athlete and as a student to do better,” Sara Grantham, who works at the student-athlete academic support center, said.
Being a student-athlete at Ole Miss gives you an opportunity to talk to people you normally wouldn't have talked to and to learn about cultures that you might not have otherwise, Grantham said.
On the track team, there are athletes from the United States, Sweden, Panama, and Kenya.
According to Alejandro Quintana, a distance runner on the track team, the diversity is good because getting to know foreign people makes you learn about lives and cultures different from your own. He emphasized how interesting it is to listen to the stories from the Kenyans on the team.
“It is just cool to get a different perspective on other people’s lives,” Quintana said.
“On the football team there is a whole lot of diversity,” D.T. Shackelford, who plays football for Ole Miss, said. Most of the over 100 players come from different states and home environments.
“It's actually a uniqueness of our team because everyone is not the same, and we all work together to achieve one goal and that is to win. You have to come together,” Shackelford said. “Everybody learns from each other, so diversity is very important.”
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