I found the article ("Panel Discusses Merits of 'Race,'" Jan. 19) to be very intriguing. I didn't know about the discussion, but it's something I would have liked to take part in.

Last spring I studied abroad in the Dominican Republic, which is situated in the Caribbean between Puerto Rico and Cuba and shares an island with Haiti. Dominicans are mestizos, a mix of African and Spanish ancestry. However, they do not perceive race the way we do in the United States. Here, we tend to see everyone as either black (if you appear to have any African ancestry) or white (if you appear to have only European ancestry).

But in the Dominican Republic, they see shades of color, from dark brown to "Indian" or light brown to blond -- it is rare that they even call anyone black or white.

I had the opportunity to study with a diverse group of American students from all over the United States and have many discussions with them as well as with professors. I agree that "race" is a social construction, and my experience in another country and culture helped me to see that.

Hopefully one day we will stop seeing "race" as something absolute that defines us and limits who we are, and start seeing one another as beautiful people with many colors, backgrounds, ancestries and cultures.