People are often stereotyped by outward appearances such as race, gender or clothing. However, Tuesday night about 140 people were asked to see the "Unseen Differences" and similarities they shared.
The National Hispanic Business Association sponsored "Habla Para La Diversidad," or Speak for Diversity, a monologue competition. Four contestants performed original monologues for three prizes of $150, $100 and $50.
"Diversity is not defined by our skin color but the experiences we have," said Krystal Alvarez, the association's president, introducing the event.
The winner of the competition was Johanna Maldonado (junior-psychology). Her monologue, Lola, Teresa, and Maya was based on a true story about three friends going to see a movie. After having described each girl's personality, she ended the piece by asking the audience to guess startling aspects of the girls' private lives -- including which girl couldn't sleep at night, which had an alcoholic father and which girl was failing school.
"It was so simple, but unexpected," said judge Toya Spencer, a diversity manager at Abercrombie & Fitch, which sponsored the event. "You found yourself passing judgments based on their personalities and then questioning that."
Second place went to Mayra Leon (junior-biobehavioral health) and third to Jasmine Rushum (freshman-public relations).
"It's about what you can't see from looking at our skin," Rushum said.
Before the monologues, attendees participated in an activity called Unseen Differences in Diversity. After being asked different questions, audience members were instructed to silently stand if they identified with the statement.
"We make judgements based on what you see, but it's what you don't see that makes us up," Spencer said.
Some of the questions addressed ethnicity, asking attendees if they thought the president would look like them in the next 10 years or if they were told not to play with kids based on their race or religion as a child.
Others were about people's pasts, including questions about attendees' home lives as children and their families' economic standings.
For some questions, as few as one of the attendees stood. For others, the entire room was on its feet.
"At times people were shocked by others' answers. But now they have something in common when they see each other on the street," Alvarez (junior-business administration) said.
The Paul Robeson Cultural Center's Heritage Hall was transformed into an Abercrombie & Fitch store, with giveaways and Abercrombie & Fitch-style photographs of Penn State students.
"When the students came in, I wanted it to feel like the store," Alvarez said.
