I tell my students all the time: You can accomplish your educational goals, even if you fail ENG102 the first time. If I can do it, so can you. And when things get tough, I’m always there to remind them: You can do it, but you have to want it.

When I took ENG102 at Phoenix College, my instructor was an old white dude. Yep, I said it. He was so out of touch with me, a young Black athlete, and many of the other students. Not once did he encourage me. He just stood at the front of the class, lecturing about literature written by, well, more old white dudes. I just couldn’t relate.

Being the precocious (read: smart-mouthed) student I was, I jokingly asked him one day if any Black people had written anything in the 1800s. His response? A dismissive suggestion that I check if the college offered an African American literature class—because apparently, the idea of including William Wells Brown, Frederick Douglass, or Frances E.W. Harper in his curriculum was out of the question.

Needless to say, that class didn’t end well for me. I ended up retaking ENG102 at Yavapai College, where the course focused on writing rather than literature. I was relieved. I swore I’d never take another literature class again. Ironically, I later majored in English Literature at Cal State Bakersfield. Ha! But that’s a story for another day.

The real takeaway here is this: Most students don’t expect to pursue the subject they struggled with the most. But my experience gives me a unique perspective on the frustration students feel when they’re forced to take a class that doesn’t seem relevant to them. I get it. I can relate.

That’s why I work hard to make the topics, readings, and visuals in my classes relevant to the students sitting in front of me (or behind a screen online). I want every student to feel welcome, to know they belong, and to see themselves reflected in the material we cover. I take my commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion seriously, not because it’s trendy, not because it’s a buzzword, but because I know what it feels like when a class leaves you out.

This is why DEI matters in education. It’s not about politics. It’s not about checking a box. It’s about making sure every student, regardless of their background, sees a pathway to success. Faculty have a responsibility to create learning environments where students feel valued, supported, and represented. If we fail to do that, we fail our students. And that is something none of us can afford.