Welcome back to Expect Diversity! This week, we sit down with Vaarun Singireddy, Talha Muhammad, Nhi Tran, and host Lina Blair as they speak about confronting cultural biases.
Vaarun Singireddy is an associate professor in the Digital and Animation and Game Design
program and is the chair of the Esports program at Ferris. He also serves on the College of
Business Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Vaarun is from India and has always had a huge
passion for video games, which is what inspired him to want to pursue a career in making video
games. He completed his bachelor’s degree in India, but came to the United States to pursue his
master’s degree at the Savannah College of Art and Design, after which he was hired by Ferris.
Vaarun talks about how his students have been a big part of helping him adjust to the culture
in the United States. He talks about how his accent is completely different from when he came
from India. Vaarun also talks about how he is happy that he doesn’t see a lot of stereotyping
towards Indian people and other cultures and that Ferris does a good job of cultivating a
community that celebrates other cultures. He thinks it is a great thing that there is a lot of
blending of different cultures that creates learning for so many students. He also notes that in
his experience, people in the United States are very warm and welcoming, but are afraid of
offending him when they ask questions about aspects of his cultural identity.
This week’s episode of Expect Diversity features three guests, one of those guests,
Talha Muhammad, shares his experiences at Ferris with us. Talha, also known as TJ, is
originally from Pakistan, he is a junior here at Ferris and is a part of the Software Engineering.
He shares that one of the biggest shocks he experienced was the temperature differences,
commenting on how much colder it is in Michigan as compared to Pakistan. Anyone moving
outside of their home country experiences culture shock, or a reaction to how much different a
new place can be. TJ notes his expectations of Big Rapids were much more grandeur than the
reality, stating he thought it was going to be like New York.
He also comments on the religious differences, stating that the nearest mosque was a
forty-minute walk and was locked upon arrival. TJ shares how his fellow peers and professors
were able to help him reopen the mosque for himself and his peers to attend. He then dives into
the differences when it comes to prayer and how what he does differs from some of his fellow
students. He states that it’s often misunderstood as to why he prays so often, and provides a
clearer understanding for the viewers. While this misunderstanding may be present, TJ
acknowledges that it does not come from a place of harm.
TJ comments heavily on how accepting and diverse Ferris’ campus is, saying he hasn’t.
experienced any stereotypical actions towards him. He does say that some people have been
confused and asked him questions, but it was never judgmental, and always came from a
place of genuine curiosity. TJ focuses a lot on how his experiences have been based heavily on
questions rather than assumptions, which has helped create a welcoming atmosphere. TJ
moves on to speak about the international student organization we have on campus. He
comments on how they focus on creating an accepting atmosphere for everyone on campus.
TJ rounds off his time on Expect Diversity by speaking about the office of international
education. He talks about the different experiences he has had there, as well as the different
programs the office puts on. These events are held in order to bring knowledge about different
cultures to Ferris’ campus.
Nhi Tran is a sophomore in the Digital Animation and Game Design major. She came to Ferris with her sister from Vietnam. At first, there was a culture shock, and she even had to learn that you don’t have to wait for a few seconds after the teacher gets done talking to officially raise your hand.
She has learned to enjoy literature and has found a new appreciation for her primary language while learning the English language. She can experience other cultures through events the university puts on that allow other international students to bring food and games from their country. At last year’s culture festival, she was to show her culture through performance and food.