HI FRIENDS

Hello everyone!

My name is Genesis Feliz and I’m not quite sure where I’m from exactly. That may sound weird but I never have an exact answer to the question; “Where are you from?” I feel as though that can be interpreted many ways-- and in my case, it is interpreted 11 different ways. My father is in the Navy and I have moved almost every 2 years (or less, in some cases!) to a different state. 

I was born in the Bronx, New York but I do not claim that to be my “home.” From New York I moved to Atlanta, Georgia to Norfolk, Virginia to Pax River, Maryland to Seattle, Washington to Chesapeake, Virginia to Ceiba, Puerto Rico to Boston, Massachusetts to Jacksonville, Florida to Chapel Hill, North Carolina and finally, Hatboro, Pennsylvania. The place that I actually lived in for more than 2 years was Jacksonville, Florida and then Hatboro, Pennsylvania (for all 4 years of high school.) I like to claim Florida as my “home” because all of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. live there. My father and brother also live in Tampa, Florida (my dad works at the MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa) so for me, home is in Florida. 

I chose to go to high school in Pennsylvania (where my mother lives) instead of Florida. I was fortunate enough to go to a very small private Quaker high school in a suburb about 30 minutes north of Philadelphia. I had a great experience at my high school where I was immersed into diversity in all aspects-- socio-economic class, sexual orientation, religions of all kinds, and the list goes on and on. By the end of my freshman year in high school the word “diversity” and what its importance and significance was really intrigued me. I began attending diversity conferences and becoming active on campus to let my classmates understand what diversity really is. 

My experience at my high school has really shaped who I am today and how I think. I am really excited to take the “In Class/ OutClassed” course because I feel as though it will become a very relatable topic for me as we begin to discuss more and more about “classes”-- whether it be categories that we associate ourselves with or “classes” that our society put us in. 

I was really impressed with our discussion today because it really made me realize and think about the various categories that we put ourselves in. I like that when I thought of “3 categories that describe yourself [myself]” I didn’t think of my physical appearance but my “interior appearance.” and what makes me...me. It raises the question again though, what’s elemental? As we read “The Order of Things” by Michel Foucault we discovered as a class that we create our own categories. There seems to be that sort of “limited knowledge” where its physical appearance versus outside perspectives. So throughout this class, I really challenge ourselves (as a class) to really think about the different and many “classes” we associate ourselves with and how that can affect and impact our lives or others.