"It is important that students like myself see themselves in the curriculum because it creates a connection between the students and the content that they are learning. We often see students more engaged in courses that are either aligned with their interest or intriguing to them. Learning about people who are the same ethnicity, gender, race, or religion as you makes you want to be engaged. And you're not just engaged because you want to make sure that the teacher is teaching everything correctly. You are engaged because now you have the chance to enlighten your peers and your teacher about something related to the curriculum that they may not have known. I’ll never forget hearing my AP Language teacher talk about Marcus Garvey, and how his works are related to the ideologies of Malcolm X. I instantly sat up and actively paid attention, because I wanted to hear more. I was also cross checking everything he said with everything my father (a native Jamaican) has taught me. I say this to say that when students see even a glimmer of themselves in their schoolwork, it makes it truly worthwhile."