Introduction I believe that most personal growth comes from surrounding yourself with diverse people, so for my interview I consulted my Hispanic male friend, Alberto. I chose him because he belonged to a different sex and race than me. I had great anticipation for the answers I would receive from him due to his different identity. In retrospect, I was surprised by my findings and how they related to my teachings and personal perception. RaceWhen I sat down with Alberto, I asked him about his awareness of the role his race had in his life. His response was similar to my own experiences where he felt he hadn't encountered much racism on a societal level. He explained by saying that he has only experienced notable racism in the workplace. Alberto says he never had much trouble finding a job because whenever people say his race would offer him work it was based on the fact that he was a "hard worker." When Alberto talked about this I could hear the irritation in his voice. “People often hired me because they said I was a hard worker, but the truth is I work like anyone else.” When Alberto said this I immediately thought of the definition of microaggressor. (Cite definition) Alberto provided another example of a common microaggressor he has encountered. Alberto goes to an HBCU and people often ask him “where are you from?”, to which Alberto would respond with the name of his hometown. "Every time I told them they looked at me and said, No, where are you really from?" Alberto explains his frustration with the question, he was an American citizen, but people would think he wasn't and although his parents were foreigners he still felt a strong bond with his A... half of paper......those facts don't call them racist insults, tell them they are privileged." This made me reflect on my role as a social worker. Yes, we believe in social justice, but how do we go about educating others who believe differently. I wasn't angry with Alberto for not speaking up, because it's easier to surround yourself with people who think like you rather than deal with someone whose vision of the world is different from yours. Self-Confidence For me, self-confidence has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. It is something that affects all levels of personal and professional life. So for me it was essential to question Alberto's level of self-confidence. At the beginning of the interview I asked him to list his roles. One thing he mentioned was that people would call him an artist, but he didn't consider himself one.