If they had asked me to define diversity 10 years ago, I would have defined it simply as being different; in particular, of different race, sex and age. These beliefs are similar to the primary dimensions of Marilyn Loden's Diversity Wheel (Canas & Sondak, 2014). I have seen diversity primarily in the context of my existence in the world around me, and Loden's primary dimensions most closely describe what I thought of when I heard the term diversity. Thankfully, I have grown more in the last 10 years and now I would define diversity not only as the primary dimension of Loden, but I would say that diversity is an acceptance of differences between people and these differences permeate all areas of life. My mental model is now more aligned with the Four Layers of Diversity presented by Anita Rowe and Lee Gardenswartz (Canas & Sondak, 2014). This definition is more inclusive of different types of diversity, especially in ways that are not as visible. I feel like society as a whole is becoming more tolerant of racial diversity and we are now moving to a point of greater acceptance of all types of diversity, but we still have a long way to go. I am African American and German and I was adopted at nine months old by a Caucasian couple of German origin. I grew up in the '80s and '90s as the only black kid in my neighborhood, and regardless of the racial makeup of my classes, I never quite fit in. Everywhere I looked there were white faces looking at me and I was different. My differences defined me. I had "wild" hair, olive skin, brown eyes, and loved African music, soul food, and white parents. I was very different from others in the blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skinned world I lived in. I have moved at the pace of my… middle of paper… global sense of diversity, and I still need to work harder to better understand other forms of diversity. I believe I am on the right path, but I have a lot of work to do to make this thought paradigm my reality. Works Cited Canas, K. A., & Sondak, H. (2014). Opportunities and challenges of diversity in the workplace: Theory, cases, and exercises (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.Rucker, W. (2002, Fall/Winter). “A Negro Nation Within the Nation”: W. E. B. DuBois and the Creation of a Revolutionary Pan-Africanist Tradition, 1903-1947. Black Scholar, 32(3/4), 37. Retrieved from https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.csuglobal.idm.oclc.org/ehostSammaritino, A., O'Flynn, J., and Nicholas, S ( 2002). Managing diverse work groups: a business model for managing diversity. Retrieved from Diversity Management website: www.diversity-management.cz/tiki-download_file.php?fileId=18