Stepping foot on Georgetown’s campus just over two months ago, I never realized my background as a Kentuckian would grow into an integral part of my identity. I call Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city, home. At Georgetown, where the majority of students hail from the Northeast or West Coast, many people have never heard of where I live.
Louisville’s metropolitan area is made up of over a million people, including a 37% non-white population and a vibrant immigrant community. I grew up in a large Pakistani community, which gave me a strong connection to my heritage, and I love being from Kentucky—no matter the prejudices associated with Southern red states.
But at Georgetown, Southern students of color are a minority within a minority.
Georgetown’s non-international student population is 57% white, 12% Asian, 10% Hispanic, and 9% Black. Students from Southern states make up 15% of the student body, despite these states constituting nearly 40% of the U.S. population.
As a Pakistani American from the South, I have constantly been met with stereotypical misconceptions—my peers question my connection to my cultural background, intelligence, and quality of life. Southern students of color come from a range of backgrounds unrecognized by our non-Southern peers. Some students grew up in ethnically tight-knit communities; Georgetown is their first experience living in a majority white environment.
“I never thought about my ethnicity or my racial identity in high school, just because everyone had very similar backgrounds,” Gisell Campos (CAS ’25), who is from San Antonio, Texas, said.
While some students said that coming to Georgetown was their first time feeling like a minority, for others, it was a welcome experience to be in a more diverse environment.
“After freshman year, I realized that it’s totally fine to—not that it wasn’t acceptable before—talk about my culture, because people were relating to what I was saying,” Shamitha Kuppala (SFS ’26), another Louisville native, said.
Kuppala said that Georgetown allowed her to realize how her racial background impacted her sense of identity back home.
“When I was in the moment [in high school], I definitely felt like I belonged,” Kuppala said. “But honestly, looking back on it, I feel like there were certain instances where I probably would have felt less left out if I were white.”
Seeing that Kuppala and I are both South Asian Louisvillians, perhaps it’s no surprise that my experience has been similar to hers. Although I grew up in a strong Pakistani community, I also lived in a majority white city where I often felt like I had to code-switch and change how I presented myself depending on the cultural environment. Coming to Georgetown has allowed me to blend those environments together, and here, I’ve felt diversity celebrated.
However, even if Georgetown is relatively more racially diverse than some of our hometowns, the school’s socioeconomic background—60% of students come from families in the top 10% income bracket—can shape Southern students’ sense of belonging. Southern states have, on average, lower-earning populations than those in the Northeast and the West.
“Even the people of color that I do meet here have money. And so there’s a difference there too, and I have to code-switch for that as well,” Haviland Booker (CAS ’27), who is from Austin, Texas, said.
When I talk to my peers about my hometown, many of them assume that I must hate it because of the lack of educational opportunity. While there are disparities between some Southern communities and other parts of the country, it’s a misconception to believe that every Southern student is “escaping” to find a higher quality education by coming to the North. There are plenty of schools in the South with people who are educated, anti-racist, and actively fighting for a better future.
While Northeastern liberals at Georgetown and beyond seem to pride themselves on their progressivism, students from the South said that these values of open-mindedness often don’t seem to extend toward those with Southern backgrounds. This dismissive attitude is carried into the workforce, feeding into the moral high ground taken by people from traditionally liberal states and leading to policies that ignore the needs of Southerners and dismiss the work of Southern activists.
“I think because people are white and have money and are liberal, they think they understand all these experiences and connect to people, but they don’t actually experience it,” Booker said. “They make assumptions and think that they understand. But they don’t, and they probably never will.”
These misconceptions about their hometowns can heighten feelings of homesickness, Southern students said. Still, Jaden Cobb (CAS ’25), who is from Atlanta, Georgia, said that Southern students who are struggling to find a sense of belonging at Georgetown can find community here.
“You do belong. It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what you have, how much money your parents have, or what you did in high school,” Cobb said. “The only thing that matters now to everybody is that you all are at Georgetown, and you all belong here at Georgetown.”
In my first few months at Georgetown, I have been able to find community in my friends, classes, and affinity groups like the South Asian Society and the Asian American Students Association. Still, being one of the few undergraduates from Kentucky, I have to work harder to help people understand where I’m coming from, especially when they already hold preconceived notions about my state. Every individual from the South has valuable experiences—these experiences, along with the people I’ve met, make me proud to call myself a Kentuckian.
As a greater community, I implore Georgetown students to set aside their assumptions about students from the South and the belief that our upbringings limit us. Instead, sit down with someone and ask them what they love about their hometown, what they miss, and what they wish they could take back from D.C. with them. To truly understand someone, you can never discount what made them who they are—including where they grew up.
News Commentary
Southern students of color reflect on misconceptions and belonging at Georgetown
By Minhal Nazeer
October 25, 2024
Stepping foot on Georgetown’s campus just over two months ago, I never realized my background as a Kentuckian would grow into an integral part of my identity. I call Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city, home. At Georgetown, where the majority of students hail from the Northeast or West Coast, many people have never heard of where I live.
Louisville’s metropolitan area is made up of over a million people, including a 37% non-white population and a vibrant immigrant community. I grew up in a large Pakistani community, which gave me a strong connection to my heritage, and I love being from Kentucky—no matter the prejudices associated with Southern red states.
But at Georgetown, Southern students of color are a minority within a minority.
Georgetown’s non-international student population is 57% white, 12% Asian, 10% Hispanic, and 9% Black. Students from Southern states make up 15% of the student body, despite these states constituting nearly 40% of the U.S. population.
As a Pakistani American from the South, I have constantly been met with stereotypical misconceptions—my peers question my connection to my cultural background, intelligence, and quality of life. Southern students of color come from a range of backgrounds unrecognized by our non-Southern peers. Some students grew up in ethnically tight-knit communities; Georgetown is their first experience living in a majority white environment.
“I never thought about my ethnicity or my racial identity in high school, just because everyone had very similar backgrounds,” Gisell Campos (CAS ’25), who is from San Antonio, Texas, said.
While some students said that coming to Georgetown was their first time feeling like a minority, for others, it was a welcome experience to be in a more diverse environment.
“After freshman year, I realized that it’s totally fine to—not that it wasn’t acceptable before—talk about my culture, because people were relating to what I was saying,” Shamitha Kuppala (SFS ’26), another Louisville native, said.
Kuppala said that Georgetown allowed her to realize how her racial background impacted her sense of identity back home.
“When I was in the moment [in high school], I definitely felt like I belonged,” Kuppala said. “But honestly, looking back on it, I feel like there were certain instances where I probably would have felt less left out if I were white.”
Seeing that Kuppala and I are both South Asian Louisvillians, perhaps it’s no surprise that my experience has been similar to hers. Although I grew up in a strong Pakistani community, I also lived in a majority white city where I often felt like I had to code-switch and change how I presented myself depending on the cultural environment. Coming to Georgetown has allowed me to blend those environments together, and here, I’ve felt diversity celebrated.
However, even if Georgetown is relatively more racially diverse than some of our hometowns, the school’s socioeconomic background—60% of students come from families in the top 10% income bracket—can shape Southern students’ sense of belonging. Southern states have, on average, lower-earning populations than those in the Northeast and the West.
“Even the people of color that I do meet here have money. And so there’s a difference there too, and I have to code-switch for that as well,” Haviland Booker (CAS ’27), who is from Austin, Texas, said.
When I talk to my peers about my hometown, many of them assume that I must hate it because of the lack of educational opportunity. While there are disparities between some Southern communities and other parts of the country, it’s a misconception to believe that every Southern student is “escaping” to find a higher quality education by coming to the North. There are plenty of schools in the South with people who are educated, anti-racist, and actively fighting for a better future.
While Northeastern liberals at Georgetown and beyond seem to pride themselves on their progressivism, students from the South said that these values of open-mindedness often don’t seem to extend toward those with Southern backgrounds. This dismissive attitude is carried into the workforce, feeding into the moral high ground taken by people from traditionally liberal states and leading to policies that ignore the needs of Southerners and dismiss the work of Southern activists.
“I think because people are white and have money and are liberal, they think they understand all these experiences and connect to people, but they don’t actually experience it,” Booker said. “They make assumptions and think that they understand. But they don’t, and they probably never will.”
These misconceptions about their hometowns can heighten feelings of homesickness, Southern students said. Still, Jaden Cobb (CAS ’25), who is from Atlanta, Georgia, said that Southern students who are struggling to find a sense of belonging at Georgetown can find community here.
“You do belong. It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what you have, how much money your parents have, or what you did in high school,” Cobb said. “The only thing that matters now to everybody is that you all are at Georgetown, and you all belong here at Georgetown.”
In my first few months at Georgetown, I have been able to find community in my friends, classes, and affinity groups like the South Asian Society and the Asian American Students Association. Still, being one of the few undergraduates from Kentucky, I have to work harder to help people understand where I’m coming from, especially when they already hold preconceived notions about my state. Every individual from the South has valuable experiences—these experiences, along with the people I’ve met, make me proud to call myself a Kentuckian.
As a greater community, I implore Georgetown students to set aside their assumptions about students from the South and the belief that our upbringings limit us. Instead, sit down with someone and ask them what they love about their hometown, what they miss, and what they wish they could take back from D.C. with them. To truly understand someone, you can never discount what made them who they are—including where they grew up.
Minhal Nazeer
More: Cultural Identity, Diversity, identity, Race, Race at Georgetown
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