Friends play a crucial role in the human experience. 

Friends shape who we are, what we do, and what we become. 

So, it is important to manage these relationships in ways that best suit you. 

Having friends from different backgrounds is essential to growing as an individual. 

The melting pot theory is a metaphor that describes a society in which different cultures and ethnicities blend together to form a new homogeneous society. 

The best part about having a diverse group of friends is that their backgrounds hold the ability to shape us. 

A big part of who we are is who we are not, and getting to know how other people think, react, and deal with different problems can be useful in figuring out who we want to be. 

When you understand how a person thinks about a situation, problem or a person, you can decide whether or not you agree with them or disagree with them. 

You can also decipher a lot about a person or what they value by how they react to something, whether it be good news, bad news or something in between. 

Once you learn about this person, even if you do not always agree with them, you are able to pick the things that you appreciate or value about them and integrate them into who you are. 

Trying to understand a person can be very difficult, let alone an entire culture. 

The key to understanding different cultures is investing your effort, time and patience, while also being mature enough to see other perspectives without being judgmental or biased. 

A lot of times stereotypes can cloud how we see a culture. 

Being able to confront our own biases — known and unknown to us — is necessary for understanding; this is how we begin to grow as a person and as a society. 

America is becoming one of the most diverse countries in the world. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bereau, over forty million people living in the United States were born in another country.The birthplaces of these people include over 100 places througout the globe. This makes examining our own internal biases, and working to overcome them, more important then ever before. 

When we only hang out with the same people or the same types of people, we are limited in our knowledge about the rest of society. 

The world does not revolve around us, and connecting with the rest of the world can prepare us for when we do step out into it. 

Whether it be at school, work, or even just a casual conversation, we will eventually have to step out of our comfort zones and listen to how others feel and how they think. 

Diverse friendships prepare us for that.

New experiences stimulate growth in who we are and how we treat others. 

Diverse friendships broaden our perspectives and cultivate empathy, and their benefits do not stop there. 

Growth and change are guaranteed in embracing diverse friendships, but the richness they bring to our lives and to our society outweighs any discomfort the process brings.