Pattonville’s FOCUS St. Louis Leadership Team recently visited places around St. Louis to help battle the city’s issues with diversity.

On Saturday, Jan. 11, the team participated in Diversity Day held on UMSL’s main campus. The day was filled with activities such as telling personal stories dealing with diversity, listening to special guest speakers and talking about the effects Ferguson has had on the St. Louis community.

“The world is more diverse than I actually thought it was,” junior Jordan Colquitt said “Instead of making people feel discriminated against, we should make them feel like we are equal.”

The FOCUS group also visited the St. Louis Holocaust Museum on Tuesday, Jan. 14. There, the group heard from members of the Jewish community and learned from their own accounts about their lifestyle, culture, and how they deal with diversity. Later in the day, they heard from Sarah Moses, a survivor of the Holocaust.

“This field trip taught me that I need to stop being a bystander and start standing up for the targeted people in society,” junior Morgan Garner said.

The club’s main focus is learning how to become leaders to help others deal with certain situations.

“We shouldn’t judge people on their race,” Colquitt said. “Instead, we should judge them on their character; let them be themselves.”